The Bard's Tale (2004 Video Game) - Parody of Fantasy Games

Parody of Fantasy Games

There are many references and parodies to common clichés of the fantasy RPG genre. These include:

• The first quest involves slaying rats in the cellar of a tavern (a cliché of Baldur's Gate fame). However, in this parody, instead of defeating small, harmless rats, the vermin in question turns out to be a gargantuan, fire-breathing rodent.
• When The Bard kills his first wolf, it drops a pile of treasure, parodying a common video game cliché of wild animals inexplicably having money and items. After that, enemies only drop items they may logically, albeit not always trivially, have. For example, a dead wolf may leave its hide, but also a red hood or picnic basket. The dead Druids often drop snow globes depicting Houton or keepsakes from Stonehenge. Zombies often drop self-help books.
• Early in the game, fun is also poked at the common looting of homes in RPG games. When The Bard takes said treasure, the Narrator accuses him of stealing. The Bard's defense is that he's providing a public service and that the chests would be cluttered if he didn't clear them out.
• The player can have The Bard smash a barrel early in the game, which prompts the barrel-maker to come out and chastise him for smashing his barrels. He does offer a deal: smash all other barrels The Bard sees so that the barrel-maker can sell more barrels. This parodies the smashing of barrels, crates, containers that is common in most video games. In the game guide, it lists that The Bard's previous profession was as an assistant to the barrel maker, however he was fired for producing inferior barrels which "... shattered with a mere whack of a sword." And his mentor chased him out of town for such shoddy work, saying that "A key won't even be safe in these things." This is a parody of the common practice in RPGs of the players breaking containers for their goods, commonly including keys.