8. The Bard’s Tale IV

Build your party with this classic, yet dynamic, single-player RPG.

First of all, we’re going to be honest; this game is beautiful. Built with the Unreal Engine 4, with smooth, vibrant graphics, and possibly one of the most calming soundtracks ever, artistically, the Bard’s Tale IV is beyond repute.

Secondly, we have to make you aware that it is a dungeon crawler. And something of a puzzler. So if you’re not into either of those particular genres, you might find it a little difficult to get into. But hold up, okay? Give it a chance.

For one thing, you can recruit NPCs for your party. Which you might see as somewhat standard for the genre, but each NPC has talent, and personality. Some might be a great fit for your team. Others might cause a little more trouble than they’re worth. It’s all down to you. Which leads to our next point: the world will be affected by who is in your team.

Whether that means another NPC might have a different reaction to you, a puzzle may be harder to solve, or a new battle is caused, we have yet to discover. But ultimately, the quests aren’t necessarily linear. Your aims and rewards are extremely subject to change.

Finally, that awesome soundtrack we mentioned? You might want to keep an ear out for that, because the melody actually influences the in-game world. Just in case you needed a heads-up.