Tales of the Unknown: Volume I - The Bard's Tale vs Telengard

Tales of the Unknown: Volume I, better known as The Bard's Tale, is a pioneering role‑playing game released in 1985 by Interplay Productions and published by Electronic Arts. It introduced early 3D graphics and animated character portraits, delivering a deep fantasy adventure on the Apple II and later on many other platforms. The game follows a band of young warriors, magic users, bards, and rogues as they battle the evil wizard Mangar, who has cast an Eternal Winter over the town of Skara Brae. Players explore labyrinthine dungeons, solve puzzles, and upgrade equipment to gain experience and defeat Mangar’s minions.

Telengard is an early dungeon‑crawling role‑playing game that drops you into a massive 50‑level underground labyrinth. You control a single adventurer with randomly rolled attributes and explore 200‑by‑200 room levels, battling monsters that can act in real time or turn‑based mode. The game rewards both combat and treasure hunting, offering spell progression, random chests, and interactive features like altars and friendly creatures that react to your Charisma. Its simple graphics and deep mechanics have made it a nostalgic favorite for RPG fans.

• Groundbreaking 3D graphics for its era
• Deep party and equipment customization
• Engaging puzzle and combat mix
• Rich fantasy storyline

• Deep, procedurally generated dungeon
• Multiple combat modes
• Rich attribute and spell system
• High replayability

• Limited save system compared to modern standards
• Graphics appear dated on current hardware
• Steep learning curve for new players

• Very simple graphics by modern standards
• Steep learning curve for attribute management
• Limited documentation and tutorials