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Wandering Bard
Wander through six troubled regions, learn songs from the people who live there, build sets for each crowd, and complete the music in a cozy, story-rich rhythm RPG.

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Features
Single-player
Steam Achievements
Family Sharing
Steam is learning about this game 
Languages:
Interface Full Audio Subtitles
English ✔ ✔

Coming Soon To Early Access

The developers of this game intend to release as a work in progress, developing with the feedback of players.

Note: Games in Early Access are not complete and may or may not change further. If you are not excited to play this game in its current state, then you should wait to see if the game progresses further in development. Learn more

What the developers have to say:

Why Early Access?

“Wandering Bard already offers a playable rhythm-RPG journey built around listening, arranging and performing, but its strongest future will be shaped with players. Early Access lets us tune rhythm timing, difficulty and progression using real play data while expanding the ways players can perform, revisit songs and share their mastery. We want every new song and system to deepen the fantasy of growing from a travelling musician into a celebrated bard.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“We currently expect Early Access to last around 12 months, although development and community feedback may change that schedule. We plan to leave Early Access when the expanded modes, content and polish meet the standard we want for the full version.”

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?

“We plan to broaden the campaign with additional story material, performances and songs; expand Quickplay into a faster way to practise and replay unlocked arrangements; add opt-in rankings and score-chasing features; deepen instrument mastery, venue progression and late-game challenges; and continue improving accessibility, controller support, balance, presentation and audio feedback. The exact scope and order may change in response to testing and player feedback.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“Wandering Bard is playable from its tutorial through a six-region story and finale. The current build includes 33 original compositions in 99 arrangements, five levelled instruments, 89 progression performances, Story, Standard and Virtuoso rhythm modes, a Practice Room, timing calibration, persistent saves, town relationships, set building, score results and controller support. Early Access players should expect ongoing balance changes, interface and audio polish, additional content and occasional bugs. Online rankings and the planned expanded Quickplay and campaign content are not yet part of the current build.”

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?

“We plan to keep the Early Access price accessible and may increase it when the game leaves Early Access to reflect the additional songs, modes, campaign content and polish added during development. Any change will be communicated in advance.”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

“We will use Steam Discussions, playtest surveys and opt-in feedback to collect reports on note timing, song difficulty, progression pacing, accessibility, controller feel and performance. We plan to share development updates, test selected new songs and modes with players, and use aggregated completion and score data where available to guide balance. Community feedback will inform priorities while we keep the game’s story and musical identity coherent.”
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This game is not yet available on Steam

Planned Release Date: Aug 28, 2026

This game plans to unlock in approximately 7 days

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About This Game

EVERY SONG BEGINS WITH SOMEONE WORTH HEARING.

You are a travelling bard arriving in communities that have forgotten how to sing. Listen to the people who live there, learn the melodies bound up in their work, grief, history and hope, then carry their stories onward in your songbook.

LISTEN

Meet 24 townsfolk across six distinct regions. Return after performances to see relationships change, complete commissioned shows and earn each community’s trust.

ARRANGE

Every room wants something different. Choose a venue, read its mood and musical taste, then build a three-to-six-song set from the repertoire you have earned. Clear recommendations reveal your strongest available song while leaving the final choice to you.

PERFORM

Take the stage on an approachable four-lane rhythm highway. Strike falling notes as they cross the line, then grow into chords, holds, rolls and syncopation. Accurate playing restores the authored lead inside the arrangement; mistakes make your instrument falter and the backing performance pull away.

Read the room between verses, change musical direction and build a streak that carries the audience from quiet attention to singing along.

MASTER THE ROAD

Learn 33 compositions across 99 fixed arrangements. Develop lute, fiddle, recorder, hurdy-gurdy and frame drum mastery to unlock harder performances and larger venues, rising from tavern corners to a 5,000-seat finale.

A COMPLETE BARDIC CAREER

• An 89-show story road and Grand Circuit spanning six regions.

• 47 commissioned performances, six regional finales and 24 residency ranks.

• A playable prologue teaching the Listen → Collect → Arrange → Perform loop.

• Practice mode for every learned arrangement without risking campaign progress.

• Persistent songs, relationships, reputation, venues, upgrades and travel.

• Mouse, rebindable keyboard and gamepad input.

• Adjustable timing assistance, audio/display calibration, reduced motion, high-contrast focus, interface scaling and separate volume controls.

Contains references to bereavement, illness, war and a mining accident. No graphic violence.

AI Generated Content Disclosure

The developers describe how their game uses AI Generated Content like this:

Development of Wandering Bard used generative AI tools to assist with some pre-generated character portraits, environment and store artwork, narrative and dialogue text, fixed character voice recordings, and instrumental music. All of this content was generated before release, then reviewed, selected, edited and integrated by the developer. The game does not generate content during play and does not connect to external AI services during play.

System Requirements

Windows
macOS
SteamOS + Linux
    Minimum:
    • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
    • OS: Windows 10, 64-bit
    • Processor: Dual-core 2.0 GHz
    • Memory: 4 GB RAM
    • Graphics: OpenGL 3.3 compatible graphics
    • Storage: 2 GB available space
    • Additional Notes: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system. Keyboard/mouse or compatible gamepad.
    Recommended:
    • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
    • Memory: 8 GB RAM
    • Storage: 2 GB available space
    Minimum:
    • OS: macOS 10.15 or newer
    • Processor: Intel 64-bit or Apple Silicon
    • Memory: 4 GB RAM
    • Storage: 2 GB available space
    • Additional Notes: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system. Keyboard/mouse or compatible gamepad.
    Recommended:
    • Memory: 8 GB RAM
    • Storage: 2 GB available space
    Minimum:
    • OS: 64-bit Linux distribution
    • Processor: Dual-core 2.0 GHz
    • Memory: 4 GB RAM
    • Graphics: OpenGL 3.3 compatible graphics
    • Storage: 2 GB available space
    • Additional Notes: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system. Keyboard/mouse or compatible gamepad.
    Recommended:
    • Memory: 8 GB RAM
    • Storage: 2 GB available space
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