Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth

85%
Game Brain Score Based on 2,980 reviews
  • story
  • graphics
  • music
Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth Game Cover
If you like a slower story more about political intrigue wrapped up in a great presentation, you'll love The Pillars of the Earth.
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"Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth" is an adventure game based on the best-selling novel. The player navigates through a medieval narrative, making new allies and enemies in a quest to build a cathedral. Decisions made by the player impact the story's outcome, creating a unique experience for each playthrough.

  • iPad
  • iPhone
  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Phone
  • Play​station 4
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Linux
  • Mobile Platform
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

85%
Audience ScoreBased on 2,980 reviews
story1,506 positive mentions
grinding32 negative mentions
  • The game features stunning artwork and beautiful hand-drawn graphics that enhance the storytelling experience.
  • The voice acting is exceptional, bringing the characters to life and adding depth to the narrative.
  • The story is engaging and emotionally impactful, with choices that genuinely affect character relationships and outcomes.
  • The pacing can be slow, especially in the beginning, which may deter some players from fully engaging with the story.
  • There are limited gameplay mechanics, with minimal puzzles and interactions, making it feel more like a visual novel than a traditional adventure game.
  • Some players may find the lack of a pause function during dialogues and cutscenes frustrating, as it can interrupt the flow of gameplay.
  • story3,204 mentions

    The story of "The Pillars of the Earth" is widely praised for its depth, emotional engagement, and strong character development, drawing players into a richly crafted historical narrative set in 12th century England. Many reviewers highlight the impact of player choices on the unfolding plot, although some note that the overall storyline remains largely linear due to its basis on Ken Follett's novel. The game's beautiful visuals, excellent voice acting, and immersive atmosphere further enhance the storytelling experience, making it a compelling choice for fans of narrative-driven games.

    • “The story is deeply engaging and beautifully executed.”
    • “The game has a great and captivating story in which one gets really involved with the character's fates.”
    • “In 'The Pillars of the Earth,' every decision you make has a tremendous impact on the course of the story, and even seemingly insignificant choices from the first book may play a crucial role in further chapters.”
    • “The story is boring (who wants to 'play' as a monk reciting lines from the bible?) the characters are dull as dishwater and everyone speaks s-o s-l-o-w-l-y.”
    • “The choices do not matter as much as I have thought they would (they still do though) and sometimes the plot literally forces you to do something else than you'd like to.”
    • “The story had a lot of build up and in my opinion lackluster pay-off at the end.”
  • graphics635 mentions

    The graphics of the game have been widely praised for their stunning hand-drawn art style, which effectively captures the medieval setting and enhances the storytelling experience. Many reviewers noted the beautiful visuals and atmospheric soundtrack, highlighting the game's ability to immerse players in its narrative. While some found the animations inconsistent or simplistic, the overall aesthetic and artistic direction were deemed captivating and integral to the game's charm.

    • “The hand-drawn art style creates a beautifully detailed medieval world that feels authentic and immersive.”
    • “The graphics are stunning, the story is well plotted and surprising.”
    • “What a beautiful and amazing story, rendered wondrously through the artwork of this game.”
    • “The animations are stiff and cheap while the art style is boring, generic, uninspired, and dreary.”
    • “Graphics wise, I would expect better graphics for a game with that kind of price range.”
    • “Sadly, the good things end there because even though graphics and music are not easy to achieve, something as simple as camera placement (which was a big problem in the game) could ruin it all.”
  • music430 mentions

    The music in the game has been widely praised for its exceptional quality, atmospheric composition, and ability to enhance the storytelling experience. Reviewers highlight the hauntingly beautiful soundtrack, which complements the game's visuals and voice acting, creating an immersive environment that captivates players. While some noted occasional issues with volume balance, the overall consensus is that the music significantly contributes to the game's emotional depth and engagement.

    • “The music is fabulous in this game and I need to thank the producer; it does provide an effect on the whole storyline.”
    • “The voice acting is top-notch, accompanied by a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack that perfectly complements the ambiance of the game.”
    • “The music, graphic style, and mechanics are very enjoyable, and I found myself playing for like 4 hours straight on Sunday night.”
    • “The music tends to drown out dialogue, so adjust volumes before starting off.”
    • “In addition, the music, while certainly decent, is repetitive.”
    • “Sometimes the music volume is too high and you can’t hear the characters.”
  • gameplay418 mentions

    The gameplay of this title is primarily a point-and-click adventure with minimal interactivity, focusing heavily on dialogue choices and narrative progression rather than challenging puzzles or mechanics. While some players appreciate the immersive storytelling and character development, many find the gameplay tedious and lacking in depth, often comparing it to a visual novel with light mechanics. Overall, it appeals more to those who prioritize story over gameplay complexity, making it a suitable choice for fans of narrative-driven experiences.

    • “Clever game mechanics (thoughts depicted after right-click, icons of objectives, aiming system, making choices).”
    • “The gameplay is like walking through a novel, with fun little activities and interactions to keep you extra invested.”
    • “The gameplay is smooth and the story behind it is interesting.”
    • “The actual gameplay is limited, no item combination puzzles and in telltale-style fashion there are several quick-time events...”
    • “There's very little actual gameplay in this game and the little interactivity it has feels completely trivial, and the choices you make don't seem to matter all that much.”
    • “The gameplay itself gets a bit boring, but the story and art style are fascinating.”
  • atmosphere166 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive medieval setting, enhanced by stunning visuals, whimsical art style, and a captivating soundtrack. Players feel deeply engaged with the story and characters, as the atmospheric elements effectively evoke the hardships and politics of 12th century England. Overall, the combination of art, music, and narrative creates a rich and memorable experience that resonates with fans of historical storytelling.

    • “The game is beautifully crafted, with stunning visuals and an atmospheric soundtrack that really immerses you in the world of medieval England.”
    • “Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth is an incredibly atmospheric adventure game immersing you into the hardships, politics, and life of medieval England.”
    • “The hand-drawn art style and atmospheric music effectively capture the medieval setting, making the historical backdrop come alive.”
    • “It also reminded me of the movie 'The Name of the Rose', but unfortunately the atmosphere, the story, and the tension have way less impact.”
    • “But I am so old nowadays and don't have the patience to have the flow of the story hindered by hard puzzles; I actually prefer really easy adventures because I want to experience the story and atmosphere.”
    • “The OST complements the original tone of the novel and the game's story/atmosphere well, although the number of tracks was somewhat limited in my opinion.”
  • emotional148 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is highly praised, with many players describing it as a deeply moving experience that often brought them to tears. The story, set in 12th century England, is characterized by its rich character development, heartfelt moments, and impactful choices that resonate emotionally. Players appreciate the combination of beautiful visuals, excellent voice acting, and a compelling narrative that creates an immersive emotional journey, making it a standout title for those seeking a touching and thought-provoking story.

    • “A depressing and emotional story in the 12th century about the church, war, and family unravels before us, and not a second went by where I wasn't interested in the story.”
    • “Oh and it's probably the only game I've played where the story genuinely made me cry... so if you like a touching story, then I'd highly recommend.”
    • “I cried my heart out more than once playing this; what a journey this was.”
  • replayability50 mentions

    The game's replayability is mixed, with some players noting significant potential due to interconnected decision-making and multiple endings, while others criticize its linearity and slow pacing, which detracts from the desire to replay. Many agree that while there are different paths and outcomes to explore, the lack of options to speed up the experience can make revisiting the game tedious. Overall, it seems to offer enough variety for dedicated fans, but casual players may find limited incentive to replay.

    • “It's definitely replayable and there are many paths I can imagine taking to change final relationships and dialogues.”
    • “Given the sheer amount of dialogue, choices, and even plot arcs that may be missed on one playthrough, it seems this game has considerable replay value for fans of the game/book.”
    • “The story is intriguing and has replay value to see how you can change the story with your choices.”
    • “Making the game unreplayable; it doesn't help that cutscenes are unskippable.”
    • “No replayability value sadly because of the slow pace; you would bore to death if you want to replay it.”
    • “- zero replay value due to the nature of the linear story.”
  • character development42 mentions

    Character development is a standout feature in this game, with many reviewers praising its depth and the way it enriches the narrative. The slow-paced storytelling allows for meticulous character growth, making the characters' beliefs and motivations feel authentic and engaging. While some noted that the pacing in later installments felt rushed, the overall consensus is that the character arcs are compelling and well-executed, complemented by strong voice acting and beautiful character designs.

    • “Masterpiece indeed, not only are there refreshing character developments but also the importance of their beliefs.”
    • “The tale of a few cathedral builders is historically believable; it carries the atmosphere and the realia of the time period, spanning decades of character development that doesn't feel crumbled.”
    • “A slow, meticulous game that begs patience in exchange for incredible character development and narrative.”
    • “From a gameplay perspective, this is probably fine just to rush to the conclusion, but it means that further character development is missed from the source material along with the accompanying architectural development that I find enriching.”
    • “The tale of a few cathedral builders is historically believable, it carries the atmosphere and the realia of the time period, it spans decades of character development that doesn't feel crumbled.”
    • “The game is long and slow, and doesn't shy away from involving the player in mundane tasks (which I think is fine and contributes to ambiance and character development), just don't expect to be jumping off exploding buildings all the time.”
  • grinding36 mentions

    The reviews highlight that the game involves significant grinding, often described as tedious and requiring a considerable time investment. While some players appreciate the narrative depth and character development, many find the gameplay mechanics, particularly the point-and-click format and puzzle-solving, to be repetitive and dull, suggesting that it may not be suitable for everyone. Overall, the experience can feel overwhelming, leading some to recommend taking breaks between playthroughs to avoid burnout.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “A lot of grinding.”
    • “The gameplay portion of this was extremely tedious and boring.”
    • “The game became tedious and boring when it waited for my mouse clicks to advance the story.”
    • “It starts off pretty good and the writing is not bad, but the old-fashioned point-and-click formula gets tedious fast.”
  • humor14 mentions

    The humor in the game is noted to be lacking compared to previous titles from the developer, with players expressing a desire for more playful elements and jokes, especially given the serious nature of the game's adaptation. While some moments, such as character interactions and funny scenarios, do elicit laughter, the overall tone is described as more serious and less humorous than classic adventure games like Monkey Island.

    • “Funny monk adventures :)”
    • “It made me laugh when the characters would change their tune about me depending on if I found certain objects or learned valuable information from something.”
    • “- I missed the humor and the playfulness that Daedalic games normally have - of course this one's a serious novel adaptation in the 'real world', but hey, it wouldn't have been so bad to add some Easter eggs or at least some more jokes, right?”
    • “The humor in the game often feels forced and falls flat.”
    • “I expected more clever jokes, but most of the humor is just silly and juvenile.”
    • “The attempts at humor are overshadowed by the frustrating gameplay.”
  • stability14 mentions

    Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while some players report no significant bugs or crashes, others experience various issues such as buggy dialogue, graphical glitches, and animation problems. Despite these stability concerns, many users find the story compelling and the game performs well on platforms like Linux.

    • “Oh, and the game runs great on Linux.”
    • “This game is good but buggy as hell.”
    • “The animations are buggy and missing; the overall puppets are often very limited in contributing to the dialogue's emotions.”
    • “Aside from a few graphical glitches I spotted, it was an amazing game.”
  • monetization12 mentions

    The monetization strategy of the game has drawn criticism for its intrusive banner advertisements on the title screen, which detract from the overall artistic experience. While players appreciate the option to remove ads, many feel that the placement of advertisements undermines the game's immersive qualities and question the necessity of such an approach. Overall, the ability to eliminate ads is a redeeming factor for some, but it raises concerns about the balance between monetization and preserving the game's artistic integrity.

    • “Artistic, immersive beauty disrespected by a decision to put banner advertisements on the title screen.”
    • “If I hadn't been able to remove the ads, I would've refunded the game.”
    • “One must question why bother making or selling a game such as this, when with this advertising approach, you disregard other people sharing in the artistic immersion created by the work.”
  • optimization12 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization is generally well-received, with smooth in-game performance and no significant bugs reported. However, some users noted that minimizing the game window causes an increase in GPU temperature, which can be a concern for system performance.

    • “The game runs smoothly and the interface is easy to use and understand.”
    • “It's like a Telltale game with a great story and no performance problems.”
    • “The performance of the voices gives depth to the characters in an excellent way.”
    • “I don't have much to complain about this game; I haven't encountered any bugs, but the performance of the minimized game window annoyed me a bit.”
    • “[h1]Technical problems and performance[/h1]”
    • “[b]Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth[/b] a middle of the 12th century story is one of those rare games where you really have to pay attention to the dialogues; the performance of the voices gives depth to the characters in an excellent way.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

77% average critic score

Buy Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth

Play time

17hMedian play time
15hAverage play time
12-22hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 20 analyzed playthroughs

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