Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth - Book One
- August 15, 2017
- Daedalic Entertainment
I’d never heard of Ken Follett’s epic novel, The Pillars of the Earth, until a review code of its video game adaptation landed in my inbox.
Based on Ken Follett's world-bestseller, ‘The Pillars of the Earth’ retells the story of the village of Kingsbridge in a whole new interactive way. Play as Jack, Aliena and Philip and change the events of the book through exploration, decision-making and dialogues. This interactive novel is released in three 'books', containing 7 chapters each. This season pass includes access to all three books, …
PC
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
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Reviews
- Engaging and immersive story with complex characters and a well-crafted narrative.
- Beautiful hand-drawn visuals and excellent voice acting enhance the overall experience.
- Strong historical accuracy and mature themes that appeal to fans of the original novel and historical fiction.
- Minor technical issues, including frequent loading screens and some bugs that can disrupt gameplay.
- Pacing may be slow for some players, with long-winded puzzles and backtracking that can lead to boredom.
- Some design choices may feel obnoxious or detract from the overall experience.
- story12 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The story of "Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth" is a beautifully crafted retelling of the original novel, featuring rich dialogue and character-driven narratives that explore themes of political intrigue and personal struggle. While the pacing can be slow and technical issues may detract from the experience, the game's strong visual presentation and immersive storytelling effectively engage players from start to finish. Overall, it offers a gritty, grounded narrative that appeals to those who appreciate detailed character development and atmospheric storytelling.
“Through excellent dialogue choices, interesting item usage, and an immersive story, Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth keeps the player interested from beginning to end.”
“Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth is a beautifully hand-drawn retelling of the original novel that visualizes the story through the eyes of three different characters: Tom Builder, Philip, and Jack.”
“While the story can be slow-going due to the sluggish gameplay and technical limitations causing graphical headaches, this is a great way to introduce new people to the wonderful story.”
“If you like a slower story more about political intrigue wrapped up in a great presentation, you'll love The Pillars of the Earth.”
“It must be reiterated that this is a very gritty and grounded story that never enters the realm of fantasy the way Game of Thrones does.”
- graphics5 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics of Daedalic’s adaptation of Ken Follett’s "The Pillars of the Earth" are praised for their stunning hand-drawn visuals and brilliant aesthetics, which enhance the storytelling and character development. While some technical limitations and gameplay issues may detract from the experience, the overall art style and atmosphere are considered exceptional, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
“Daedalic’s adaptation of Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth is off to a strong start with retina-stroking hand-drawn visuals, deep characters, and a refreshingly grounded setting.”
“While not perfect, suffering from general adventure game problems of backtracking and long-winded puzzles, the game more than makes up for it with compelling characters, a great script with fantastic voice acting, and an aesthetic design that benefits the game greatly.”
“[brilliant aesthetics with a superb art style and soundtrack, outstanding script and voice acting that really brings the characters to life, fantastic storytelling and characterisation, despite the mundanity of most subject matters, interesting use of inventory to act on clues or hints given to open up more dialogue]”
- gameplay1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a slow pace and technical limitations that can lead to graphical issues, which may detract from the experience. However, it serves as an effective introduction to the engaging story for newcomers.
“While the story can be slow-going due to the sluggish gameplay and technical limitations causing graphical headaches, this is a great way to introduce new people to the wonderful story.”
“The gameplay feels repetitive and lacks the depth needed to keep players engaged for long periods.”
“I found the controls to be unresponsive, which made the gameplay frustrating and less enjoyable.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its captivating art style and engaging storytelling, creating an immersive experience that enhances the overall enjoyment.
“The game has a great atmosphere, complemented by a beautiful art style and interesting storytelling.”
“The immersive atmosphere draws you in, making every moment feel alive and engaging.”
“The combination of haunting sound design and stunning visuals creates an unforgettable atmosphere.”
- music1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is praised for its brilliant aesthetics and superb art style, complementing the outstanding script and voice acting that enhance character immersion. The soundtrack effectively supports the fantastic storytelling and character development, making even mundane subjects engaging. Overall, the music significantly contributes to the game's atmosphere and narrative depth.
“The music is a brilliant blend of aesthetics, perfectly complementing the superb art style and enhancing the overall experience.”
“The soundtrack is outstanding, really bringing the characters to life and elevating the storytelling.”
“The combination of fantastic music and voice acting creates an immersive atmosphere that captivates players throughout the game.”
Critic Reviews
Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth - Book One Review
Through excellent dialogue choices, interesting item usage, and an immersive story, The Pillars of the Earth keeps the player interested from beginning to end. Becoming invested in the game's multiple protagonists is rewarded with a complex narrative that twists and turns to play with expectations.
80%Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth Review
Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth is a tremendously good story bogged down by minor technical issues and some occasionally obnoxious design choices. With two more books, though, this is one fans of historical fiction or adventure games simply cannot pass up. Even with the minor issues, it's one of the best point and click adventures to come out in quite some time.
80%Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth Book One Review
Daedalic’s adaptation of Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth is off to a strong start with retina stroking hand drawn visuals, deep characters and a refreshingly grounded setting.
80%
