Ken Folletts The Pillars of the Earth
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. 12th century, England: In a time of great poverty and war, a small town begins the construction of a cathedral to claim wealth and security for its people. In their struggle to survive, lives and destinies intertwine. Philip the monk becomes prior of the small abbey of Kingsbridge. At the same time, a boy called Jack is raised in the woods by his outlawed mother. His apprenticeship as a stonemason paves his way to become a gifted master builder. Together with the disgraced noblewoman Aliena, Jack and Philip begin the construction of one of the greatest cathedrals England will ever see. One of the most successful novels of all time, now adapted as a three-part videogame series.
Game Discussion
Steam User 14
• Multiple-perspective narrative. The pace in the first few chapters is kind of slow.
• Ecclesiastical influence, royal rivalries, family feuds, faith crisis, tons of Christian elements.
• Many missable achievements, but still possible to get 100% on a single playthrough.
• Treat it as a work of fiction, not as something that needs to be historically accurate.
Good visual and sound design, point-and-click gameplay with a few easy QTEs, quite simple puzzles to let you focus more on the story itself. But if you're really not into the story, this lack of gameplay variety could bore you easily. The storyline is deeper than I expected, but easy to catch up since all the information you need to know is already given in the game. I really like how later chapters introduce details that echo earlier sections. For example, I accidentally let venison spoil, and the characters still remember it and bring it up many years later:^
This game doesn't have a chapter select so when the story is finished, there's no way to rewind except through your save slot. It's a bit of a shame that I can't rewatch certain plots.
Steam User 10
This was a great adaptation of a compelling story, and I feel like I should have paid a lot more for it than I did. It was a fairly long game and a labor of love, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys story-based games and/or quality historical fiction. The characters were complex and memorable, the voice acting was great, and somehow your decisions felt like they had weight even though the outcomes are obviously predetermined. If you can scoop this gem up on sale, definitely do, but imo it's worth whatever the original cost to support the studio and the folks who adapted this so well and lovingly.
Steam User 7
I enjoyed this game so much I read the book afterwards. For once, the game is better than the book.
As well as being beautiful to look at and to listen to, the game sticks faithfully to the story of the book while still finding ways to fix some of the less tasteful scenes Follett is - as I later learned - notorious for. The important story beats are intact, but the main characters have more depth, more charm, and a less intense focus on certain physical assets. Likewise, although the antagonists are as abhorrent as their literary counterparts, the game adds more nuance to their motivations, making for a richer experience overall.
Sometimes the historical inaccuracies can be distracting (unless you enjoy single-handedly inventing the entirety of modern architecture), and the gameplay is gentle, with little in the way of challenge. If you just want to immerse yourself in memorable characters and a story on an epic scale, however, this is an easy game to recommend.
Steam User 8
A quite solid and entertaining game! The gameplay is very interactive, yet doesn't include any difficult puzzles or mechanisms (with the exception of a few tricky QTEs), hence it's pretty chill altogether. I really like the medieval setting and find the world-building to be very well-done; it made it simple for me to get immersed in the setting.
The plot itself is certainly decent too, it includes a variety of story-aspects that get beautifully connected with each other. I especially loved the main reveal, as well as the epic & brutal moments and honestly wish that the game showed more of the horror and anguish. Meanwhile I perceived the less serious scenes to be frequently too long in comparison to scenes of high plot relevance, I still liked to get more insight into the daily life and such (though that whole romance arc was actually incredibly unnecessary, in my opinion).
Another thing I'd like to mention is that the game is straight-up hilarious like 80% of the time, I admittedly couldn't take plenty of scenes seriously because they got that hyperbolic drama element, however I was captivated by the story regardless, additionally the actual comedy scenes were simply extra funny to me.
Overall this was a very pleasant experience and I had plenty of fun exploring the worldsetting and watching the events unfold. I personally perceived some pacing issues, due to some events/chapters being either too brief or too extensive, but besides that the plot is great!
Steam User 7
Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth is a narrative-driven adventure adaptation of Ken Follett’s bestselling historical novel, presented as a hybrid of visual novel and point-and-click gameplay. You follow multiple protagonists in 12th-century England, making decisions and exploring hand-painted scenes as you uncover a story of ambition, conflict, and cathedral building.
The game focuses heavily on dialogue, character interactions, and choices that influence narrative threads rather than fast-paced action or complex mechanics. Its rich production — including detailed 2D backgrounds, full voice acting, and orchestral music — helps bring the medieval setting to life, though the pace can feel deliberate compared to more mechanic-focused titles.
I spent 15.2 hours playing through and unlocked all 41 achievements for 100% completion. Since the game was €1.99 on sale (purchased in 2023), it offered great value for a long, story-focused experience.
Overall, Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth is a solid choice if you enjoy narrative adventures with meaningful choices and historical settings. Its slow-burn storytelling and character arcs may not be for everyone, but for fans of story-led games it delivers a memorable medieval tale.
Steam User 6
Haven't run into very many games that have affected me emotionally but this had me weirdly invested from the beginning to end. I'm quite impressed with the movie like quality of this game and the heart tugging stories it leaves you with.
EDIT: Finally finished and this game wrecked me, omg. It will stick with me a long time
Steam User 5
If you enjoyed Pentiment, you'll likely enjoy this. Follow multiple people on their fragmented perspectives of an intertwined story. Point-and-click controls. Choices matter but it's largely on rails. Kind of a slow burn but interesting enough to keep people who enjoy this genre going. Only half-way through at a little over 9 hours and looking forward to the remaining half.
EDIT: Just finished and the second half is even better than the first.