Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth | Switch Review

There have been a few book-to-video game adaptations, but I’ve never felt immediately compelled to consume the source material after wrapping up those games. Until now, that is. Daedelic Entertainment’s Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth has me itching to travel to a bookshop and purchase a copy of the novel. Its epic, rich story that encompasses themes such as religion, politics, war, romance, and family sank its hooks into me. I’m dying to know how the game branches away from the acclaimed book. 

Breaking the Chains

The Pillars of the Earth takes place in 12th Century England and is told from the perspective of several different viewpoints. While you’ll take control of multiple characters throughout the 15 hour journey, three specific individuals take up the majority of the story. Philip of Gwynedd is the Prior of the town of Kingsbridge; Jack is the son of an outlaw mother and has spent his early life living in the forest; Aliena is the daughter of a former earl who fell from grace. Seeing these three characters’ lives intersect is fascinating, and each is a rebel in their own way. I cared deeply about these three fictional characters’ lives.

On the other side of the spectrum, the villains of the story are truly, brilliantly heinous individuals. William Hamleigh, in particular, summoned up a vitriol that I had only felt previously for some of the characters from Game of Thrones. He’s without redemption, and doesn’t care that he hurts others. His comrades are mostly following his viewpoints, with only a couple that ultimately seek redemption for their acts. This adds a deeper emotional layer to the story and provides the player with a reason to root for the other characters.

The themes I previously mentioned are handled in a realistic yet respectful manner. There are some scenes that show the brutality at hand, but for the most part these events are only discussed in dialogue segments or the inner thoughts of the characters. This is incredibly effective at both conveying the major plot points of the narrative while also not lingering too long in misery that could drag the story down. The Pillars of the Earth truly shows the good, evil, and neutrality of the world, and it does so excellently.

Take the Reins

Gameplay is that of the point-and-click adventure nature. You’ll travel to destinations in a linear manner and are encouraged to explore each location thoroughly. Often, you’ll need to find and/or combine specific items to be able to progress. This is never a difficult task, and as someone who isn’t well-versed in this gameplay genre, it was much appreciated. If you’re craving more of a challenge this aspect may not be for you, but it’s still worth sticking with it to see how the story plays out. You’ll also make choices that affect the events of the game. I’m not sure how much these change the main narrative, if at all, but it at least gives you the illusion of influencing the plot.

QTEs are also sparingly implemented, and while most don’t punish you for messing up, they are the most stressful aspect of the game. You’re made to press the A button when your cursor lands in a green bar at the bottom of the screen, but the cursor moves extremely fast and you have an incredibly limited amount of time to complete them. This isn’t an issue until the end of the game, where messing up a QTE can result in the death of a character. Luckily, you’re given a chance to retry these segments if this occurs, but sitting through dialogue you’ve already heard multiple times can become tiring.

The Beauty and the Bugs

The Pillars of the Earth is a strikingly gorgeous game. The hand-drawn and painted visuals really pop off the screen and add an extra layer of immersion. I regularly found myself ogling the screen instead of actually progressing the game. Every small detail is accentuated and it’s evident a lot of love was poured into this area. The voice acting is equally as superb, with each actor making their character feel like a living, breathing person, not just an individual in a fictional story.

I did encounter some bugs during my playthrough, with some being minor and somewhat hilarious, while a couple were serious. Lip movements don’t match up with the lines being spoken, which reminded me of the classic Godzilla films. During some dialogue segments, funny glitches would sometimes occur. Seeing a character’s head become disembodied and float around the screen or a person completely disappearing besides their eyes made me laugh instead of being annoying. The two more serious incidents involved my game freezing and another instance where it crashed and sent me back to the Switch home screen. These issues luckily didn’t impact my game too much, as there is an autosave feature that triggers often. It was just a tad frustrating.

The Final Verdict

The Pillars of the Earth is a must play for anyone yearning to experience a rich, epic story. I was completely enraptured during the entirety of my playthrough, and it has made me want to pick up a copy of the book to see how my choices in the game deviate from the original story. The visuals are stunning and the voice acting is impeccable. A few performance hiccups and the QTEs dragged the experience down a tad for me, but it shouldn’t deter you from experiencing this incredible tale.

To hear me talk more about Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth, be sure to listen to our March 9, 2023 episode of The Gaming Outsider podcast around the 57:27  time stamp.

This review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy of Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth provided by Evolve PR for coverage purposes. It is also available on PlayStation, Xbox, iOS, Mac, and PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG.