Shad'O
Shad'O
Game
Game2017
Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth
Developer Daedalic Entertainment
Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth (German: Die Säulen der Erde) is a 2017 point-and-click adventure episodic video game by Daedalic Entertainment. It is based on Welsh author Ken Follett's 1989 novel of the same name. Book 1 of the game was released on 16 August 2017, Book 2 on 13 December 2017, and Book 3 on 29 March 2018. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
194 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon) · newest Nov 4, 2026 · last updated Nov 4, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
89
LovedLoved
150 positive · 19 negative
95% range 83–93%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 150 | 19 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 4 | 0 | 18 |
| Lemmy * | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 1 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
2,149 of 2,338 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
88% recommend · 153 yes, 20 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 173 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (7,022 of 7,609 positive).
Players praise the game's story, art, and voice acting, calling it a beautiful adaptation. [1][2][3] Some find the pacing slow and the gameplay limited, with choices feeling inconsequential. [4][5][6] A few criticize the game for being historically inaccurate with modern-thinking characters. [7][8]
Liked
Representative posts
- [7]
This game has a lot of strengths: A strong story, compelling characters, and an engaging narrative overall; Beautiful visuals and backgrounds; A great orchestral soundtrack and high-quality voice acting. That said, the game is awfully anti-historical: Modern-thinking characters: Most characters act and think like modern people, valuing individual freedom and equality, openly questioning authority, and prioritizing …
- [2]
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 …
- [12]
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
- [10]
This is one of the most beautiful stories ever told through a video game, delivered in such a heartfelt and masterful way that it left me truly speechless. If you want a time machine to the Middle Ages with intrigue, deceit, betrayal, knights, and emotions that overwhelm you — Pillars of the Earth is the journey to take. It felt like I was playing the animated film I had always dreamed of being in. Every character …
- [1]
My mom has read this book (she is an ameteur writer), she is not very good with video games but since she was sick, every afternoon I'd bring my laptop to her and we would play this game for about an hour. There were a lot of saves and re-loads but in the end she loved how the story was depicted. Though some things in the game are different than in the books (the books version is much more graphic), she became a …
Summarised from 34 of the 197 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 9, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth sits at 89% positive across 169 opinionated reactions from 4 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Critics, per Wikipedia
The Pillars of the Earth has received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic. Blake Hester from GameSpot praised the game's characters, unique visuals, and story development, but critiqued it for a lack of drama or tangible tension, a "snail-paced" narrative, and slow frame-rates and loading times on Xbox One.
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
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neutral · AI labelView post →My mom has read this book (she is an ameteur writer), she is not very good with video games but since she was sick, every afternoon I'd bring my laptop to her and we would play this game for about an hour. There were a lot of saves and re-loads but in the end she loved how the story was depicted. Though some things in the game are different than in the books (the books version is much more graphic), she became a huge fan of the environment, how each choice truly mattered and how each character…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game has a lot of strengths: A strong story, compelling characters, and an engaging narrative overall; Beautiful visuals and backgrounds; A great orchestral soundtrack and high-quality voice acting. That said, the game is awfully anti-historical: Modern-thinking characters: Most characters act and think like modern people, valuing individual freedom and equality, openly questioning authority, and prioritizing personal fulfillment. Medieval identity was far…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →• 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…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →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…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ahistorical modern plot and characters with a medieval background/façade. Not what I was looking for.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For someone who hasn’t read the book this is based on, I was quite skeptical if picking up the game would be the right choice. I knew that The Pillars of the Earth was a rather complex story spanning multiple decades and filled with a myriad of characters. However, I had also heard that Ken Follett’s writing (an author I am not yet familiar with) tends to be a bit problematic in parts and that the game actually improves on the more questionable writing choices he made for the book. In any case,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's okay as long as you understand that this is a visual novel and not a point-and-click adventure. I don't think your choices matter much despite the tags, all roads lead to Kingsbridge as it were and you'll get a bit of an overview about the choices you made at the end of each chapter but that's about it. There were a few points where I wanted to just vibe out with it as a visual novel letting some of the cut-scene narratives play out while I wandered about doing other stuff and listening…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →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,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A really good game that is very underrated. Excellent story, voice acting and characters with an awesome visual style that still looks good to this day. Absolutely recommend!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Tried really hard to like this game. Love the setting and it's very historically accurate... But it's WAY too slow paced. Every scene just drags on and on and on to the point I stop caring midway through. Most of the choices and dialogue don't mean or affect anything. And there's this 3 second delay between talking to someone, and them responding EVERY TIME YOU TALK TO SOMEONE. Since you want to exhaust all dialogue so you don't miss anything potentially important, it makes talking to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →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…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A good point and click game with fantastic art, sound and story. Just keep in mind there is a lot of story. Linux version of the game works without any issues.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ken Follett's 'The Pillars of the Earth' is not my sort of book at all but this huge historical epic is a masterclass in story-telling. I read over a thousand pages in six days. Breathtaking. My review: bit.ly/4ueFxZT #Booksky 💙📚 #Literaturesky #Books 📚
neutral · AI labelView post →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
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →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…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Easily one of my favourite Daedalic releases. The story was well written, and I liked how everything came together. The hand-painted visuals are beautiful, and the voice acting and soundtrack fit the atmosphere perfectly. I'd definitely recommend giving this a chance!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For its kind, it's impressive Death, betrayal, faith: same as the book and TV adaptation, it's hard to play and hard to listen to. If you can handle moral pain and stress, but also like medieval realism, try it out.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A beautiful but miserable story with some gameplay elements. It moves at a glacial pace and is not in a hurry to tell the plot, but at the same time seems to skip huge chunks of it whenever it feels like it. I suppose it makes it more realistic as there wasn't really that much to do in twelvth century England, but boy does it make parts of it difficult to chew through. The characters were interesting and I ended up rooting for most of the cast, but some of their decisions were not…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Valiant British: The Great Church Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth is a cool mix of a classic adventure game and a visual novel inspired by the bestselling book. You step into 12th-century England, where, amid war and total poverty, construction of a grand cathedral kicks off in the town of Kingsbridge. The story is told through the lives of three characters: the monk Philip, the skilled builder Jack, and the nobleman's daughter Aliena. Visually, it looks awesome — everything is drawn…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A boring plot gets boring quickly
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The narrative pace and story structure are really good. Compared to playing this game, I would recommend reading the original book.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A very good adaptation of the book's story, obviously with less violence and much less sex. Great, consistent art style, music and sound design, and convincing voice actors. Don't expect too much in terms of gameplay and interactivity. This is all about the story. Worked very well on Steam Deck.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →❓ What is this Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth is a narrative-driven adventure game developed by Daedalic Entertainment and released in 2017. Based on the bestselling historical novel, it adapts the epic story of love, betrayal, and ambition during 12th-century England. Rather than relying on traditional point-and-click mechanics, it emphasizes choices, dialogue, and exploration of a world torn by war, religion, and politics. ❔ How I played I completed the full story campaign,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Over-hyped, incredibly boring and dull. Maybe there's a good story here, but I'd rather get that from the book than sit through this dull experience.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm curating a list of popular prose-to-videogame adaptations and would love input! My list right now feels far too short. Here's what I have: - The Witcher III - Shadows of Mordor (LOTR) - Chamber of Secrets/LEGO (HP) - Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth - Elsinore (Hamlet) - Nancy Drew games
neutral · AI labelView post →So this visual novel game called Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth is on sale for $2. I picked it up because I generally like this genre. I'm really enjoying it. The story, art style and voice acting's been great. VERY moody. It's based on a book. store.steampowered.com/app/234270/K...
positive · AI labelView post →The entire series of novels that started with Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth.
neutral · AI labelView post →I'm excited to talk about Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth on this week's podcast! I wish I had more time to devote to it. It's a fantastic adventure game and an excellent novel adaptation. If you've never played it, you absolutely should!
positive · AI labelView post →I lost interest after an hour or so. The story and characters didn't interest me enough to keep me going. The animation/art is great, and the ambiance/settings is impeccable. But I couldn't bring myself to continue with it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A really solid visual novel with great art and storytelling. It takes a little while to get going, but once it does, it really pulls you in. Every choice feels meaningful, and the twists and turns keep things exciting. Definitely worth your time.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →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.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is one of the most beautiful stories ever told through a video game, delivered in such a heartfelt and masterful way that it left me truly speechless. If you want a time machine to the Middle Ages with intrigue, deceit, betrayal, knights, and emotions that overwhelm you — Pillars of the Earth is the journey to take. It felt like I was playing the animated film I had always dreamed of being in. Every character became a part of me. The experience is beyond words. Art style is beautiful,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There are two monks that looked suspiciously like Beavis and Butthead. I'm sold. Aside from that, I'm hardly a book person but now I wanna read the print series. Perfect blend of dread, hope, and medieval drama. I've played nearly every Telltale/Don'tNod/Square-Enix visual novel type game, but this one might be one of the best I ever tried. Every decision felt uneasy but I was elated to discover that sometimes even possibly poor decisions may actually lead to better outcomes. Very complicated,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →God, what a story. God, what an art! Such a beautiful story wrapped into a crayon-like drawings that just suit the game so much!!! Thank you for an opportunity to get into this world, unforgettable experience.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →All birds and men are sure to die, but songs may live forever.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Should've stayed a novel. Because it's not a game and it's not fun.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Short-Review This is a point and click adventure telling the story of the books of the same name. Never read it but apparently you can change a bit the ending and do smaller changes to the story, especially if a character likes another one or dies. You cannot outright change complete paths. There are some story sequences I found absolutely dumb, but in the complete package it was a decent story. The gameplay aspect is lacking, there arent any puzzles and its solely a dialogue game. You can…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Well, I purchased this game years ago, and I could not bring myself to play it...until I had nothing really else to do. This attitude was perfect for this boring, nonsensical game. The player starts with a family lost (I guess?) in the woods who are starving and freezing and of course - a HEAVILY pregnant woman. Hmm....I wonder if the woman will give birth under these dire circumstances? Well, fortunately - this Scooby Doo mystery is soon solved. I was only with this family a VERY short…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very slow. And the story is not interesting to me. A bunch of men talking about God. The artwork is nice.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →>amazing game >the story, voice acting was fabulous >if you are into navigate story driven game then this is a go to one
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Read the book then played the game, but it wouldn't really matter to enjoy it. It follows the original well enough, but you have to expect some changes for a crossover. The 'game' is limited to mostly dialogue/action choices and a few inventory interactions, but otherwise plays out more like an interactive movie. There are a lot of cut scenes and the pace is quite slow, so it's more something to settle in to and let the story unfold (which has a lot to cover). Overall, it was great to see the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →(PCDD) Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth $1.99 via Steam. ow.ly/LjmN50Un7tY
neutral · AI labelView post →*Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth* was one of the most absorbing and emotionally affecting adventure games I’ve played. I came to it with fairly low expectations. My previous experiences with Daedalic had been mixed: some of their games felt visually appealing but emotionally shallow, others too childish or irritating for my taste. *The Pillars of the Earth* felt completely different. Set in 12th-century England, it follows the people whose lives become intertwined with the construction…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Such a good game, one of the only ways for zoomers to read books in 21th century
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I must confess, I hate the original book with the force of a thousand suns. I started reading it at least three times and couldn't get through it even though I am a historical fiction fiend. However I still opted to buy the video game, after all people had said it is much better than the book and it was also only 2 euros thanks to the Steam sale. I had nothing to lose. Thank god I bought it. The developers fixed the more distasteful scenes, gave the characters more depth and overrall made me…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Grab a cup of tea, a blanket and some snacks. 9/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth is a slow but very well-told story game set in the Middle Ages. The art style is really nice and the characters feel deep and realistic. Gameplay is mostly about dialogue and choices so it’s more like an interactive story than a typical game. If you enjoy good storytelling and don’t mind a relaxed pace this game is worth checking out.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →so good now i gotta read the book
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Amazing story-telling. Game itself is not very hard (okay, you just need to wander and click) but it is designed to make you a part of the story built around the making of a cathedral and shows you the very harsh reality of human beings. This includes faith, hope, anger, rage, wrath, will of power, desire etc... My only complain is the slow pace animations. Could have been made much more smooth and fast paced. Game is short but those waiting times are boring. Apart from the gaming experience,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Works great on the Steam Deck
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →⭐ GIVING AWAY... ⭐ ✨ Internet Cafe Simulator 2 ✨ For The King Deluxe Edition ✨ Cook Serve Delicious ✨ Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX ✨ Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth ✨ Colorful Recolor ✨ Sticky Business ✨ Chess Ultra ✨ LunarLux ✨ Frog Detective 3: Corruption At Cowboy County
neutral · AI labelView post →this game takes "visual novel" to a whole other level
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sexy Cathedrals and generational trauma? Come hang while I play Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth! twitch.tv/becuhache
neutral · AI labelView post →The story and characters were truly amazing, they completely drew me in. I also really liked the visuals and animations. At the end of each episode, I could hardly stop myself from jumping straight into the next one. It's a perfect choice for players who are looking for a good story in a game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've never been a big fan of Point & Click games, so I didn't have particularly high expectations when I started The Pillars of the Earth. To my surprise, it didn't take long for the game to draw me in. The visual style was probably the first thing that caught my attention. It feels like a medieval illustration brought to life, with its villages, monasteries, old buildings and quiet landscapes. The Middle Ages don't feel like just a backdrop either. There is something about the atmosphere that…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is not so much a game about building a cathedral as it is a story about the people whose lives gradually become intertwined around it. At first, you simply follow individual characters and their problems, but over time their stories begin to cross paths, and everything starts to come together into one bigger picture. Don't expect difficult puzzles or a huge amount of freedom in your choices. The real focus here is on the characters, atmosphere and story. And I think the game works best…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is great. I'm not even done yet and already love it. It's a visual novel, but feels more like an interactive movie thanks to the art, voice acting and music. The story grabbed me more than expected and I just want to protect all (well, most) of these people. Works well on Steam Deck, but you'll need to change the controller configuration to use the touchpads as mouse and face buttons/trigger as mouse buttons.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Reading through reviews, I was surprised how many people misunderstood what this game is. Yes, it is a visual novel. No, there is not much gameplay here, aside from walking here and there and completing simple quest-like puzzles. Yes, the story is developing quite slowly. The choices you make don't have any massive impact on the story. But it is still an enjoyable story, beautifully drawn. It is worth the time spent, especially if bought on discount.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The best Deaedalic adventure game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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