Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth - Book One Reviews
As much as it kills me, I’m hooked on The Pillars of the Earth’s story. There are two more episodes and if they build a story as well and fill it full of great characters I’ll definitely play it, as much as it tests my patience.
The only downside of Ken Follett’s The Pillars of The Earth is the fact that it has been divided into three parts, and that we will all have to wait for the rest of the story to come out ‘’soon’’. But if the following parts of this masterpiece are even half as successful as part one, then we might not get one of the best titles of this generation, but one of the best adventure games of all time.
The Pillars of the Earth is a masterpiece that was challenging to review because the reviewer unexpectedly fell in love. And if you love stories, feels, or time well spent- you will too.
In total, there are three chairs: the first is a book, the second is a mini series, the third game. And what can I say, all three, quite comfortable to sit in, not read the book, but they say it's great. It all depends on you what you prefer more, the book, the series or the game, all of them single story, almost certainly, most likely, the book is better, but the first episode of the game completely follows the Canon, offering the player an interesting and exciting plot, an excellent graphic style. The game will be divided into three books, each of them will be in seven chapters. Perhaps this is one of the most interesting adventure over the past few years, which is interesting to observe the dialogue and plot development. It even has its own splash screen is not worse than the serial counterpart. Excellent adaptation of the novel by Ken Follet will not leave anyone indifferent!
Review in Russian | Read full review
The first episode of Pillars of the Earth is a decent prologue of a promising adventure game series. We'll see what the other two episodes will have to offer.
Review in Slovak | Read full 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.
Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth chapters one through seven prove to be a high quality point-and-click drama that is steeped greatly in historical accuracy. This is a very classy kind of game, with mature themes that treats the audience like an adult, and is probably going to be worth it for anyone who is a fan of the original novels or interested in medieval England. 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. There isn't even really any on-screen action or violence; much of the drama comes from the characters and the choices the user must make, and the subsequent consequences they entail. Hopefully, Daedalic Entertainment will keep the thrills coming with the follow-up chapters, and maybe the load times and slowdown will be addressed by then, as well.
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.
I can't recommend The Pillars of the Earth highly enough. Beautiful artwork combined with a deep and rich story make for a compelling experience, and I'm eager for book two of the game to release so I can get stuck back in.
Ken Follett and Daedalic managed to make a game revolving politics and religion incredibly compelling and fun. Fans of the book and fans of a good story should seriously consider entering the world of Knightsbridge on home consoles.
If you are the type that engages in video games for the quick thrill, then Pillars will probably drive you crazy and you should stir away. However, if you are fine with the other extreme, do not mind lack of arcade style challenges and are willing to take your time, then Pillars offers the depth and the learning experience that mere mortal books cannot deliver. Speaking for myself, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience Pillars had provided me with for that very reason.
The Pillars of the Earth is an adaptation of the best-selling homonymous novel by Ken Follet, set in a historical period of civil war in the 12th century England. With over a thousand pages of story to tell, the game is divided into three books, this being the first. It is practically an interactive novel, allowing the player to have a proactive involvement in the story by controlling three of their characters and making decisions about how they respond and act, thus shaping their personality. This will likely modify the story, but that is yet to be proven on the next books. Despite being packed with a lot of political and religious intrigues, the game has a very slow pace in the dialogues and actions of the characters, which hopefully may be improved in the future.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
All in all, The Pillars of the Earth: Book One - From the Ashes is an excellent story-driven point-and-click adventure that mostly knows what its audience wants. This is reflected in the good gameplay and storytelling, and we hope some of the minor flaws and gripes will be addressed in books two and three, which will be released at the end of the year and in the first quarter 2018, respectively.
Book 1 has introduced enough compelling characters and conflict that I am actually very eager to play Book 2 when it is available later this year.
While the story can be slow-going due to the sluggish gameplay and technical limitations causes 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.
While the narrative takes a long time to really find its proper pacing and return on early character emotional investment, Ken Follett’s The Pillars of Earth delivers an immersive, enjoyable storytelling experience. The art and voice acting combines into a grim world that, despite an initially slow pace, pulls players in and does not let go as it has them putting on blankets to fight off the cold of 1135 England.
While the slow movement speed drags things out, Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth is a must-play for anyone wanting a game to tell a narrative that doesn't talk down to the player.
I hope there will be an improvement with the interactive features of the game for the next instalment as I am really looking forward to seeing how the story unfolds. However, if not, then I may lose interest in completing the entire game and just read the original book instead.
One of the better examples of a book-to-game adaptation.