The Pillars of the Earth

PC, PS4, XO | $50 | WWW.THE-PILLARS-OF-THE-EARTH-GAME.COM Mediaeval England comes beautifully to life in this understated point-and-click adventure.

Adventure games tend to hinge on a specific theme or gimmick, and that’s what makes this game so refreshing. It’s about ordinary people, with a rich setting based on a fascinating and rarely explored period of history. It’s not as immediately thrilling as some, but it has one of the deepest, most mature stories we’ve ever encountered.

Based on the novel by Ken Follett, the game is set in 12th century England, telling the story of the village of Kingsbridge over a number of years. War, poverty and corruption are rife in this period, and we see three very different lives unexpectedly intertwined by the turmoil of the era. Split into three episodes, the story hops between these different points of view.

One of the most striking things about the game is how atmospheric it is. The painted backgrounds are wonderfully detailed, bringing snowy forests, rolling farmland, grand cathedrals and bustling cities to life. Artful use of light and shadow, and subtle moving details such as gently falling snow and flickering candles, give the world a vivid sense of place. Mediaeval England was not a pleasant place, but there’s beauty in the bleakness. The characters are just as well realised, with nuanced animation and expressive sprites relaying a lot of personality.

The sound design is also fantastic and the voice acting is superb, which is a good thing as you spend much of the game in conversation with people, choosing how to respond and shaping their opinion of you. A timer ticks down as a character awaits a response, giving arguments and other fraught encounters extra tension. We also like how Philip, a monk, can respond to people by reading from the Bible, defusing situations by quoting scripture.

Like many narrative games, the larger story follows a prescribed path. But you can dramatically alter your relationships with people, and steer other events along the way. And at the end of each chapter, you get a summary of your decisions, which is worth taking a screenshot of to remind yourself, because there are a lot of small, seemingly innocuous choices that can resurface later on.

While Pillars is indeed a point-and-click adventure, anyone expecting something heavily puzzle-focused will be disappointed. There are some simple environmental puzzles, and a few rare quick-time events, but story and dialogue take precedence. This suits the game’s grounded, realistic tone, however.

While it deals with war, religion and politics, and uses real history to flesh out its setting, the characters keep the story grounded and relatable. Although it will be a hard sell for some, the slow pace is worth persevering with if you value storytelling. Andy Kelly