Most importantly, Pillars of the Earth is one of the best historical novels in literature. It’s one of those stories that everyone has read in one way or another. In my opinion, it is one of those novels that is already part of the collective imagination, like The Da Vinci Code or the Harry Potter stories. There was a TV adaptation in 2010, and the video game we’re talking about today was released recently. As for the game, it was released in 2017 for PC, PS4 and Xbox One. A year later, it was re-released for the iPhone, and a few weeks ago, it was slightly remastered for the Nintendo Switch. The game didn’t make much of a splash when it was released, but today we can give it a second chance.
the story of the stone singing
First, it’s important to emphasize one thing: Pillars of the Earth is a very slow game. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but has the requisite slowness to a stew. This brings us to a thin universe somewhere between graphic adventure and interactive fiction. This feature can be difficult to digest at times for the most impatient players, but for those more accustomed to the genre, it’s a real joy.
As in the novel, the stories of the characters build slowly like the stones of the pillars towards the keystone of the vault. A story that connects the passions and dreams of many who artfully merge into something beautiful and common, a goal capable of the worst and the best.That’s what Pillars of the Earth is about, not the story of this or that character, or the saving of this or that country, but aboutKingsbridge CathedralThis is the real protagonist of this story. Every character we dealt with was intimately involved in the construction of the majestic structure, some drawn to its beauty and others to its fate.
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In the game (and the novel before it, of course), the construction of the cathedral is just the perfect excuse to tell the real story. It is a reflection of the phenomenon of British society in the 12th century. In the turbulent post-millennium period, it remains vulnerable to doomsday fears. The devil behind human evil actions, passions and fears. In the game, we experienced life in a monastery, the turmoil of feudal wars, and especially the construction of cathedrals. These were chaotic times when Romanesque architecture began to give way to Gothic in church building. All of these factors have to be considered because in Pillars of the Earth we also have to make some important decisions.
Gaming Systems in the Age of the Cathedral
The decisions we make are incorporated into the game, and at the end of each chapter, we’re reminded of the actions we took. Oddly enough, we already know the novel’s ending (or at least we know there’s one), so it seems odd that the canonical ending might have a different choice. However, nothing has changed in Pillars of the Earth, or at least not dramatically. In any case, despite minor changes, we end up in a situation very similar to the one in the book.
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Mechanically, the game can get boring and tedious, aside from the decision system. At the end of the day, it’s a format we’ve seen in other games over the years that doesn’t bring anything new.one completely A click system that isn’t innovative and even feels dated. That’s a shame, because for players who can’t immerse themselves in the story, they’re less likely to be hooked by the gameplay. The biggest difficulty comes with the button-mashing system, and when the story requires you to overcome it, it’s surprisingly easy.
In fact, the most interesting situations are found at very specific moments when characters are moving long distances across the map. During these moments, the game changes slightly, using a vignette format to describe the situation, and decisions must be made quickly before the timer runs out. These decisions will have a direct impact on the fate of our characters.
As we’ve said, the game’s most important pillars are its narrative and dialogue. Of course, story is the backbone of the game, which is why Daedalic’s chosen dialogue format is so odd. Text in dialogue and descriptions appears overhead and on objects without any frame or interface to identify dialogue with characters. A confusing and tedious system, especially if we consider the number of lines of text we will see throughout the adventure. As with many games of this type, observation in the final action becomes useless and repetitive, so we’ll end up using only the interact buttons, except in very specific circumstances.
lights and shadows
Visually and artistically, Pillars of the Earth nails it. The game explores different scenarios, from lonely forests to busy cities, and it always feels real and immersive. Great work is the use of clever shots and lighting to create memorable scenes within an epic storyline. The use of color is elegant and subtle, making us always feel the era.
Additionally, the soundtrack, ambient noise and voices are all of an incredible standard. The voice languages that we can choose are English and German and we can choose the language of the subtitles. Accessibility is a big drawback here, because there isn’t. The appearance of subtitles or text cannot be modified to improve readability.
Performance-wise, the Nintendo Switch is more than ready to handle a game of this scale, and aside from a few minor bugs, we didn’t experience any issues.
Ultimately, Pillars of the Earth missed its chance to be a sublime game. New features from the first release still feel fresh and modern, but the core of the game is still dated. The artwork is beautiful, but can’t hide the wear and simple animations. In the end, the story is brilliant, but it’s told through a horrible aspect ratio. The game ends with a cathedral standing, but not recorded in history.
