The Pillars of the Earth is above all one of the best historical novels in literature. This is one of those stories that everyone has read in one way or another. It’s from one of those novels that are already part of the collective imagination, I think, like The Da Vinci Code or the Harry Potter stories. In case anyone who didn’t know the plot was missing, an adaptation for television was made in 2010 and finally the video game that occupies us today. The title launched in 2017 for PC, PS4 and Xbox One, was relaunched for iPhone a year later and received a slight remastering for Nintendo Switch a few weeks ago. A game that went off without too much noise at the time that we can give a second chance today.
The Story the Stones Sing
First of all, it’s important to emphasize something: this is a very leisurely game. It is not a negative slowness, but the one necessary to cook a stew over low heat. This takes us into a universe between the graphic adventure and the very fine interactive novel. A character that will sometimes be difficult to digest for the most impatient players, but a real delight for those used to this type of genre.
As in the novel, the stories of the characters develop gradually and, like the blocks of a column, lead to the key to the vault. The story connects the passions and dreams of a series of people who masterfully embark on something beautiful and common, a goal that allows for the worst and the best. And that’s what The Pillars of the Earth is about, not about the story of this or that character, nor about saving this or that country, it’s about the lives of the Kingsbridge Cathedral
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In the game (and of course in the previous novel) building the cathedral is just the perfect excuse to tell the true story. We are faced with a perfect reflection of twelfth-century English society. Troubled times after the turn of the millennium, still very vulnerable to apocalyptic fears. The atmosphere is that of the devil behind people’s evil actions, passions and fears. In the game we will be able to live in our flesh the life of a monastery, the shattering feudal wars and especially the building of cathedrals. These are the confusing times when the Romanesque began to give way to the Gothic in church architecture. We must take into account all these feelings, because in Los Pilares de la Tierra we will also have to make choices.
A game system from the time of the cathedrals
The decision system is implemented in the game and each chapter ending will remind us of the actions we have performed. The weird thing is that we already know the ending to the novel (or at least know there is one), so it may be weird that there may be an option other than the canon ending. The secret is quite simple, there are no changes, or at least not very much different. One way or another, despite small deviations, we will end up in situations very similar to those in the book.
Aside from the decision system, the game can be mechanically boring and tiring. In short, it’s about a format that we’ve seen in other games for years and that doesn’t contribute anything. A system point and click this is not innovative and even feels dated. It’s a shame, because players who can’t empathize with the story will hardly be captivated by the playable system. The main difficulty lies in a button-push system, which is notoriously easy when the story requires you to beat it.
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In fact, the most interesting situations are found in very specific moments when the characters move across the map over long distances. In these moments the game changes slightly, adopting a bulleted format detailing the situation and a decision that we must make quickly before a counter runs out. These choices will have an immediate impact on our character’s future.
As we have already mentioned, the most important basis of the game is its narrative and dialogues. The story is undoubtedly her backbone, which is why she misses the chosen system of dialogue format in Daedalic. The texts, both in conversations and in descriptions, appear on the heads and objects without any kind of frame or interface that can be used to identify words in the characters. A confusing and lengthy system, especially if we think about the number of lines of dialogue that we will see throughout the adventure. As is the case in many games of this type, the observation inside the actions ends up being useless and repetitive, so we’ll end up using only the interaction button, except in very specific cases.
light and shadow
In its visual and artistic part, The Pillars of the Earth knows how to do it right. The game explores different environments, from lonely forests to bustling cities, and feels real and immersive at all times. Exceptional work is the use of clever photography and play of light to create unforgettable scenes in keeping with the epic that accompanies the story. The use of color is elegant and subtle, making us feel in the era at all times.
The soundtrack, ambient noise and voices are also at an incredible level. The languages between which we can choose the voices are English and German, being able to choose the language in the subtitles. The accessibility section takes a slap on the wrist, as it’s zero. There is no way to change the appearance of subtitles or text.
When it comes to performance, the Nintendo Switch is more than ready to handle a game of this caliber and apart from a few figure and character flickers we didn’t encounter any issues.
In short, The Pillars of the Earth loses the opportunity to become a sublime game. The novelties it introduced at the time of its initial release still feel fresh and modern, but the game’s base remains archaic. The drawings are beautiful, but they mask tired and simple animations. Finally, the story is great, told through a lousy aspect ratio. At the end there is a cathedral that will stand, but will not go down in history.
