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Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth similar games & best alternatives

Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth

PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, iOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Linux • 2017

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Quick resume

12th century, England: In a time of poverty and war, a small town begins the construction of a cathedral to claim wealth and safety for its people. In their struggle to survive, lives and destinies intertwine. Based on Ken Follett's world-bestseller ‘The Pillars of the Earth’.

Global score

92/100

Genres

Adventure, Casual, Indie, Point-and-click, Visual Novel, Puzzle

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    Pros

    • Deep and emotional story
    • Beautiful hand-drawn art
    • Excellent voice acting and music
    • Meaningful player choices with consequences
    • Immersive medieval historical atmosphere

    Cons

    • Minimal gameplay interaction
    • Linear narrative with limited branching
    • Slow pacing especially early on
    • Lack of puzzle challenge
    • No multiplayer or social features

    Motivations

    • Autonomy

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      "Players make meaningful choices affecting story outcomes and character relationships, though within a linear narrative structure."

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    • Competence

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      "Gameplay is simple point-and-click with occasional QTEs; focus is on story rather than skill challenge."

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      "Gameplay is simple point-and-click with minimal puzzles and easy QTEs, focusing on story rather than skill challenges."

    • Competition

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      "No competitive elements or player comparison; the experience is single-player and story-driven."

      Capsule for Sakura Santa Sakura Santa

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    • Continuation

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      "Short play sessions encourage repeated playthroughs to explore different story branches and endings."

      Capsule for The Yawhg The Yawhg

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    • Cooperation

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      "Entirely single-player experience with no cooperative gameplay or multiplayer features."

      Capsule for The Crooked Man The Crooked Man

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    • Creativity

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      "Some player choice in dialogue and puzzle approaches, but mostly follows a predefined story and structure."

      Capsule for A Golden Wake A Golden Wake

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    • Domination

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      "No elements of exerting control or superiority over others; interactions are narrative and personal."

      Capsule for Doodle Date Doodle Date

      "No elements of exerting control or superiority over others; interactions are narrative and personal."

    • Escapism

      Game with the same Escapism vibe

      4

      "Immersive historical setting and story provide a strong escape from real life."

      Capsule for A Golden Wake A Golden Wake

      "Immersive historical setting and story provide strong escape from real life into medieval England."

    • Expectation

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      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily for intrinsic interest in story, humor, and history without obligation or pressure."

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      "Players engage voluntarily for intrinsic interest in story and history without obligation or pressure."

    • Experimenting

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      "Players can explore different dialogue choices and some story branches, though limited by short length."

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      "Players explore different dialogue choices and outcomes, though within a limited branching structure."

    • Exploration

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      "Some exploration of areas and hidden items, but mostly within familiar environments and story-driven locations."

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      "Some exploration of small locations and objects, but mostly guided through known story environments."

    • Expression

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      "Minimal customization or personalization; players use predefined character and environment visuals."

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      "Minimal customization or personalization; players experience predefined characters and visuals."

    • Fantasy

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      -4

      "Strong focus on historical medieval realism and authentic settings rather than imaginative or fictional fantasy elements."

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      "Strongly grounded in realistic medieval historical setting without fantasy or supernatural elements."

    • Fellowship

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      "Solo experience focused on individual narrative without social or community features."

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    • Growth

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      "Players develop understanding of characters and story, with some learning through narrative and choices."

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      "Players develop understanding of story, characters, and historical context; some learning through choices."

    • Health

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      "Sedentary gameplay typical of visual novels and point-and-click adventures."

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      "Sedentary gameplay typical of visual novels and point-and-click adventures."

    • Idle

      Game with the same Idle vibe

      -3

      "Requires focused attention on dialogue and story, with minimal background or idle play."

      Capsule for Minds Beneath Us Minds Beneath Us

      "Requires focused attention on dialogues and story; minimal background or idle play."

    • Intimacy

      Game with the same Intimacy vibe

      2

      "Emotional connection to characters through voice acting and narrative, but limited social interaction."

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      "Emotional connections with characters develop through narrative and voice acting."

    • Leadership

      Game with the same Leadership vibe

      -5

      "No leadership or group management mechanics; player controls only the main character."

      Capsule for Fate Seeker Fate Seeker

      "No leadership or group management; player controls individual characters in story."

    • Progression

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      1

      "Narrative progression through story chapters rather than item or power accumulation."

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      "Narrative progression through chapters and story arcs; limited item collection without power growth."

    • Relaxation

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      "Generally calm pacing with moments of tension; suitable for relaxed play sessions."

      Capsule for Kathy Rain Kathy Rain

      "Generally calm pacing with moments of tension; suitable for relaxed, immersive play."

    • Sensation

      Game with the same Sensation vibe

      3

      "Appealing hand-drawn visuals and orchestral soundtrack provide rich sensory stimulation."

      Capsule for Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap

      "Beautiful hand-drawn art and orchestral music provide rich sensory experience."

    • Status

      Game with the same Status vibe

      -5

      "No social recognition or status systems; focus is on personal story experience."

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      "No social recognition or status systems; focus is on personal story experience."

    • Story

      Game with the same Story vibe

      5

      "Core motivation is narrative immersion with a complex, emotional, and lengthy story."

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      "Core motivation is deep narrative immersion in a complex, emotional historical drama."

    • Strategy

      Game with the same Strategy vibe

      -3

      "Limited strategic or problem-solving gameplay; choices affect story but with constrained complexity."

      Capsule for Beyond: Two Souls Beyond: Two Souls

      "Limited strategic or problem-solving demands; gameplay focuses on story choices rather than planning."

    • Thrill

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      "Some emotional tension in story outcomes but overall low suspense and risk."

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      "Some narrative tension and suspense, but overall low risk and controlled emotional experience."

    • Value

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      3

      "Good value for price especially during sales given story quality and length."

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      "Good perceived value for story length and quality, especially when purchased on sale."

    • Violence

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      "Violence is only narrative (murder case) with no combat or destructive gameplay."

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    • Survival

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      "No survival mechanics; story unfolds in stable narrative conditions."

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    Analysis

    A very typical example of its motivational profile. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Strategy, Survival, Competence, Violence. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Story, Intimacy. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Fantasy.

    How to use the graph
    Similar games map

    Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Motivations” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

    • Larger dot with a light outline: the game you are viewing.
    • Colour: groups of games with comparable motivation patterns (statistical clusters).
    • Hover a dot to see the game name; click to open its page.
    • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

    Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers.

    Where to buy

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    Last update: 30/04/2026