Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth is a point-and-click adventure game adapted from the book of the same name. It was developed and published by Daedalic Entertainment and released in 2017.
Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth contains examples of the following tropes:
- Adaptational Nice Guy: Optionally Alfred. When you're playing Jack in Book 1 you have the option to either look past Alfred's bullying and try to befriend him or antagonize him back. If you choose to befriend him, he is far more tolerant than he ever was in the novel, even after the man he "loves like a brother" tries to murder him or he finds out the woman who married him is carrying another man's baby, his responses are far more understandable and reasonable than his novel counterpart. He still never learns his craft well enough to avert disaster when he takes over construction of the Cathedral but - unlike in his villainous route - he doesn't take out his frustrations on the other characters. Also, his decision to align with Waleran comes off as him being more an Unwitting Pawn than being deliberately spiteful and malicious towards the protagonists. Despite the wide divergence in his personality he still gets Demoted to Extra in Book 3 and practically only has a cameo speaking to Jonathan in Shiring before the story ends, unlike the antagonistic novel version of Alfred who gets killed by Richard in the third act when he tries to rape Aliena.
- Adapted Out:
- Such is the fate of several historical figures who feature in the novel, notably Thomas Becket and Henry of Blois, neither of whom is present in the game.
- Johnny Sixpence. He brought baby Jonathan to the priory and became a monk to care for him. In the game, baby Jonathan is saved by Phillip's brother Francis.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: Richard has the tendency to be a ball and chain to his big sis Aliena. He gets better as he gets older. When he does not act like a jerk, demanding weapons and armour, that is.
- Aristocrats Are Evil: William is a depraved, war-mongering monster.
- Big Bad Duumvirate: Waleran Bigod and the Hamleighs, particularly William. Their schemes are the main source of problems that the people of Kingsbridge have to contend with.
- Big Bad Wannabe: Alfred Builder and Brother Remigius loathe protagonists Jack Jackson and Prior Philip, devoting their entire lives to ruining them. Though they do their part, they're but small pieces in the schemes of the story's true villains, Waleran Bigod and William Hamleigh.
- Celibate Hero: Prior Philip is not sexually deviant in any way.
- Composite Character: Phillip's brother Francis now is the one who finds baby Jonathan.
- Corrupt Church: Played straight with Ministers like Waleran who are raised to the top of the hierarchy; averted with Philip, Jonathan and other monks who strive to be Good Shepherds and dislike corrupt ministers.
- Creator Cameo: Ken Follett, the original book's author, appears as a voice of Cantor.
- Damsel out of Distress: Aliena is often in danger, but she's still quite intelligent and resourceful.
- Death by Adaptation: Depending on player choice, Richard can die.
- Deliberate Values Dissonance: Prior Philip, although a benevolent figure for his community, and more compassionate than most of his peers, still has the views of a 12th-century monk on subjects like extra-marital sex or the respect due to his own authority.
- The Dog Bites Back: When William's abused wife helps Richard and his army to infiltrate and take over his castle and depose him as earl.
- Feudal Overlord: William embodies this trope, especially after becoming Earl of Shiring.
- Have You Come to Gloat?: Remigius asks this to Philip when he finds him begging. Instead of that, Philip invites him back to Kingsbridge.
- The Heavy: Waleran Bigod's position and intellect technically make him the Big Bad, but it is William who remains the most immediate threat to the people of Kingsbridge. While Waleran schemes from the shadows, William is the one who is always active on the scene. His actions are what effectively drive the story.
- Hope Springs Eternal: However the villains try to stop the construction of the cathedral, they fail. Even burning the whole town down doesn't help. There is one point in the story when Philip gives up all hope, but it only lasts until Jack returns from France and decides to build the cathedral in Gothic style.
- Identical Grandson: Jack looks so similar to the father he never knew that he is mistaken for him in France.
- The Mole: Remigius is a secret spy to Waleran.
- Moses in the Bulrushes: Tom Builder's son, Jonathan. He was abandoned as a newborn and left to die. He was found by monks and raised as Philip's son.
- Multiple Endings: it's up to the player if Richard lives and who becomes the earl of Shiring.
- My Secret Pregnancy: Aliena hides her pregnancy until the day of birth. Not surprising since she never had sex with her husband.
- Parental Abandonment: Tom abandoning his baby son so he could provide for his other two kids instead just shows how hard people had it during these times.
- Plucky Girl: Aliena, who goes from spoiled noblewoman to resourceful wool merchant in order to avenge her family. Ellen also counts.
- Rags to Riches: Aliena goes from being homeless to one of the wealthiest wool traders in England.
- Red Right Hand: Lady Regan has boils covering her face.
- Riches to Rags: Happens to Aliena twice. She first goes from pampered noblewoman to being homeless. She then becomes a wealthy wool trader but loses everything in a fire thanks to William, falling from a position of wealth and social prominence to needing financial support (including an Arranged Marriage to Alfred) to survive.
- Spared by the Adaptation: Depending on your choices Tom and Alfred can both survive.
- Storming the Castle:
- Averted when Aliena wants to attack William in Shiring Castle, but Richard patiently explains that storming a castle never works.
- The Hamleighs seize Bartholemew's fortress home through a clever infiltration strategy.
- Tell Me About My Father: One sideplot revolves around Jack wanting to know who his father was, who killed him, and why.
- Took a Level in Badass: Richard. Goes from being little more than a puppet for Aliena to being a fairly kickass knight.
- Took a Level in Dumbass: Don't expect Richard to be competent at anything that doesn't involve hitting someone with a sharpened stick.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Philip telling Waleran about Bartholomew of Shiring's plans to overthrow King Stephen, in an attempt to protect the Church and bestow the responsibility on someone higher in Church standing, starts a chain of events that leads to William's father becoming the new earl, Aliena and Richard losing their father, and Tom the Builder losing his first income in ages. Philip seems to realize this, since he buys Aliena's wool when no other merchant will buy from a woman and she needs the money.
- The Upper Crass: William Hamleigh is a noble, yet interested in little other than sex, hunting, and fighting. This is why Aliena rejects William's marriage proposal.
- Villainous Crush: William has a very creepy obsession with Aliena.
- Villainous Glutton: William becomes rather overweight during Book 3.
- Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: For all that he fails to act like it most of the time, the very mention of Hell is usually enough to make William shake with fear.
