Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream Review – She Knows the Marks

If 2025 has been anything, it’s a wild ride for the most unexpected critical (and commercial hits), that too from independent and/or smaller studios. The size and scale of the teams play second fiddle to the sheer overpowering nature of the ideas. Between a turn-based RPG that gives names like Final Fantasy a run for its money, an open-world RPG that gives The Elder Scrolls some competition, a rogue-lite puzzler with secrets for days and whatever the heck Shujinkou is, this has been a year rife with incredible ideas, executed in unimaginable ways.

This naturally brings us to River End Games’ Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream. The premise, from the outset, already had me intrigued. An isometric perspective with gorgeous cinematics, an intriguing yet familiar-looking setting (1900s Scandinavia being the base), a focus on stealth mechanics, and a “budget price” of $39.99? Sign me up several times over. And while the actual execution does have a few things that could nag – or at worst, annoy – Eriksholm is a uniquely fantastical journey that keeps you hooked.

"The vibe is honestly reminiscent of Dishonored at the start, but despite the high stakes, you shouldn’t expect extensive chase sequences or to go on a murder spree. This is a more methodical action-adventure – the pacing deftly balancing between stealth and puzzle-solving."

Taking place in the titular city, the story revolves around Hanna and her brother, Herman. The latter has mysteriously gone missing, and as worried as this makes Hanna, things become even more complicated when the police show up. Rather than going in for questioning, she decides that the best course of action is to flee and lead them on a wild goose chase across the city and its various boroughs. Far-fetched as it sounds, our exposure to the world – and where the siblings reside – reveals just how dire its state can be.

An illness known as the Heartpox perpetuates the city, with coffins waiting (and rotting) on piers to be taken away. A newly elected mayor is noted to have won the race but not the popularity contest. The Industrial Revolution affected many citizens, and the downtrodden were effectively at the mercy of the police when they were not trying to feed their children or get enough shifts for money. It’s a sordid state of affairs, frequently emerging in conversations as Hanna vaults, sneaks, and sprints her way across rooftops, through warehouses, and onto cable cars. Given their general standing in society, cooperation with authority yields no guarantees of personal safety.

Of course, the question arises from the outset: Why are the police looking for Herman? Why are they so determined to bring in Hanna, deploying forces every which way and that, shutting down bridges and even halting cargo trains to search for her? It’s one of the driving mysteries as she seeks to find Herman and figure out what’s going on.

The vibe is honestly reminiscent of Dishonored at the start, but despite the high stakes, you shouldn’t expect extensive chase sequences or to go on a murder spree. This is a more methodical action-adventure – the pacing deftly balancing between stealth and puzzle-solving. There are caveats to the stealth – getting caught results in an automatic failure, sending Hanna back to one of the many generous checkpoints to try again. Rather than working within a sandbox, you’re really looking for the right solution for getting past guards without being detected.

Coupled with the relatively lackluster difficulty and mechanics in the early going and the fact that Hanna can only sprint or sneak, you might think this is all that Eriksholm has to offer. That, and some truly gorgeous vistas, which the camera perspective does a great job of highlighting at all times (with consistent performance at max settings and 1440p resolution). Fortunately, this is just the entree, and it’s backed by some strong voice acting and dialogue, even if Hanna’s inner hint voice comes out a little too often. Soon enough, you engage in situations that require distracting guards, using moving cargo to sneak past, and operating machinery to create enough noise to traverse some of the noisier surfaces.

"Beyond getting past guards and overhearing conversations, there isn’t much else that the world has to offer beyond gorgeous vistas and collectibles. Letters, flyers, and ads invite comments from the protagonists about certain characters and occurrences, providing even more background on Eriksholm and its current state."

Upon entering Chapter 2, Hanna acquires a blow-dart gun for putting guards to sleep (though you have to do this behind cover since they have a few seconds to look around and potentially raise the alarm). Slumbering enemies can be dragged around – which further comes into play in later chapters when needing some extra weight – and it’s not long before you’re venturing through abandoned mines, attempting to kickstart machinery or reading the marks to find the right wooden planks to walk across.

The game truly kicks into gear once you gain control of more than one character. Alva, the leader of a thieving gang with exceptional influence in a district, joins the fray and brings her own unique skills to the forefront. Not only can she climb on pipes, but she can also break lightbulbs and toss stones to cause guards to look away for a precious few seconds. Working in conjunction with Hanna, she can create shadowy areas which the latter can use to put enemies to sleep without relying on cover.

I was initially concerned about not being able to move both characters when the situation demanded it, but such instances are few and far between. These situations, combined with all the environmental mechanics thus far, serve to highlight Eriksholm’s brand of stealth puzzling. It may not be anything that you haven’t seen before, but it’s executed incredibly well (and that’s before a third playable character joins the mix).

Beyond getting past guards and overhearing conversations, there isn’t much else that the world has to offer beyond gorgeous vistas and collectibles. Letters, flyers, and ads invite comments from the protagonists about certain characters and occurrences, providing even more background on Eriksholm and its current state. The main plot and characters – along with new environments and challenges – are really what’s driving you forward. As such, that means limited interactivity and freedom in environments beyond your objectives.

"As safe as it can feel at times, it’s held up by stellar art direction, well-rounded characters with strong voice acting, gorgeous environments with a healthy amount of variety, robust stealth and puzzles that require timing and cohesion."

At least all the characters are fairly well-developed. Even the guards patrolling around have distinct personalities, whether it’s superstition over the mythical Lady of the Mountain, trepidation over how far they’ll go to capture one girl, or just hanging out, being buds. Unfortunately, their AI doesn’t aspire to much beyond Metal Gear Solid 1-level “What was that noise?” You can toss rocks endlessly at a guard to distract him, and he’ll never think to investigate their source.

In the same vein, while they have a line of sight, it takes a few seconds before they truly register someone sneaking around and catching them. Gameplay-wise, it makes sense and can create some really tense moments, but story-wise, not immediately raising the alarm or even investigating further can dampen some of the immersion.

Eriksholm also places some emphasis on collecting notes for some puzzles. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, you need to cycle through your inventory to find the relevant note. An option to skip to the most recent or immediately go to the end would have been preferable.

While it won’t give the best stealth titles any competition in the emergent gameplay department, Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream is still a great effort. As safe as it can feel at times, it’s held up by stellar art direction, well-rounded characters with strong voice acting, gorgeous environments with a healthy amount of variety, robust stealth and puzzles that require timing and cohesion. It’s yet another surprise in a year full of them and a downright enjoyable game in its own right.

This game was reviewed on PC.