Set in the fictional city of Eriksholm (which takes ample inspiration from 1900s Scandinavia), players control Hanna, who embarks on a journey to find her brother Herman. The latter’s sudden disappearance leads to widespread hunts, and Hanna must evade police capture while learning the truth. While initially sneaking about, she eventually gains a blow dart gun for knocking enemies out.

Of course, other characters eventually join the mix, including Alva, a thief who can destroy lights and climb pipes. Players will need to switch between characters at points to solve puzzles and evade enemies. Between exploring gorgeous environments, there are also some incredible cutscenes to witness.

For more details on Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream, check out our review. We gave it an eight out of ten, praising the story, characters, and presentation while taking some issue with the insta-fail nature of the stealth.

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.

In Eriksholm, players control up to three characters, starting with Hanna. She’s on a mission to find her brother, who the police are desperately searching for, setting off a “chain of catastrophic events” in the process. However, you can’t brute-force encounters. Instead, Hanna must rely on stealth, distraction, and more to get by.

Though the gameplay starts simple, it grows in complexity with options like breaking lights. The attention to detail throughout is impressive, especially given the studio’s size. Animator Lukas Rubensson performed some of the motion capture, and the clothing was crafted in real life by custom designers and scanned into the game.

All of this has us excited to play Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream when it launches on July 15th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Check out our feature for everything you should know.

What is it?

Described by developer River End Games as an isometric, narrative driven stealth game, Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream’s top down perspective and enemy vision cones suggest inspiration soley of Commandos, Desperados, or Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun. But, this being a story first experience, playing through Eriksholm reveals something that’s less of a sandbox, more handcrafted and linear. Don’t be put off though. An immersive setting, an unconventional –  for stealth games, at least – lead protagonist, and character-swapping mechanics support The Stolen Dream’s narrative depth nicely.

Story overview

Taking place within a Scandi-influenced city in the early 1900s, in Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream players assume command of Hanna, a citizen forced into the shadows in pursuit of her missing brother Hermann whilst the city’s police force are also on the hunt. As she strives simultaneously to uncover the mystery surrounding Hermann’s disappearance whilst evading the authorities, she provokes forces darker than she ever imagined. Eriksholm harbours secrets, and Hanna’s efforts to reunite her family could alter the city’s future altogether.

Motion capture propels the story

Utilising Unreal Engine 5’s MetaHuman, the modest 17-strong team at River End Games aim to raise the bar for photorealism in games, mirroring Ninja Theory and their work on Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II. Stunning cutscene visuals typify Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream’s narrative delivery, its use of carefully scripted and acted cinematic interludes exemplifying its story first deviation away from those aforementioned giants of the isometric stealth genre.

Stealth mechanics overview

All the trappings of the stealth genre you’re likely familiar with are present and correct here in Eriksholm: skulking in shadows, observing enemy patrol patterns, distracting guards with thrown pebbles, non-lethal takedowns (in the form of a dart gun), hiding bodies, crouching in long grass. It’s likely Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream won’t present a mechanic you haven’t encountered before if you’ve played even a stealth-adjacent game. However, blending unique character skills to solve puzzles whilst using the environment diegetically sets the stealth action in this title apart.

Eriksholm, the city

Growing up in Scandinavia, plus the realisation that the region has universal appeal, inspired the Swedish team behind The Stolen Dream to craft an immersive city for their game. Eriksholm, the city, is both beautiful and gritty, harbouring districts with distinct culture, architecture, and socio-economic status. There are hints of Disco Elysium’s Revachol in its political strife, whilst its place in history – turn-of-the-century early 1900s – hints at a city getting to grips with industrialisation and capitalism’s relentless grind. In short, it’s a city undergoing upheaval.

Eriksholm’s inhabitants help Hanna

Oftentimes, NPCs in any game serve as quest givers, or walking talking signposts, but not so much in Eriksholm. Here, the city’s inhabitants know Hanna well, and engage in casual chat when encountered. They’ll also aid Hanna in her quest to stay one step ahead of the police, providing access to hidden routes whilst delaying any chasing officers. Citizen behaviour in The Stolen Dream is indicative of River End Games’ wider philosophy to treat every NPC – be it the general public or the pursuing police force – as characters with their own perspectives, reinforcing the grounded believability of the city they’ve created.

Hanna, and her specific skills

Or, lack thereof. See, Hanna is not trained in espionage. It’s implied she’s brushed with the law before, but she doesn’t come equipped with night vision goggles or silenced pistols. She’s an ordinary citizen driven into a life of subterfuge by forces outside of her control. That said, she does possess a back-of-her-hand knowledge of Eriksholm which she can use to her advantage. Plus, in order for the game to present puzzles which can only be solved by combining her actions with her accomplices, she possesses some unique traits: she’s the only one of her 3-strong team capable of squeezing through tight spaces. She acquires the dart gun during her journey too, giving her opportunity to shoot and incapacitate guards from distance.

Alva and Sebastian

Accompanying Hanna, and freely switchable between once enlisted, at set points throughout her journey are Alva and Sebastian, the former possessing unique ability to climb pipes whilst the latter – an elder statesman whose narrative role plays second fiddle to Hanna and Alva’s relationship – can swim.

Skills must be combined to progress

Assessing environmental clues to discover how to combine each of Hanna, Alva, and Sebastian’s skill sets is key to overcoming the game’s puzzles. This process forms the backbone of Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream’s gameplay, and given the explanation provided by the game’s director Anders Hejdenberg these puzzles won’t be a case of, say, Sebastian swimming to the other side of river to lower a drawbridge, but something that requires all three to work simultaneously to progress.

Encounters are hand-crafted

This might be a contentious point given the stealth genre’s propensity to afford players chance to evade would-be captors once spotted, but in Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream encounters are hand-crafted, and failstates exist. See, once spotted the screen fades to black and the scene resets. Whether this is immersion breaking depends on the individual, but designing encounters this way has allowed the dev team to tailor enemy and NPC behaviour to specific situations. Plus, a quick reset maintains the game’s narrative flow.

That said, there’s usually more than one path to success

Yes, Eriksholm’s narrative delivery implies a tightly designed linear experience, but – again, as explained by the game’s director – there is often more than one solution to encounters. The Stolen Dream won’t be a sandbox, but the option to use the environment to your advantage, to distract a patrol by disturbing a flock of birds for example, versus avoiding encounters entirely maintains an element of player agency that is usually lost when game’s are tightly curated.

There are collectables and secrets, too

Reinforcing the game’s attempts to break away from strict linearity is the existence of secret areas and collectables. Indeed, throughout Eriksholm, should players opt to stray away from the beaten path then they might happen upon an unexpected discovery. The ways in which to locate a secret include observing specific guard behaviours and environmental clues, or unconventionally combining character skills to forge imaginative solutions.

Release date, platforms, price

Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream releases to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store on 15th July 2025. Prices across all platforms haven’t been published on their respective stores at the time of writing but as per an announcement via its Steam news feed the game will retail at £33.50 / $39.99 on PC.

There’s a demo

If you’re after a glimpse of Eriksholm’s immersive, story-led stealth before buying then a demo version is currently available to download for PC players via Steam and EGS. Save files from the demo will carry over to the full game, and it’ll be available right up until release date. Sadly, at present no console demo is available.

In Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream you are none of these things. You’re not a specialist agent of darkness; you are Hanna, a young woman driven to a life of escape and evasion in pursuit of her brother Hermann’s whereabouts, out-foxing her city’s police force who’re also on the hunt. Her skills? A back-of-her-hand knowledge of Scandi-like city Eriksholm’s layout, and a trusting relationship with its agnostic inhabitants. Her motivations? An emotional reconnection with her brother, and an attempt to reunite her family.

In her effort to uncover the mystery surrounding Hermann’s disappearance, Hanna ignites a chain of events catastrophic enough to potentially derail her city’s destiny. As she peels back Eriksholm’s elegance she provokes forces darker than she ever imagined. Unravelling the eponymous city’s secrets lights a fire, a bright beacon casting long, dark shadows; sanctuaries in which she – much like stealth games’ typically elite operatives – can seek respite.

Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream is stealth cooked to a different recipe. Hanna isn’t cut out for combat, let alone killing. She’s brushed with authority before, but invariably she’s vulnerable. However, her intricate understanding of the city and its people is her greatest weapon, far more powerful than the incapacitating dart gun she acquires later during her quest. Skulking dimly lit alleyways, accessing subterranean networks, squeezing through tight spaces, she can reach points of interest and importance more efficiently than her pursuers.

The citizens she encounters behave naturally, greeting her with good grace, supporting her mission by offering direction through casual chat. Whilst Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream’s moment-to-moment gameplay resembles what you’ve learned to expect from the genre – observing patrol patterns, chucking noisy distracting objects, crouching in long grass, et cetera – it’s Hanna as it’s leading protagonist who sets the game apart.

Hanna isn’t the game’s only player controllable character though, her ally Alva also tags along – trailed by Sebastian much later on – with control freely switchable between all protagonists throughout. Each brings individual skills to the table too; Hanna crawls through vents, Alva climbs drain pipes, Sebastian can swim, and so on. The game’s environmental puzzles require players to use each of their party collaboratively in order to progress together. This design choice veers away from stealth titan Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun’s multi-character approach whereby, as distinct as each operative was, any obstacles could usually be tackled solo; firing a cannon to blast a throughway previously inaccessible for their accomplice, for instance.

In devising Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream’s puzzles, the Gothenburg-based team at River End Games have taken a leaf out of fellow Swedes Hazelight Studios’ co-operative playbook whereby hurdles in Split Fiction, for example, are overcome through player-character collaboration; one can’t progress without working with their opposite number, combining their distinct skill sets simultaneously. Eriksholm offers single player comparisons, of course, but similar design ethoses all the same, situations where assessing environmental cues and obstacles in lieu of character skills encourages players to pick apart any given scene before deciding on its most optimal route.  

River End Games’ Game Director Anders Hejdenberg describes Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream as a narrative-led, stealth-puzzle game, and it’s the game’s emphasis on story which drives many of the decisions taken during development by Hejdenberg to reinforce the title’s strong narrative beats.

The city of Eriksholm is inspired by turn-of-the-century Nordic cities. Having grown up and lived in Sweden, numerous of the seventeen-strong team at River End Games were aware of the region’s universal appeal so they worked hard to craft an environment which is both gorgeous and authentic, yet exaggerated by socio-economic and political strife. Each of the city’s districts is distinct, exuding culture, architecture, and social order that’re recognisably unique from one another.

Overall, its aesthetic borrows a little from Dishonored’s Dunwall with a little more from Disco Elysium’s Revachol, filtered through shades of dreamlike Studio Ghibli quality, most notably from Scandi-inspired Kiki’s Delivery Service. Much like Revachol of Disco Elysium, underlying Eriksholm is class conflict, with unrestrained industrialisation and capitalism’s looming annihilation further thematic integrations. Again, akin to Disco Elysium, Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream utilises its themes to provide multiple perspectives for the player to absorb and reflect on. The team have been very clear not to slip into cliché by defining rich suburbs as inhabited by evil doers, for example. Instead, the city’s atmosphere feels grounded in believable reality. As a platform intended for emotional storytelling, a city designed any other way simply wouldn’t be as effective.

It’s no surprise to learn that the city itself was the first stage of the game’s construction which River End Games focused on. An environment steeped in history yet on the precipice of a new age of technological opulence is a deeply interesting place to exist in. The game’s puzzles, its characters, patrolling enemies, and ambling pedestrians, all share the same beating heart. Narrative informs everything; everyone and everything has a story to tell.

Story-first implies Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream is a more tightly curated, linear-by-design experience, more so than any of its stealth action-adventure contemporaries. We see this in its Limbo and Inside-style instafail restarts. When a guard spots a character, for instance, the screen fades to black and the failure rewinds back to the encounter’s onset. Each encounter, as stated by Hejdenberg, is hand-crafted, with reactions from enemies and NPC behaviour alike tailored to specific situations. If the option was present for players to revert back to the shadows until a guard loses interest and returns to their post, then narrative propulsion would be lost.

It’s debatable whether this mechanic fosters enveloping stealth gameplay to its greatest potential, but going into Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream with the mindset this is a story to experience through the aesthetic of stealth should help alleviate any immersion-breaking concerns. Furthermore, puzzles’ solutions are frequently telegraphed to players via diegetic means, for instance: enemy dialogue could clue you into the fact a guard is afraid of birds, so maybe, you’d think, disrupting a flock resting nearby could provide effective distraction. ‘Aha’ moments such as this broaden linear design’s sometimes penned in nature. The guard afraid of birds could probably still be incapacitated by a dart, but contextual solutions integrated into the environment ensures player agency isn’t lost. Eriksholm isn’t a sandbox. However, choice in how to solve problems whilst experiencing an engrossing story that chugs along at a hand-crafted pace is an enticing prospect, and one which should make Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream the stealth game to look forward to.

Its isometric viewpoint might give the impression Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream is closely aligned to Commandos, Desperados, or the aforementioned Shadow Tactics, but this is in perspective only. This debut title from River End Games is more akin to emotionally charged narrative-led games like A Plague Tale (Eriksholm’s inhabitants even suffer under the cloud of a debilitating disease dubbed Heartpox) but with novel stealth-based gameplay providing a vehicle in which to mobilise its story. 

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

The trailer provides a peak of the world and some locations players will venture through. From underground passageways to riverbanks, there’s quite a lot to explore. Of course, there’s plenty of knocking out enemies, sneaking about, avoiding searchlights, and much more.

Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream launches on July 15 for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Set in the fictional 1900s city of the same name, it features three protagonists who must battle against oppression. They possess unique skills and weapons, and depending on the situation, there will be different ways to complete objectives. Stay tuned for details en route to launch.

One of the first things about Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream the game that tends out is its setting. Can you tell us more about what led you to choose a 1900s-inspired Scandinavian setting for your game?

I remember watching the movie Kiki’s Delivery Service many years ago, and I was really drawn into its world and aesthetic. Many aspects of their world were inspired by Swedish cities, but even though I am Swedish, their world still had a captivating and almost dreamlike quality. I wondered if my reaction was due to having grown up in Sweden and having visited the cities that they’d used as inspiration – but when talking to people from other countries, I realized that the appeal was actually quite universal. So that sparked the idea that maybe it could actually be pretty interesting to create a world inspired by Scandinavian aesthetics – but in a larger than life kind of way. And it certainly doesn’t hurt to have all the references you’ll ever need right outside your doorstep.

"Many aspects of their world were inspired by Swedish cities"

The game has three separate characters with their unique abilities. Can you tell us more about them, and how significantly they will differ from each other in terms of play style?

You can swap between characters at any time, but the gameplay is very much about using your characters as a team to overcome obstacles together. So the way you play is quite interlaced, where one character can perform an action that allows another to move into a position that in turn creates an opening for the third character etc.

Hanna has a blowpipe with darts that she can use to sedate enemies, but it’s not like you can just walk around and put everyone to sleep – you have to be a bit careful with it. If you shoot a guard, they won’t just fall asleep immediately – it takes a few seconds. And they’ll turn around to see what’s hit them, so it’s usually best to shoot from cover so you’re not just standing there in the open when they turn around. But then you have to consider if they have any friends nearby that could hear them get hit, or friends that will miss them if they don’t come back for a while. And you have to think about what your next move will be if the guard’s colleagues come looking for him, and how you could use a situation like that to your advantage.

Alva has a slingshot that she can use to create various types of distractions, but also to take out lights to create shadows. But if you pay close attention to the situation and dialogue from guards, you may notice one guard being particularly nervous or another that’s afraid of the dark. You can use things like that to your advantage so that taking out a light isn’t just a way to create shadows to move through unseen, but also a way to create a reaction from your someone in a way that works in your favor.

Sebastian is able to choke guards from behind quite quickly and silently, so you rarely have to worry about making noise. But you do have to get up close and personal with them, which may not always be the easiest thing to pull off. But combining this skill with Hanna’s darts can often be an effective way to take out multiple enemies at once. Hanna’s darts will turn them, and guards who are getting choked may see what’s going on but it’s not like they’re in a position to call for help.

"Hanna has a blowpipe with darts that she can use to sedate enemies"

Each character also has a unique “traversal skill” where Hanna can crawl through vents, Alva can climb drain pipes and Sebastian can swim. This makes it easier for the player to read the environment, and can start coming up with clever ideas on how to outsmart the enemy based on how and where the characters can move.

But characters’ abilities are merely the basic components of the gameplay. Context is everything, so different skills can sometimes be used with different results depending on the situation. For example, a guard will call out “Ow!” when they’re hit by Hanna’s darts, and other guards will react to that. But if there are a lot of mosquitoes in a particular area, and one guard keeps getting bitten by them and complaining about it, then the player can use that to their advantage. Who’s to say he wasn’t just bitten again if it sounds the same?

Did the decision to make the game a stealth experience come from the story, or was it the stealth-driven gameplay that informed the story?

It was definitely a stealth game before the story came into place, but the story and characters certainly had a big impact on the type of experience it became. We experimented early by having a more sandbox-style gameplay, but players didn’t like it – they felt like it was out of character for Hanna to try to take out as many guards as possible with her blowpipe, it just didn’t feel right. She would be much more clever about it than that, and only use it when she really had to.

It was a bit strange for us to hear players telling us what our character would or wouldn’t do, but they were absolutely right. And by crafting the gameplay to fit the character – and the other characters as well – made it all fit together in a much more coherent way. It’s not a gameplay, then story, then gameplay type of experience. It’s all intertwined where the story takes place as you play. And for that to work – and work well – the parts need to fit together. The characters need to be in character as you play.

"It was definitely a stealth game before the story came into place"

Finding the balance between complexity and simplicity is often so crucial for stealth games. What has your approach been on that front with Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream?

Our approach is to start very simple, and then gradually build complexity over time. But in order for that to work, you really need to design every aspect of your game from the ground up according to that principle. You have to have a game that’s interesting from the very first moment, even though the only thing the player has learned so far is how to move their character around. The player shouldn’t have to wait until they’ve mastered all the controls in order to have fun – it should be fun immediately, and that takes a lot of effort.

I like games with very few actions, but where the actions are so versatile that they can be used with different results depending on the context. That way, players will become competent a lot quicker because they don’t have to remember a bunch of different actions and combos – but they can still do a lot of things because their actions mean different things based on the context. Sure, it’s more difficult to design games that way, but I think it’s worth it because it gives the player a much more streamlined experience where they don’t have to climb a learning curve mountain the first thing they do when they start the game for the first time.

Once you’ve taught the player some basic principles, then you can present new contexts where those principles mean new things. After that you can start combining those principles for added complexity. Then you can combine complex combinations, etc.

"I like games with very few actions, but where the actions are so versatile that they can be used with different results depending on the context."

But through all of this, playtesting is crucial – and we’ve done lots of it. Just because you have a brilliant idea for a part of a level, that doesn’t mean that the player picks up on it at all. And finding the balance between saying too much and too little is very difficult. You want to give the player room to figure things out – but if they are given too much room, they can easily get lost and irritated. I don’t know how many times we’ve gone back and forth with different parts of the game, but when it works it’s such a beautiful thing.

In terms of the game’s story, what were your primary inspirations?

Creating passionate characters, fueled by their desire to stand up and fight even when the antagonizing force is overwhelming, has been our primary story vessel. We just don’t want you to root for Hanna. We want you to stand up together with her, when the moment calls for it. There are moments when Hanna’s courage has moved both the team and the actors. There is much grief and pain in what she goes through, but there is equal beauty in the bonds she forges and what she’ll do for her friends and they for her. Even in the darkest hour, there’s always a streak of light. Our story is about that light.

Roughly how long will an average playthrough of the game be?

It will depend on how players approach the game or how fast they are going to solve puzzles throughout the levels. We want people to take their time and enjoy the story and the narration in Eriksholm.

Do you have any plans to also bring the game to the Switch, or perhaps its upcoming successor?

Currently, we are not planning to release Eriksholm on Nintendo Switch. If this is going to change, we will be more than happy to communicate it to the players.

"Creating passionate characters, fueled by their desire to stand up and fight even when the antagonizing force is overwhelming, has been our primary story vessel."

Are there any reasons why the game is not coming on Xbox Series X and S?

The game will be released on PC, PS5, and both Xbox series X and S. We had some technical issues with the store page on Xbox, but it will be fixed in the upcoming months.

Are there any plans to make the game PS5 Pro enhanced?

We have been working hard to optimize the game so that it could run smoothly on the regular PS5. We will do our best to optimize Eriksholm on PS5 Pro as well.

As a developer, what are your thoughts on the PS5 Pro? How does boost in GPU help in developing your game compared to the base PS5?

It’s never a bad thing to work with great hardware. In our case, we are already satisfied with how the game runs on PS5.

What are your thoughts on PSSR? What kind of opportunities will this open for the game?

If we were to target 8K resolution on the PS5 Pro, it could be an interesting option in case we can’t quite reach all the way. Even though we still have optimizations to do, I’m quite confident that we’ll be running native 4k at 60 fps on the Pro – possibly even on the standard PS5.

What resolution and fps will the game target on the PS5 and on the PS5 Pro (if supported)?

We’re currently very close to running native 4k at 60 fps on the standard PS5, but we are still working hard to achieve it. We are confident that for the PS5 Pro, we’ll be able to run native 4k at 60 fps, and possibly higher, but we will be able to determine that at a later stage.

Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream is a character-driven game set in the fictional city of Eriksholm, which features influences by a Nordic 1900s aesthetic. The game will focus on three protagonists that are looking to defy their oppressors, with the trailer focusing on one of them—Hanna.

The game will make use of a top-down 3D perspective where players will be able to control the game’s three protagonists throughout the city’s streets. Each character will be able to make use of unique skills, tools, and weapons to take on challenges.

The studio behind Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream features industry veterans that have previously worked on titles like Battlefield, Mirror’s Edge, Unravel, and Little Nightmares.

Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream is slated for a 2025 release on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.