Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream Review – Emotive and Immersive

Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream Review

Although stealth mechanics have infiltrated countless games, genuine adventures in the genre remain elusive. Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream aims to change that with a narrative-rich experience built on precision and patience. Set against a rich, oppressive world, it invites you to think before you move. But can its methodical approach sneak into the hearts of players, or will it slip by unnoticed?

Set in an oppressive Nordic world where the police wield their power to suppress the less fortunate, you play as Hanna, a brave and compassionate young girl. When the authorities begin relentlessly searching for your brother, Herman, who has mysteriously disappeared, their attention turns to you. Now a fugitive, you must journey through the dense and hauntingly beautiful world of Eriksholm to find your brother and uncover the truth behind his disappearance, and the real reason they’re hunting him.

A Vision and a Voice

The narrative is central to the adventure, with stunning cutscenes that feature excellent motion-capture and voice acting. Conversations with characters flourish during gameplay as you learn about the world by overhearing discussions as you sneak through each tightly designed environment. Casual banter not only builds the lore but also guides you towards your objective. This ensures that the story remains at the forefront of your journey, which helps to create an immersive tale that keeps you invested until the credits roll.

From an isometric viewpoint, you must sneak past the perfectly positioned guards in order to reach your destination. Enemies patrol their area, requiring you to quietly observe and plan your course of action. As it is an instant fail upon sight, methodical and thoughtful movement is essential. This leads to some trial-and-error gameplay as you work out the optimum route in order to maneuver from A to B. While there is a danger of frustration of the instant fail mechanic, this is resolved due to the generous checkpoints and quick restart.

Out of Sight

With immediate danger around every corner, you must use every trick in the book to remain safe. Patience is of the utmost importance as you must wait and watch to work out where and when to move. The beautiful lighting effects cast stark shadows, which allow you to hide from foes. Hanna also is equipped with a blow dart to put guards to sleep; however, be sure to move the unconscious bodies as detection results in failure. You also get to control Alva and Sebastian, both of whom possess unique abilities to aid you on your journey. Alva, the mother figure, can climb drainpipes and use her slingshot to create distractions and take out light sources. Sebastian, the muscle, can silently choke out enemies and swim. These various abilities combine to create a varied stealth adventure.

Environmental puzzles merge with the stealth gameplay to create a truly wonderful experience. As the game progresses, environments grow and soon you will control all three characters at once. This leads to more complex conundrums, where you will need to work out how to distract an enemy from one location so that you can continue down another route. It’s at these points where the game truly shines. Switching between each personality and using their bespoke abilities to progress is brilliant and allows River End Games to flex their proficiency in puzzles.

Environmental cues give insight into how to progress. You can hold a button to scour the area and work out the route to your destination. In addition to this, vents, breakable lights and birds indicate where to go without explicitly informing you. If you do head down the wrong path, you’re likely to come across collectibles that are scattered throughout. While Eriksholm’s linear gameplay may not encourage replayability, the items littered throughout that give you snippets of information about the world may act as an incentive.

Triple-A Production Value

Visually, the game is stunning. The pulled-back camera perspective accentuates the beautifully crafted world and expert-level design. Each area bursts with personality, drawing you deeper into the experience. Given the distant viewpoint and frequent darkness, it could have been hard to tell which character you’re controlling, but the developers smartly use colored outlines to clearly indicate your selection. Supporting the striking visuals is an epic score that perfectly captures the mood of each moment, adding tension or emotion where needed. Together, the visuals and audio combine to deliver a truly impressive presentation.

Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream delivers its vision with confidence. It’s clear that River End Games set out to create an immersive, story-driven adventure rooted in a rich, detailed world and they’ve succeeded. The engaging narrative, supported by strong voice acting, adds authenticity and emotional weight to the characters. Every element feels purposeful, from the thoughtful storytelling to the smart use of puzzles and stealth mechanics. Together, these pieces come together to create something truly special.

***A PS5 code was provided for this review***