Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream Review

Many gamers have a soft spot for isometric stealth games. Whether they fully embrace real-time tactics (like Commandos and Shadow Tactics) that land close to RTS games or go for a more adventure-like approach, maze-like levels that must be navigated by characters who aren’t built for combat become puzzles when seen from a top-down view. Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream understands this, but also forgets to add enough meat to its bones and only manages to save itself in the final stretch.

While much of the game’s marketing has focused on the UE5-powered, high-fidelity cutscenes that make River End Games’ debut game look more expensive than it really is, most of the time you’ll be looking at Hanna and the rest of the cast (as well as many nameless goons) from afar. This isn’t a knock on the game, as it’s a looker which finds a sweet balance between looking cutting-edge and performing remarkably well, but you should be warned it’s not as narrative-heavy as it looked at first.

The Gothenburg-based studio, while relatively small, packs a lot of veteran talent from studios as big and renowned as DICE, so it comes as no surprise that Eriksholm puts its best foot forward as soon as it begins. This isn’t a game made by amateurs. The quality extends to the art direction – especially that of its vibrant and gloomy environments – and fictional yet grounded worldbuilding which goes beyond the titular city. I seldom begin a review by talking about the presentation, but it’s Eriksholm’s biggest strength, so allow me this brief shakeup.

Likewise, the voice acting is excellent across the board, with Rosie Day (Hanna) as the clear star of the show. Plus, if you’re making me listen to countless guards’ chatter and random barks as I try to sneak through a hot zone, I celebrate great actors for them were hired too. Like I said: Eriksholm is exquisitely presented. Perhaps only the music, good but often misused, fails to fully hit the mark on the audiovisual level.

The radiant positives stop there, as Eriksholm has one big issue that many busy players won’t be able to overlook (or so I suspect): For a game that’s roughly 10 hours long (I finished it at 9 and after replaying entire sections), the pace only picks up during the back half. While there’s a solid hook from the get-go, barely any character or story developments happen during the first four (out of eight) chapters. Poor Hana is also stuck with her limited set of skills for far too long until two other playable characters show up (there’s also a gameplay section with a fourth one that’s anecdotical at best).

This sort of creative choice makes sense for a gargantuan AAA action-adventure title – spacing out refreshes of the loop and upgrades is key to their long-term appeal – but in a game that’s quite the opposite, it comes as baffling design. Eriksholm, even during its late game, barely gives its characters a handful of abilities and tools, so holding its few cards so close to its chest for ‘so long’ makes the early hours needlessly dull. In fact, I found myself having the most fun during those first few chapters when I was crossing some mine tunnels while trying to decipher markings on the walls; taking the wrong path meant certain environmental death.

One big event and, finally, the reveal of the bad guy’s motivations allow the plot and drama to hit a bit harder. Around the same time, we also get the ‘full vision’ of what Eriksholm was gunning for: A squad-based stealth game that handles reasonably well (go with a controller if you can) and puts interesting-enough challenges in front of players despite its overall depth being that of a puddle in the aforementioned mines. It’s got just enough to keep things moving and me glued to the controller for a few more missions. It also knows when to wrap things up in a clean and satisfactory manner, so there’s that.

That said, even at its best, there’s an awkward rigidity to Eriksholm’s core systems and mechanics, as well as the puzzle-like level design, that never goes away. Most scenarios can be solved in one way only, so you’re stuck trying to predict guard patrols and lines of sight which aren’t always clear due to the locale’s realistic geometry. Your few tools and unique character skills only work in very specific ways too, so there’s no room for experimentation. Without that sauce, Eriksholm can only be as good as its level layouts and the current narrative objective allow it to be. It works, but ends up feeling far more primitive than its biggest influences. The question is whether most players will want to stick with it until it becomes adequate or jump ship before Hanna even begins to figure out what’s going on.

Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream is now available on PC (Steam, Epic Games Store), Xbox Series X/S, and PS5 with a $39,99 price tag. This review was done on the PC version of the game with a code provided by the publisher.