Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream - A Tense, Beautiful, and Rigid Adventure

Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream is one of those games that doesn't make a lot of noise, but catches the eye of those who pay attention to more original releases. Developed by the small Swedish studio River End Games and published by Nordcurrent Labs, the game mixes stealth, puzzles, and drama in a story set in a fictional authoritarian regime inspired by early 20th-century Scandinavia.

The player assumes the role of Hanna, a young orphan who witnesses her brother being forcibly taken by guards. From there, she becomes involved with the resistance and meets Alva and Sebastian, two characters with unique abilities who join the journey. The trio leads the narrative and gameplay, which revolves around infiltration, stealth, and solving multi-layered challenges.

Eriksholm was a typical European town in the 1900s. Hanna, our main character, has just woken up from a deep sleep and finds her brother, Herman, caring for her. She’s just miraculously recovered from a mysterious illness that has been ravaging the town, and few survive it. Hanna's illness has made the siblings’ lives even more difficult than before, so Herman packs his things and gets ready to go to work. Hanna insists on going along, but she needs to rest.

A few hours later, the police knock on Hanna's door, three officers asking about Herman. They don't say what happened or why they're looking for him. It's clear from Hanna's reaction that she's had problems with the police before, and when they call her in for questioning, it's clear that going along isn't optional.

Hanna then escapes through a ventilation shaft and uses her knowledge of the building's surroundings to escape the police. When she leaves the building, she needs to deal with the police around the city, who have blocked the exits to prevent anyone from leaving. Hanna must now escape and find out what happened to her brother, seeking help from a former associate, Alva. But to do so, she must first get out.

From the very first minutes, it's clear that Eriksholm is a visually stunning game. Built on Unreal Engine 5, it features richly detailed scenes, with dynamic lighting, well-applied light and shadow effects, and an ambiance that truly conveys the feeling of a cold, oppressive, and unequal place.

The isometric camera, added to the "living diorama" style, gives an almost theatrical feel to the characters' movements. Everything’s beautiful without being overdone, and the art direction hits the bullseye, creating a believable world without the need for huge maps.

The game’s also a highlight in its use of fixed angles to focus on specific moments. These framings, often used during dialogue or exploration scenes, help tell the story visually, almost as if the player was watching a miniature film. The aesthetic choice is clear and well-executed, which helps the player connect with the environment even without camera controls.

Another highlight of Eriksholm is the audio. The soundtrack is discreet but well-applied, appearing at just the right moments to build tension or reinforce the emotional weight of the scenes. But the real highlight here is the voice acting. The main trio - Hanna, Alva, and Sebastian - are voiced by actors who deliver natural performances, with just the right amount of emotion. Hanna sounds vulnerable, but never weak. Alva is colder and more logical, while Sebastian carries a more affectionate tone, connected to the past. These nuances help create empathy with the characters and hold the narrative without needing too much exaggeration.

The sound design’s also effective. Footsteps on wood, echoes in closed spaces, metallic sounds, or distant noises create an auditory environment that reinforces the tension of stealth and can be used to help or hinder the player. Everything contributes to immersion, even if you're simply observing enemy movements, waiting for the right time to act.

Eriksholm's gameplay is centered on stealth, but not in the traditional way. Here, each encounter is treated like a chessboard. Instead of giving you freedom to improvise, the game requires the player to find the "right solution" to get past guards or traverse areas. This fits with the idea of being a more guided game, but can frustrate those who prefer more open-ended approaches.

Each character has their own unique abilities. Hanna is agile and can squeeze through small passages. Alva is a tech expert which can pick locks. Sebastian uses tools and objects to clear paths or create distractions. The combination of these abilities is the basis of the gameplay, and when all three are available at the same time, the game offers more elaborate challenges.

The problem is that the campaign takes a while to unlock the full trio. For much of the story, the player only controls Hanna, which really limits the puzzle solving and makes progression repetitive until the middle of the story. It feels like the game saves the best for later, which delays the time it truly shines.

One of the game's most critical points is its linearity. Despite the elaborate visuals and varied environments, the levels follow a well-defined path. In many situations, there's only one way to get past enemies, making stealth a trial and error experience. There's no freedom to explore or improvise solutions, like in the Hitman or Dishonored games.

This doesn't mean the game is poorly designed - actually, it does what it sets out to do very well. But the rigid design can make the experience feel stilted. If you get the sequence of actions wrong, you'll be caught, return to the last checkpoint, and have to repeat the same sequence until you get it right. It feels like you're solving a puzzle, not playing freely.

Another point that can bother some players is the inconsistent pacing. Some parts are calm, with plenty of time to plan actions. Others need almost surgical timing, with minimal windows to act. Since the enemy AI isn't very sophisticated, the challenge comes more from precise execution than from adaptation. This can lead to frustration at key moments, especially when the player needs to switch between characters quickly and accurately.

On top of it, checkpoints, while frequent, aren't always well-placed. In some levels, small mistakes force the player to replay long sequences, which breaks the rhythm and can lead to fatigue. While this isn't a constant problem, when it does happen, it's noticeable.

Eriksholm's story is well-written and fulfills its role of carrying the player through to the end. The dialogue is natural, the themes are serious without getting into melodrama territory, and the characters evolve in a believable way. The world is carefully crafted, and there's room to explore themes like authoritarianism, grief, resistance, and sacrifice.

The main trio carries the plot with charisma, and their gradual connection creates real empathy. Even without shocking twists, the game manages to consistently hold players’ interest in the story.

One of the game's biggest issues is the replayability factor. The experience is mostly a oneshot: play it once, see it all. There are no alternative modes, no extra challenges, not even a New Game Plus. Since puzzles have unique solutions, there's no point in replaying levels, since there’s no variation in approach. You can explore the levels a bit further searching for collectibles if you're an avid collector of trophies and such collectibles, but other than that, there's little reason to explore. The game simply ends, and that's it.

This would be less of a problem if the game had multiple endings, secret levels, or collectibles with real impact, but none of these are present. So, despite its technical and narrative quality, Eriksholm struggles to remain relevant after the first playthrough. The price may seem high given its short length (around 12 to 15 hours) and the lack of additional content.

From a technical viewpoint, the game is stable most of the time. On PC, it runs well with mid-range hardware, as long as the player doesn't overdo the graphical effects. On consoles, especially the PS5, framerate drops have been reported in more intense moments or in areas with a lot of dynamic lighting. Nothing serious, but noticeable.

Bugs aren’t frequent, but they do exist. Freezing when switching characters, misaligned shadows, and object collisions in dark corners have been reported by players on Steam and Reddit. The developer’s been releasing patches since launch and has fixed several of these issues, but there’s still room for improvement.

Pros:

• Impressive art and setting;

• Emotionally charged story;

• Excellent voice acting and well-developed characters;

Cons:

• Slightly lagged movement;

• Short length for the price;

Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream is a niche game, but very well-made within its purpose. It doesn't attempt to be an open world or an RPG with multiple decisions. It's focused, closed off, and controlled. For those who enjoy stealth games with a puzzle feel and value narrative and technical presentation, it's a great choice. For those who prefer freedom, improvisation, and multiple paths, it may disappoint.

It's an intense but short experience. Visually impressive, but lacking flexibility. Narratively well-constructed, but lacking in striking twists. It's an original game that's worth the journey, but not the extra content - because it simply doesn't have any.

If you're willing to accept this more rigid approach and want to immerse yourself in a tactical drama with the feel of an indie film, Eriksholm delivers. But if you're looking for freedom, variety, and weeks of content, it might be best to wait for an expansion or promotion.