Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream Review

Ever since I experienced A Plague Tale: Innocence, I have been hooked on video games that feature storytelling between siblings. Thanks to the beautiful story told between Amicia and Hugo, I have dived into A Plague Tale: Requiem, Tell Me Why, Life Is Strange: True Colors, and many others, and now Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream. Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream immediately grabbed my attention because of the sibling love and the stealth implemented. It’s not every day you see two concepts you love combined, how could I resist?

Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream is a story-rich isometric stealth game that explores how far siblings will go for each other. It begins with Hanna awakening, recovered from Heartpox, a plague spreading over the land. She shares an embrace with her brother Herman, and they discuss her illness and Herman’s new job in the mines, which he needs to head to. As Herman leaves, he mentions he will be back after work. Hanna waits, and waits, but Herman does not return, and a police officer suddenly appears in their home, demanding that she come in for questioning. Despite not knowing why Herman has attracted the police, Hanna escapes through a vent, and you’re now on your way to the main story: find your brother.

The entire story of Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream is moving, realistic, and immersive. I had moments where I shed tears as I felt the turmoil the characters went through. You’ll be introduced to a handful of characters that all play a significant role in Hanna and Herman’s story, helping you throughout a journey that surprisingly becomes political. The siblings have a lot to uncover throughout their time in the Kingdom of Rosmark and allies to make in order to survive.

Ah, Hanna and Herman

The whole premise of Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream is to use shortcuts and hidden paths to get to the next location while avoiding being spotted by the police, smugglers, or other enemies. You’ll need to look around the map to find hidden vents, ladders, pipes, and such to know where to go. Luckily, things usually glow gold with interactive objects, and a blue arrow shows where the end of the level is. Stealth has been a game mechanic I have adored in the many video games I have played over the years, and it is done well in Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream. The movement is fluid, and the controls are simple to grasp the moment you jump into the game. It also featured an easy tutorial that ties in with the story, and luckily enough, if you do forget the buttons, the game always displays them when interacting with objects.

For your convenience, there is no need to rely on a crouch button, as any time your character is in a hostile situation, they will crouch automatically. In addition to this, the top-down camera can be decentred from the player, allowing you to plan your course of action easily. An icon also shows where your character is when away from them, allowing you to not lose track of where you are. Timing is everything in Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream. You’ll hide in the moving shadows, time takedowns, run past enemies patrolling areas when they aren’t looking, and even look through windows to then open a door when the coast is clear. The environment will help you survive these moments as well, such as spooking birds to attract enemies or powering a loud machine so your footsteps aren’t heard.

Unfortunately, throughout my playthrough, there were moments where it was not completely obvious where to go. Although enemies may say certain things that give you hints, and environments are placed in a way to show a path, which do help a majority of the time, it’s sometimes not enough. I do wish in the time I was puzzled for too long, an optional hint had been available. Luckily, this didn’t particularly diminish my experience greatly.

Don’t look down!

Hanna, and the various other characters you get to switch between all have their own skills that will be required to use for various obstacles, such as Hanna’s sedative blowpipe. This then allows the game to become even more strategic and increasingly challenging as each of the eight chapters implements new enemies, allies, and environments. Collectables and notes are also available to find, each giving insight into what life is like in Eriksholm.

Any enemy you come across will have several indicators if they are about to notice you, such as a dotted bar that clings to you, a question mark, an ear icon, a blue beam emitting from the eyes, audio cues, and dialogue. Although these are helpful things to get you through each location, Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream is still challenging and requires you to think. Luckily, when you are spotted, there is a checkpoint to go back to, not far from where you were spotted, so you don’t need to start from the beginning. Just don’t forget to hide the bodies, as the other active enemies will be alerted if they’re not hidden well.

A part of Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream I adored was the non-playable characters littered throughout each location. The presence of characters in the background of each location made sneaking through them feel natural, as there was rarely any silence. Dialogue will also show over each person talking, so you know where they are located and who is speaking. This also includes the characters that are linked to the paths you must take. Characters will have a conversation that brings them away from where you need to go, so you can then use that same path without them there. Enemies will even voice their fears, which you can then use against them. There was not a moment that felt unnatural, and some of these overheard discussions were humorous, too.

Time to go night night from the blowpipe

Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream is the first isometric game I have played that has featured heavily realistic close-up cutscenes to the point that the characters look almost real. Each one of these cutscenes I saw had mannerisms, detail, age, weight, and personality in every character I saw up close. I truly wish I had seen more of these scenes, as they were scarce, but every time I saw them, it was a treat to see the amount of effort the team put into these beautiful moments.

The 1900s Nordic-inspired city is filled with heavy detail, and everything feels lived in, no matter where you go. If you feel like you’re not seeing enough when playing, you’re able to zoom the camera in and out as you see fit.

The soundtrack also elevates the entire experience when playing; it fits every moment, especially the tense ones. The audio cues from enemies, if you are about to be caught, only aid in the stressful situations you find yourself in. And the atmospheric sounds, such as waves crashing and wind blowing, only add another level of depth and realism to Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream.

Look at that detail!

Throughout my playthrough of Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream, I paid heavy attention to the story, collectables, and notes I came across as I was engrossed the entire time. As I came to the closing cutscene of Hanna and Herman’s story, I realised why Eriksholm has the words “The Stolen Dream” in the title, and I was brought to tears right as I finished the game.

Final Thoughts

Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream is an immersive, story-rich isometric stealth game that will pull at your heartstrings as you uncover Hanna and Herman’s story. It features a great amount of detailed environments and characters, easy-to-understand controls, challenging levels, realistic cutscenes, and overall is an enjoyable game for fans of the genre to play. It’s also a fantastic game for fans of A Plague Tale: Innocence to dive into if you’re looking for a similar experience.

Reviewed on Xbox Series X // Review code supplied by publisher

Click here for more information on WellPlayed’s review policy and ethics