Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream

Alright. [i]Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream[/i] is done and dusted. This is an isometric stealth adventure set in an alternate history Scandinavian city during the turn of the (20th) century Industrial Revolution. This game definitely focuses on narrative first with an emphasis on the divide between the wealthy elites and everyone else. A topic near and dear to my heart. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3767401100 To accomplish this, the game really dials in the atmosphere and gritty realism of the Industrial Revolution, diving fully into wealth disparity while the city of Eriksholm is also dealing with the [i]Heartpox[/i] epidemic, a disease whose fatality rates are alarmingly high. The main protagonist, Hannah, is an orphaned teen who somehow manages to overcome the Heartpox after essentially being in a coma and cared for by her little brother, Herman. Once he sees that Hannah has woken up and seems cured, he leaves to take care of a mysterious job he's accepted. Herman is supposed to come back that night but never does. Hannah is instead woken up by the police, who barge into her apartment looking for Herman and insisting she come with them to the police station for some questioning. Hannah is understandably distrustful of the police and worried for her brother, so she instead escapes, and thus our adventure begins as Hannah tries to find her brother while evading the police. This game does a great job with character development, really giving key characters enough personality to either identify with them or despise them. Even when their screentime is short, you really get a sense of who they are. And the world development is also fantastic. Even random NPCs are given a few lines that really let you know who they are and what they're all about. That's all very impressive. As mentioned earlier, the way the Industrial Revolution is presented was also quite impressive. You really get a good feel for the era, and the challenges people face. The game is thick with undeniable atmosphere. Also, this is a game with zero mysticism outside of good old-fashioned folklore, something that represents peoples' hopes and fears and factors into how people respond to certain situations without actually adding low fantasy into the equation. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3766179621 Actually, the writing in general throughout the game is fantastic with one stumble IMO. I think the main antagonist's motivations are never presented with full clarity. He has his moments where you get his reveals, and you have a good sense for what is happening, but his motivations are very definitely obscure when it comes to how and why he chose the path he chose. You get an idea that fighting back against the elites is at the heart of his thought process, but he also happens to be an elite, and what he chooses to do seems a little out of place with what he says his goals are. In fact, he basically says a couple times that we'll have to wait to find out what he is planning and that it will all make sense in the end, but it really doesn't. It sort of does, but I was left feeling like we were missing some key elements that would bring more clarity to this. As far as gameplay goes, this is classic isometric stealth where you attempt to work around enemy fields of vision. Antagonists have patrol routes and/or are placed in ways that force you to really think about how you are going to approach each level/chapter. They also happen to react to what you're doing in reasonably intelligent/believable ways, which is refreshing. I would say it's on the easier side as far as isometric stealth games go, but it does work well. Additionally, you don't only play as Hannah. You are eventually given three main protagonists (although Hannah is your actual main), and you will be using one, two, even all three characters on the same levels to overcome obstacles. There is a fourth character you will also play as at one point, and this brings up an interesting aspect of the game that I appreciated. At times, rather than having NPCs do random stuff offscreen in the pursuit of helping you out, you will actually be doing those things yourself as the player. Therefore, there are no mysteries regarding how this person or that person did what they did or got to where they ended up. Visually, this game is a masterpiece. It really portrays the gritty realism of poverty juxtaposed with the opulence of wealth, and somewhere in-between, the stark nature of industrialism. Character models are all very well done. Cutscenes are pretty much movie quality. There is a lot of variation as you can tell, and so where one area might be dark and worn down, another might be bright and vibrant; and they all make perfect contextual sense. Also, there was a moment where Hannah was staring down one character while another was talking to her from a side angle, and you see her eyes look over at the guy to the side while still staring down the main person she was facing, and that moment really drove home just how the devs were devoted to even small details such as that. The moment surprised me and it's imprinted in my mind now, lol. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3766739732 From an audio perspective, the voice acting is all top tier. There are some stellar performances on display here. The actors really brought emotion and a sense of the era with them and breathed real life into their characters. A lot of lore building also happens here, with you coming across NPCs having discussions about their lives and such. The ambient sounds of the world are nicely done. And the soundtrack was very nice, although I wouldn't go so far as to say it was memorable. Very appropriate to the game though. I played using k/m btw. That's probably the ideal way to play given some of the quick decisions you'll need to make in the game. There will be plenty of times where you will need to chain actions in real time and use your characters' abilities as synergies. I've seen a lot of mention of the base price being too high for what is going to be a 10-14 hour adventure for most people, and while I tend to agree with that sentiment, I'm also not blind to everything that went into making this game, and I understand why this game was priced at $39.99. However, at the time of this writing, it is on sale for $23.99 and was even less in the Steam complete the bundle I bought it from (it's paired with The Thaumaturge, which I already owned). This sale price is in my estimation a great price for the game. It certainly earns that based on the content and production value. I had a great time playing through this game and I think I'll remember it for some time to come. Well worth a look in my opinion. 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Reviewing (mostly) every game (or DLC) in my library, part 646: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆☆ (8/10) I enjoyed my time with [i]Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream, [/i]but I also walked away a little disappointed. The production values are fantastic, the world is beautifully realized, and there are plenty of small touches that make the city feel alive. At the same time, I came in expecting a tactical stealth game in the vein of Mimimi Games's titles, and that's ... not really what this is. (My bad on that, though!) Instead, [i]Eriksholm[/i] is a linear puzzle adventure with stealth mechanics. There's very little room for improvisation, and many encounters boil down to trial and error until you discover the intended solution. That's not inherently bad; it just wasn't what I was hoping for. Would I recommend it? Yes. .. just not at $39.99. My playthrough lasted roughly 11 hours, and while I enjoyed every minute, I don't think there's enough here to justify the asking price. Pick it up during a sale, and you'll likely have a great time. [b][h2]Pros:[/h2][/b] ✅ [b]Beautiful presentation.[/b] From the environments to the character models and voice acting, [i]Eriksholm[/i] is an incredibly polished game. Every location feels handcrafted, and it's clear a tremendous amount of care went into creating the world. One chapter has you sneaking through damp, claustrophobic sewers, the next through lively city streets, dense forests, or sprawling military compounds. The variety in environments keeps the adventure visually fresh from beginning to end, and each area has its own distinct atmosphere. The lighting, too, deserves special praise. There's a special term for that hazy, warm, golden light! A special art term I can't quite remember, but I know it's beautiful! ✅ [b]Excellent world-building.[/b] One of my favorite features was collecting letters, journals, and notes scattered throughout the game. Better yet, they're voiced instead of simply being walls of text, making them much more enjoyable to find. I also loved listening to the guards chat with one another and hearing witty barbs be thrown back and forth. ✅ [b]A compelling story.[/b] While I wouldn't call the narrative groundbreaking, it's well told and kept me invested from beginning to end. I wanted to see what happened next, and although the game doesn't spend an enormous amount of time developing its characters, I found myself strangely attached to all of them. Hanna, Alva, Sebastian, and the supporting cast are all easy to root for thanks to strong voice acting, natural dialogue, and believable chemistry. I even loved that noble lady at the end! [b][h2]Mixed:[/h2][/b] 🟨 [b]The stealth isn't what I expected.[/b] Going in, I was hoping for something closer to [i]Shadow Gambit[/i] or [i]Desperados III[/i], where scouting enemy positions and carefully planning your approach are the heart of the experience. Instead, [i]Eriksholm[/i] is much more linear, often presenting a single "correct" solution to each encounter. That makes the game feel more like trial and error than real, tactical stealth. Once I found the intended sequence, encounters became straightforward, but reaching that point often required several failed attempts. [b][h2]Cons:[/h2][/b] 🟥 [b]It desperately needs enemy outlines and vision cones.[/b] This was easily my biggest complaint. Games like [i]Shadow Gambit[/i]make planning enjoyable because you always understand what enemies can see. [i]Eriksholm[/i] often forces you to guess, fail, reload, and try again. Adding optional vision cones and enemy outlines would have made the stealth feel much fairer without sacrificing difficulty. 🟥 [b]The price is difficult to justify.[/b] I finished the game in around 11 hours, and while it was a quality 11 hours, $39.99 feels steep. There's very little replay value outside of collectibles, and I never felt compelled to start another playthrough immediately. This is an easy recommendation at half the price, but much harder to recommend at full price. 🟥 [b]It never reaches the heights of the genre's best.[/b] That's admittedly an unfair comparison, but it's the one I couldn't stop making. I was quite surprised by the Overwhelmingly Positive reviews. Like, the game is [i]good[/i] but not [i]amazing.[/i] If you're looking for deep, tactical stealth where experimentation and planning are rewarded, I'd still recommend Mimimi's games (RIP omg) first. If you want a story with similar gameplay, try [i] The Last of Us[/i] or [i]A Plague Tale[/i]. [i]Eriksholm[/i] succeeds as a cinematic stealth adventure, but it never quite scratches that same itch. [hr] If you enjoyed this review, please check out my curator page to find more: [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45814768-Verdict-Play-or-Pass/]Verdict: Play or Pass.[/url] Also, please leave a like and visit [url=https://steamcommunity.com/groups/Indie_Gems]IndieGems[/url] and our [url=https://www.youtube.com/@IndieGems2]YouTube channel[/url] for more reviews like this one. [/hr]

This is an incredible game. Thanks to the Steam reviews I decided to try and I love it - love from the first sight. I especcially enjoyed the handcrafted locations and interiers - they remind England from begining of 20th century.. I did a perfect game in around 12 hours, so it's ideal for a few evenings Graphics, atmosphere, story - eveyrhing 10/10.