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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Firstly, do youself a favour and set post process to high, instead of max, you will get much sharper textures & more detailed environment, i think its some kind of bug, but max will make your game looks soapy/blurry. Eriksholm was built on great visuals, interesting story and superb animations & cinematics, unfortunately not necessarly on commandos like viarety of skills etc. Each of 3 playable characters have ~2 mechanics, so not a lot, but maps were crafted to complement each character by other. Experience was semi similar to plaguetale, where you also have some hard limitations how to get through sections, but atmospehere and world is interesting enough to keep you playing. A bit short, but definitely worthwhile experience, Acheivements are easy enought to now cause frustration, especially chapter/section seletc eases 100% substantionaly. I wouldnt mind playing next game embedded in this world.

I really loved the isometric art style, the characters, the story, and the cutscenes. The visuals are absolutely beautiful. It's one of those games that stays with you long after you finish it. Definitely worth playing! Runs smoothly on Linux with Proton.

Лайтовая игрушка Интересный сюжет, правда мне не хватило раскрытия персонажей некоторых, понятно, что все на тропе, но хотелось бы побольше Очень хорошо передана атмосфера, красивые уровни Понятные загадки, хорошая идея разнообразить геймплей разными персонажами со своими механиками P.s. боа о оа

Hidden gem. I love stealth games but i never played an isometric one. This one is really a hidden gem and it was so satisfying when everything you planned worked. The cutscenes are great, maybe some in game scens could have alsobeen cutscenes to make it more cinematic but it was amazing anyway. The graphic is amazing, especially after some game-file tinkering to turn off the blurring anti aliasing, which you can't do from in game settings. On my powerful desktop pc it ran at 120fps with everything max without anti aliasing, while on my laptop it was stable at 40 in medium with anti aliasing on. I wouldn't reccomend it on steamdeck honesty. Sadly there was no official italian translation. I'd reccomend playing with mouse and keyboard.

4/10 Heist and stealth games are at their best when you can devise your own plan. Eriksholm masquerades as a tactical stealth adventure but turns out to be a frustratingly rigid experience that offers absolutely no freedom of play. The game forces you to follow a single, predetermined path and adhere to split-second timing, leaving no room for personal creativity. This constant trial and error turns the gameplay into an annoying exercise in rote memorization that artificially drags out the playtime. Ultimately, completing a section doesn't make you feel clever or rewarded. Instead, you simply feel relieved that the frustration is over. I stopped playing after Chapter 4.

I came for the stealthy gameplay, which wasn't exceptionnal. I stayed for the story and staging, which was great. A well built world with interesting characters and places, and a nice take on steampunk.

5/10 boring, there is no way to play the game in more than one way, you can only complete it exactly as the creators designed it.

[h1]A beautiful adventure, not another Commandos[/h1] Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream was one of the biggest surprises I've played this year. If you're expecting [b]Commandos[/b] or [b]Shadow Tactics[/b], you should adjust your expectations. This is [b]much more of a narrative adventure with stealth and puzzle elements[/b] than a hardcore sandbox stealth game-and that's exactly why it works so well. [hr][/hr] [h1]✓ Pros[/h1] • [b]Absolutely gorgeous visuals[/b] - every location is packed with detail, beautiful lighting, and outstanding environmental storytelling. Easily one of the best-looking isometric games I've played. • [b]Excellent level design[/b] - every chapter feels carefully handcrafted. Exploring each area and figuring out how to progress is consistently rewarding. • [b]Adventure first, stealth second[/b] - unlike Commandos or Desperados, the focus is on storytelling, atmosphere, and cinematic presentation rather than giving the player endless tactical options. • [b]Fantastic worldbuilding[/b] - Eriksholm feels like a real city with its own history, culture, and identity. • [b]Great voice acting and cinematic cutscenes[/b] - the production values are far beyond what I'd expect from a debut indie studio. • [b]Three playable characters[/b] - once the full cast is introduced, combining their unique abilities makes the puzzles much more satisfying. [hr][/hr] [h1]✗ Cons[/h1] • [b]Very linear[/b] - in most situations there's only one intended solution. If you're looking for the freedom of Commandos or Shadow Tactics, you may find it restrictive. • [b]Some trial-and-error[/b] - getting spotted usually means restarting the section, and a few sequences require near-perfect execution. • [b]Limited replay value[/b] - once you've experienced the story and solved the puzzles, there's little reason to come back. [hr][/hr] [h1]Verdict[/h1] Don't buy this expecting [b]Commandos[/b]. Buy it if you're looking for [b]a gorgeous cinematic adventure[/b] with stealth gameplay, clever environmental puzzles, memorable worldbuilding, and some of the most beautiful isometric environments in recent years. For me, the breathtaking locations, meticulous level design, and incredible presentation easily outweigh the game's linearity. This is a highly recommended debut from River End Games, and I can't wait to see what the studio creates next. [b]Highly recommended.[/b]

excellent jeu