Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream review

Introduction

Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream sends players through a sprawling, fictional Nordic city inspired by early-20th-century Scandinavia, as Hanna searches for her brother Herman after his mysterious disappearance draws the attention of the city's police. Developed by debut studio River End Games and published by Nordcurrent Labs, it released 15 July 2025 to an "Overwhelmingly Positive" reception: 1,125 of its 1,180 English-language reviews recommend it, a sample of which this review reads 100. It's a rare thing for a first game from a new studio to draw this much consistent praise for its presentation, and rarer still for that praise to sit alongside such a clear, specific, and repeated set of complaints about how little freedom the game actually gives players moment to moment.

A cinematic presentation reviewers say punches above its budget

The single most consistent theme in the sample is disbelief at the production values for a debut studio's first release. One reviewer writes the game will "have you questioning if this is really an indie game," while another calls the mo-cap cutscenes and voice acting so convincing that "two people talking" feels "real," not "some contrived scripted nonsense." Several reviewers invoke prestige comparisons directly, with one calling it "what modern AAA games should be" and another describing the architecture, technology, and social atmosphere of Eriksholm itself as "grounded and fantastical" in equal measure. A recurring point of goodwill: reviewers who played the public demo report their progress and collectibles carried over cleanly into the full release, a detail more than one calls "very sympathetic" of the developer.

Genre comparisons reveal a puzzle game wearing tactical-stealth clothing

Many reviewers arrive expecting a Commandos- or Desperados-style tactics game and come away describing something closer to a puzzle box. One influential review states plainly, "this is not a Shadow Tactics/Desperados type game despite having some similar mechanics. It's more of a puzzle game, as there is generally only one solution to progress." Another agrees, calling it "top down Plague Tale" rather than a systemic stealth-tactics title, while a third frames the comparison more bluntly: "I genuinely hated Commandos back then, so a thumbs up from me actually means that this game is the real deal" for players who want story and atmosphere over deep tactical systems.

The most common complaint: exactly one way through each room

The sharpest recurring criticism in the sample targets level and puzzle design directly. One frustrated reviewer lists it as their top con: "Most missions have only one correct solution," a sentiment echoed by a longtime tactics-genre fan who calls the game "completely linear" with "really only one solution to every encounter." A player who 100%-completed the game goes further, calling the gameplay "very simple with rooms mostly consisting of two guards looking in the same direction" before a scripted solution presents itself. Several reviewers who otherwise loved the story and visuals still dock the game for offering "no replay-ability," since, as one puts it, "100% is made easy by su[ch]" a fixed, guessable structure once you know the trick to each room.

A short, story-forward experience at a premium price

Length and price form the other major fault line in the sample. Typical completion times cluster between eight and fifteen hours, with dedicated completionists reporting eighteen to twenty-two hours chasing every note and collectible. Against Eriksholm's NZ$64.99 asking price, a large share of otherwise positive reviewers flag the same concern: one writes it's "a little bit too short" and "not for 40 euros," while another recommends waiting for it "to lose 10-15$ on sale." A more critical reviewer scores it around five out of ten specifically because of "the high price and the too thin story / simple mechanics," despite praising its eight-chapter structure and three-hero cast on their own merits.

Story clarity and a few technical rough edges

Beyond pacing and price, a smaller but consistent thread in the sample concerns the story's clarity. One player who finished the game admits "the story isn't the best (I had trouble following it and didn't understand some things they were talking about)" despite otherwise recommending it, and another calls the plot "well enough told but not terribly original, nor are the characters all that likeable." A handful of reviewers also flag a default blurry post-processing effect, though several note the fix is simple: switching anti-aliasing down to low or medium setting clears up the image noticeably, a workaround worth knowing before starting the game.

What the achievement data shows

Eriksholm's 45 tracked achievements paint a picture of a game most buyers see through to the end, consistent with its short, story-forward design. Early achievements sit above 80 percent, and each of the eight chapter-completion achievements declines steadily from 76.8 percent after Level 1 to 44.9 percent by Level 8, the final story beat, suggesting close to half of all owners finish the campaign outright, an unusually gentle curve for this review series. Beyond the story, completionist-tier achievements drop sharply: gathering 75 percent of collectibles sits at 33.7 percent, while fully completing every note and collectible bottoms out around 9.3-9.4 percent, reflecting the sample's comments that full completion, while achievable in a single extended sitting, is pursued by only a dedicated fraction of players.

Value

At NZ$64.99 with no discount active at review time, Eriksholm sits well above typical indie pricing for an eight-to-fifteen-hour narrative experience, and the sample's most frequent value complaint is a direct comparison to that runtime rather than to any particular missing feature. Several reviewers who otherwise rated the game highly still explicitly recommend waiting for a price cut, and given the very low replay value that comes with its one-solution puzzle design, that advice tracks: this is a game best valued for a single, complete playthrough rather than one that rewards repeat visits or justifies full price on replayability alone.

Final Verdict

Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream is a remarkably assured, cinematic debut that earns its "Overwhelmingly Positive" reception through outstanding presentation, atmosphere, and voice work rather than mechanical ambition. Its levels and puzzles are consistently described as having exactly one intended solution, trading the tactical freedom of genre touchstones like Commandos and Desperados for a tighter, more controlled narrative experience, and its short campaign sits uneasily against a premium price tag. For players drawn to story-first stealth games in the mould of A Plague Tale, it's a genuine, confident highlight of 2025 well worth experiencing, ideally once it sees its first meaningful discount.