Eriksholm: The Stolen Dreamis a narrative adventure not quite like any other I’ve recently played, a title that will stand out among 2025’s releases for its superb storytelling, incredible environments, and interactive take on the stealth genre. Though there’s much to love, its biggest flaw is keeping up with itself; some segments feel like a drop in pacing and excitement, making certain levels lackluster compared to others. Regardless, stealth fans and narrative-driven gamers will find themselves charmed byEriksholm: The Stolen Dreamand its incredibly unique world.
The game takes place in the titular fictional city, a steampunk paradise on the surface where the comfort, trade, and industrialization of a 1900s Nordic steampunk city blend with vibrant natural beauty. Below the surface, however, lies a darker reality: political corruption and socio-economic struggles are tearing the city apart, centered around a corrupt mayor and baron. This narrative-heavy game begins as Hanna awakens to a police raid searching for her brother, demanding she report to the station. Though it’s unclear what her brother has done, Hanna is not-too-clean to comply, sparking a city-wide manhunt that sends her down a rabbit hole of corruption and intrigue.
Before anything else, I want to praiseEriksholm: The Stolen Dreamfor its remarkable level design.
It’s not just how cleverly and seamlessly the game incorporates stealth routes and mechanics into a city setting—done so well I often found myself lost (where usually in these games the path forward feels obvious)—but also howincredibleeverything looks.
The city is a steampunk paradise (visually; the story reveals a darker political truth). Mossy rocks and cobbled streets blend with walled gardens, trees grow freely beside wood-board trade docks, and a murky-yet-unpolluted river weaves through streets that rise and fall over rolling hills.
A great deal of my time inEriksholm: The Stolen Dreamwas spent just looking around, admiring not only how gorgeous the set design and textures were, but how cleverly the creators implement the idea of a steampunk/dieselpunk society into their city. The way pipes and water heaters and other believable-yet-fantastical devices into the city feels naturally implemented, and makes the setting all the more interesting for their inclusion.
The brilliance extends beyond the isometric view. Cutscenes feature phenomenal set design, animation (likely mocap), and voice acting. The writing—something games often fumble—kept me thoroughly invested.
Far more than just a fantastic game to look at,Eriksholm: The Stolen Dreamcleverly engages in its stealth-game mechanics by adding an urgency and pacing I don’t see often in the genre. To elaborate,Eriksholm: The Stolen Dreamoften designs its levels around constantly moving guards and a shifting environment; where in many stealth games you can often take your time to navigate through a level, many of them in this title force you to keep moving, to dash around a corner to avoid eyesight or trail behind a guard, all the while you’re still preparing your next step forward. A level is not always as it appears when you first enter it, with environmental changes or new threats emerging to force you to change your plan or route on the fly.
Not all levels move at such a breakneck pace; there are certainly ones that afford you more time to slow down, watch your surroundings, and make a move. While some of these will come as a relief from the somewhat frantic pace, others can feel like they have, some of these slower levels can also feel like a halt to the game’s pace in general. You can tell that some areas were more thoughtfully designed or pressed in importance; not only do these levels tend to slow down and feel easier to approach, but there can be additions that feel lazier or implemented with much less care, such as reduced immersion in guard patterns or clearer paths.
After watching how real and animated the game’s guards can feel, it suddenly feels like kind of a letdown when you run into one that just stands there, occasionally turning his back and doing not much else. There are parts in the story that can similarly lose this pacing and feel rushed compared to others, but it’s never enough to make to put down the experience as a whole.
Eriksholm: The Stolen Dreamshines brightest when it is most committed to its strengths: world-building, visual design, and high-tension stealth. The moments where it dips in quality do not ruin the experience but do stand out when the rest of the game sets such a high bar. Despite its imperfections, the game delivers an atmospheric and narratively rich adventure that’s hard to put down, especially for those who crave a bit of edge in their stealth and a story with political bite.
The Final Word
A gorgeously crafted stealth adventure that’s full of mood, momentum, and mystery.Eriksholm: The Stolen Dreamfalters slightly when it loses tension, but remains a memorable, artistically distinct journey worth experiencing.
Try Hard Guides was provided a Steam code for this PC review ofEriksholm: The Stolen Dream. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles on ourGame Reviewspage!Eriksholm: The Stolen Dreamis available onSteam,Epic Games,PlayStation, andXbox.
