Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream, the alternate-history stealth adventure that’s been eliciting all sorts of oohs and ahhs thanks to its lovely looks and impressive motion capture – finally has a release date. It’s launching for PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on 15th July, with a demo available now.
Eriksholmis the work of River End Games, a Swedish studio comprised of around 16 people (making its presentational pizzaz all the more impressive), and it takes its inspiration from the Scandinavia of the early 1900s. This isn’t quite the world as we know it – a mysterious illness known as Heartpox has the city in its grip, for starters – but it’s here we meet our protagonist, Hanna, who becomes embroiled in a deadly adventure after her brother disappears.
River End Games calls Eriksholm an “isometric, narrative-driven stealth game”, and it shares many of the trappings of the stealth-tactics genre – sight cones, that isometric perspective, multiple characters with complementary abilities you’ll use to navigate the city undetected. Based on my time with a couple of levels not so long ago, though, it appears to play less sandbox-y and more puzzle-y, with obstacles having specific solutions.
It’s unclear if that’s indicative of the broader experience, but I’m certainly intrigued enough to want to play more. Not least because Eriksholm – with its endearing cast and gorgeous environmental design – is a lovely world to sink into.
And River End Games is now letting everyone have a nose around Eriksholm ahead of its launch, thanks to a newly released demo on Steam and the Epic Games Store. River End hasn’t specified what’s in the demo, but it’s promising a glimpse of Eriksholm’s “atmospheric design, tense stealth sequences, and emotionally driven narrative”. And you’ll be able to carry your progress over to the full game if you’re suitably convinced.
Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream launches for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on 15th July, and (depending on platform) it should cost around £33.50 GBP/€39.99/$39.99 USD.