Escaping Trouble With a Blowpipe and a Plan

New York Times

23-07-2025

I doubt I've met anyone who is wholly immune to the charms of a story that features scenes of synchronized derring-do and impeccable teamwork. In our discordant world where time often seems out of joint, it's reassuring to see plucky individuals band together to surmount outrageous odds.
Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream, a stealth-adventure game, caters to the basic pleasure of seeing a carefully considered plan snap together. Owing to a personal matter, the game's main character, Hanna, has taken it upon herself to bring down a powerful politician who presides over her native city of Eriksholm. Assisting in her vendetta are Alva, the head of a gang that Hanna and her brother used to run with, and Sebastian, a tough and loyal friend.
When we're introduced to Hanna, she has just recovered from a serious illness. The hours of the day give way to the next when an insistent knocking on the door is followed by a police officer barging into the apartment. Casting a quick glance around the small room, the officer asks Hanna where her brother is; after she says she doesn't know, he insists that she come to the station. When Hanna walks behind a folding screen under the pretext of retrieving her bag, a clicking sound arouses the officer's suspicion. She has used a vent along the wall to give him the slip.
It doesn't take long for Hanna to realize she is a target for the police, who have stationed officers around the city's transportation hubs. Eventually, she makes her way to Alva in a more rundown area of town filled with shacklike structures crowned by corrugated metal roofs.
There, Hanna retrieves her trusty blowpipe, enabling her to shoot sleeping darts into unsuspecting guards. She must be careful, though, to hide any slumbering working stiffs lest they attract their colleagues' attention. Sebastian then helps them secure safe passage into the ritzy areas of the city.
Naturally, Alva and Sebastian also have their own abilities that players will have to strategically cycle through. Alva can climb up pipes to reach rooftops and other elevated areas; she can also use a slingshot to knock out lights and distract guards. Sebastian can swim and put guards to sleep with a chokehold.
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