Inside 1666: Amsterdam and Patrice Desilets' Long-Awaited Witchcraft Epic
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
Recent hands-on previews of 1666: Amsterdam reveal the ambitious mechanics, timeline-hopping narrative, and witchy supernatural combat behind Patrice Desilets' long-awaited follow-up.
After fifteen years of legal battles, conceptual reworks, and studio pivots, 1666: Amsterdam is finally taking shape. Original Assassin's Creed creator Patrice Desilets is steering the project at Panache Digital, bringing players a historically rich and occult-infused adventure that spans multiple timelines, including 1666, 1999, and the present day. Following a mixed community reception to the Steam prologue released earlier this summer, recent hands-on previews reported by Eurogamer offer a clearer picture of how this ambitious historical fantasy actually plays when you step beyond the opening hours.
Stepping into the shoes of protagonist Noa, players act as a debt collector for the devil, hunting down mortals known as Originals who struck unholy bargains 333 years prior. The gameplay loop blends period exploration with supernatural mechanics, letting Noa fly across the canals of a meticulously modeled 17th-century Amsterdam on a broomstick. However, previews note that traversal and combat carry a distinct layer of scruffiness. Combat relies on wave-based encounters with restricted movement and simple attack patterns, while broom flight is confined to designated pathways rather than offering total sandbox freedom, showing that some of the indie-scaled studio's ambitions brush up against technical limits.
Despite the early jank, the project retains a fascinating identity anchored by strong atmospheric world-building and clever narrative touches. Mechanics like a suspicion gauge force players to blend in with civilian crowds to avoid witch-hunting authorities, echoing the social stealth DNA of Desilets' earlier work while leaning hard into dark folklore. For a community always eager to see veteran developers take big swings outside of corporate franchises, 1666: Amsterdam remains one of the most intriguing wildcards on the horizon. You can read the original reporting over at Eurogamer.
Source: Eurogamer
Tags: 1666 Amsterdam, Patrice Desilets, Panache Digital, PC Gaming, Action RPG
Original article: Eurogamer