After seeing the announcement for 1666: Amsterdam, as well as playing through the Prologue, I found myself really wanting to sink my teeth into it. Now that the game is in its first iteration of Early Access (no updates as of yet beyond mild bug fixes), I took a few hours to just explore the first segment of what is available.

I should note, however, that the studio came under fire over the discovery of the usage of AI Tools. Patrice Desilets was first quoted as stating: “Then in the pipeline, there’s again an issue. I can ask the AI to give me 75 different variations of one thing, but I cannot have 75 different illustrators come up with a variation in three seconds. This is the world in which we’re living, and while we were this small team and building [the game], we put it in. We didn’t even realise it was AI anymore because we were used to seeing it.”

Recently, however, Patrice also made a comment that AI Tools were no longer being used, stating: “Yes, I was a bit [thrown]. Yes, we use some AI in the process, mostly at the beginning, in conception and pre-production. It’s been totally removed, and we won’t be using any AI anymore.”

It is worth noting that there is no AI disclaimer on Steam at the time of writing this article, and that I was unaware of the developing situation as the preview was written. I hope Patrice sees the value in the creativity of the people working on 1666: Amsterdam, instead of taking shortcuts and trying to make human effort and creativity obsolete. So, in the spirit of keeping you informed as the consumer, let us carry on.

Currently, all that is available in 1666: Amsterdam is – according to the Steam page – “the first piece of the campaign, expected to take approximately 15 hours to play through.” This is a lot meatier than the prologue, which landed at around 30 minutes to an hour depending on how slowly you were going.

If the Prologue was an Amuse-Bouche, then this first section is (as you would expect) the first course of a meal that is slated to be worked on for at least a year. Surprisingly, unlike the reviews on Steam, I think that Panache Digital Games has a pretty interesting and well-rounded experience so far.

Now, a disclaimer: I have not finished the full length of what is available, and that is on purpose. This is partially for my own enjoyment of the rest of the experience, but also this is because I felt as though I got a decent enough view of where the problem points are and where the game shines right now.

If you are unaware of what 1666: Amsterdam is, the story revolves around the history of the Zaindairis clan of what we would call Witches. The story technically revolves around 3 characters: Clio in modern day, the descendant of a Zaindairis who discovers that her father (Aaron – another protagonist) is the Union Cat (familiar) of Noa, the Collector.

I just threw a lot of jargon at you, so to break it down, you experience the story of Noa from 1666 and Aaron, a man from 1999 who winds up involved in Noa’s quest to reclaim the magical energy that has corrupted powerful people in Amsterdam. Most of the story is told through a flashback of sorts, via a letter from Aaron to his daughter Clio. I won’t give too much more in terms of story because it gets complicated, and part of 1666: Amsterdam’s appeal is the discovery and story.

In fact, I would say that learning about the world, the story, and the rules of the magic and witchcraft in the game are the big strengths here so far. Aaron (whom you are able to play in cat form) serves as an audience analog of sorts, experiencing this “new” world of the supernatural for the first time, needing Noa to guide him as they travel this new journey together.

Gameplay is going to seem sort of familiar in certain aspects, due to the history of who is working on it. The creative director happens to be Patrice Désilets, creative director of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and Assassin’s Creed.

Because of this, gameplay comes in several formats. Noa must hide in plain sight (stealth) as there is currently a sort of Witch Hunt going on in Amsterdam. However, during certain segments of gameplay, she will have the power to utilize her magic and “Sacred Branch” (broom) to fight off enemies.

She can dodge enemy attacks, as well as do a 3-hit combo to deal damage. Personally, I feel like one of the sticking points that the dev team needs to work on is the combat system. If Noa is a powerful magical being, let it show in the combat a bit more. The combat isn’t awful, but it does feel a little bland in certain areas.

On the other hand, the stealth gameplay can be fun, especially since Noa can utilize Aaron’s abilities as a cat to open new avenues of escape. Aaron can open doors, lure enemies away, etc. Interestingly enough, Aaron can also possess humans to break things, attack enemies, open doors, etc.

The problem is that there are times when Noa’s only choice is to fight, instead of having options to go around combat or even perhaps use non-lethal options. Playing with the idea of witchcraft, I would love to see Noa have the opportunity to put enemies to sleep, control them herself in combat, or leverage her powers in other non-lethal ways. I think this could really give the level of choice that Panache Digital Games is advertising.

I feel like the movement could use some work too. Noa walks slowly, even when you utilize the run button. I understand she is blending in, but it would be nice to maybe have something akin to Corvo’s blink in Dishonored, or just speed up the ground movement a little more. There are some cool elements of movement across water that I really like, but I’d rather not spoil too much.

Overall, I think that 1666: Amsterdam is a rough-cut gem in need of polishing. I think that if it is given the patience and time to grow, this could be the next great franchise. We know Patrice is capable of it; the man spawned two fantastic franchises already. We just need to have patience and let this turn into the proper ritual we all hope it can be. It is disheartening to know that Patrice turned to AI for the beginning stages, however. I can only hope that he relies on human creativity and effort to see this project through.

A PC Preview copy of 1666: Amsterdam was provided by Panache Digital Games for this preview.

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