1666: Amsterdam is now available in Early Access on Steam and the Epic Games Store, and there are some intriguing concepts that I’m eager to see ironed out as developer Panache Digital Games continues to make adjustments to the witch-fueled action-adventure title. 1666: Amsterdam is definitely rough around the edges right now, but there is still ample time to flesh out the experience. One of the places that 1666: Amsterdam shines is with its approach to the game’s world. Open-world games tend to use the environment as set dressing, but 1666: Amsterdam makes it central to the core gameplay through the day and night cycle.
1666: Amsterdam‘s troubled development meant that it took a long time for Panache Digital Games to bring its vision to life, but now that it’s here, gamers will now have the first taste of what this dark and mysterious world has to offer. In 1666: Amsterdam, players take on the role of a protagonist named Noa Brooklyn. She’s a Collector, an important witch who has a single purpose: hunt down the Originals and take back the power that they have abused. The Originals are mysterious beings that have been around for centuries. These beings use human disguises to blend in with the population of 17th century Amsterdam, and it’s up to Noa to hunt each one down and collect their power. That’s where the day and cycle come into play.
1666: Amsterdam’s Day and Night Cycle Offers Far More Than Just Cool Atmosphere
There are plenty of great open-world games out there that have solid day and night cycles, but this feature is often used more as a realism tool instead of something that’s integral to gameplay. 1666: Amsterdam flips that expectation on its head, though. Throughout the story, Noa is resigned to certain tasks during the day, while other gameplay aspects are reserved for the nighttime. This might sound restrictive at first, but it actually creates an intriguing balance that could make it easier to stay focused on doing specific tasks in order to accomplish the main goal.
Guess the games from the emojis.
Guess the games from the emojis.
Easy (120s)Medium (90s)Hard (60s)
During the day, Noa has to use her time wisely to investigate. Players will follow clues to try and help decipher which Amsterdam citizen is a regular human and which is an Original. Once night falls, Noa will have to confront the ones she believes are Originals, and if they are, that’s when 1666: Amsterdam brings in its combat. It’s a witch hunt disguised as a detective story with moments of action sprinkled into the recipe, which is a pretty compelling combination. This is the core of 1666: Amsterdam‘s gameplay, and it’s exciting to see a new open-world game actually take advantage of an environment’s potential in such an inventive way.
Noa isn’t the only playable character in 1666: Amsterdam. Players can switch between her and her cat companion. This cat is named Aaron, and he scans the Amsterdam streets from the rooftops and can squeeze his way into tight corridors and hidden pathways that Noa can’t.
1666: Amsterdam Could Be the First Game to Kickstart a Wave of Witch Titles
Those who are fans of games with investigation mechanics that are balanced with more action-forward moments might want to keep 1666: Amsterdam on their radar. The state it’s currently in with its Early Access won’t be ideal for everyone, though. What’s considered an acceptable early-stage state is going to vary from person to person, so that’s important to keep in mind first. Regardless of the Early Access label, 1666: Amsterdam could prove to be cool enough of a concept that it inspires more witch-inspired games.
-
Image via Panache Digital Games -
-
It’s already going to be competing with Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Hexe. Panache Digital Games was actually founded by ex-Ubisoft dev and Assassin’s Creed creator Patrice Desilets, so it’s going to be fascinating to watch both games go head-to-head once Ubisoft’s project is out. An Assassin’s Creed Hexe release date hasn’t been revealed yet, but leaks have claimed the second half of 2027. These kinds of claims should be taken with a grain of salt, though.
1666: Amsterdam Isn’t the Only New Game That Is Diving Into Deeper Day and Night Cycle Mechanics
Gamers who are interested in 1666: Amsterdam‘s day and night concept will soon get to experience a similar feature with a different approach. The Blood of Dawnwalker comes out on September 3, and game developer Rebel Wolves has also seen the untapped gameplay potential that a day and night cycle has. The story revolves around a half human/half vampire named Coen whose combat changes depending on whether it’s day or night. When it comes to The Blood of Dawnwalker‘s combat, daytime forces Coen to rely on more traditional fantasy RPG combat, like sword fighting. However, the nighttime brings out his vampire powers and introduces a completely different feeling.
This is one of the many features that make The Blood of Dawnwalker‘s gameplay so intriguing, and it’s fascinating that this vampire RPG and 1666: Amsterdam are experimenting with day and night cycles at the same time. I hope that more developers will be inspired by this down the road, because it would be fun to see how other studios use this same vision in new and unique ways.
Spooky Season Arrives Early With 1666: Amsterdam and Blood of Dawnwalker
It’s still summer, but 1666: Amsterdam and The Blood of Dawnwalker are proving that it’s never too early to start getting ready for fall’s spooky vibes. As a big Halloween lover, getting the chance to experience a witchy detective tale and a dark fantasy RPG centered around a vampire/human hybrid in tandem is an ideal scenario. 1666: Amsterdam‘s setting and The Blood of Dawnwalker‘s world are quite different, but the games share parallel ideas about how environment should inform a protagonist’s gameplay in a more meaningful way.
Only time will tell if 1666: Amsterdam grows into a new indie hit, but Panache Digital Games definitely has plenty of promising ideas on the table that will be even better once fine-tuned. Witch hunts are a subject that games haven’t explored much of, and it would be great to see more stories inspired by this era. There have been some great games with witches over the years, and I’m curious to see if Noa Brooklyn will eventually be added to that list.
- Released
-
August 25, 2026
- Developer(s)
-
Panache Digital Games
- Publisher(s)
-
Panache Digital Games
- Number of Players
-
Single-player
- Steam Deck Compatibility
-
Unknown
