For anyone following the video game business closely, the saga of development behind 1666: Amsterdam is an intriguing one, and that’s before we even get down to understanding the game itself. After being re-revealed at this year’s Summer Game Fest show, there’s a good bit to unpack about the project and why it’s going to be one to watch closely in the coming months.
1666: Amsterdam has a roughly 30-minute prologue demo already available on Steam and the Epic Games Store, which sets the stage for its storytelling scope and ambition. The developer is aiming for an early access launch later this year.
Here’s what else we know.
The Creator of Assassin’s Creed
Patrice Désilets was instrumental in bringing to life Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2003), but he deserves credit as one of the foundational originators of Assassin’s Creed, bringing the idea to life back in 2007 and setting it on a course to be one of the most popular and influential game series of the last two decades.
After laying the groundwork for the series and first sequels, Désilets had a complicated breakup with Ubisoft. Subsequently, he started work at THQ Montreal on 1666: Amsterdam around 2011 and 2012, before that studio went bankrupt, Ubisoft purchased the studio (and its properties) at auction, and Désilets was promptly let go again – without rights to his project. By 2016, Désilets regained rights to the project, and work once again began in earnest to develop the project at his new studio, Panache Digital Games.
Having worked with Désilets and covered his work on Assassin’s Creed, I can speak to his imagination and drive to create. In conversation, he is one of those developers who loves the craft and is interested in exploring its potential. When he left Ubisoft, he had been brimming with ideas to bring to that franchise, and it’s safe to say that many aspects of the Assassin’s Creed franchise moved in different directions after his departure. As a developer, Désilets seems especially drawn to history, mysticism, the power of ritual, and the ties between the past and present – all of which are directly relevant to what is coming together with 1666: Amsterdam.
A Game Of Three Time Periods
Not unlike the unique modern-day/past split in Assassin’s Creed, 1666: Amsterdam is a game that explicitly explores different time periods, and the prelude demo includes a glimpse at three of them.
The core of the historical game’s action is set in Amsterdam, beginning in December of 1665, as a young woman transforms from her unassuming self into an ethereal, red-garbed witch named Noa, on her way to a “commencement” ritual for a clandestine group called the Zaindaris Tribe. There, around a sacred tree, she selects a companion familiar from among several distinct cats, and the selected feline jumps toward her arms.
A sudden jump takes us to a second time period in the modern day, playing as a different young woman named Clio, who is investigating an enigmatic letter left behind by her ailing father. She visits an old professor friend of that father in a university library. The letter includes an indecipherable section that seems obscured by magic.
After investigating and finding more clues, Clio (and Professor Lucas) can interpret the letter, which gives the young woman a vision that rockets her into yet another time period in 1999, and the story told by her father that appears to be (at first hearing) a retelling of how Clio was likely conceived. As in, it’s a story told by her father, Aaron, about a sex ritual he was pulled into with a woman who is (presumably) Clio’s mother.
The amorous encounter culminates in Aaron awakening as a cat, traveling back in time to December 1665, and leaping into the arms of Noa, creating a tidy narrative loop to wrap up the story intro.
A Mix Of Gameplay Styles
The public demo is notable for its absence of action sequences, but several brief sizzle scenes offer a glimpse of what players might expect. Once again, in keeping with Désilets’ prior work on Assassin’s Creed, we see Noa navigating the historical landscape of busy city streets in Amsterdam, engaging in magic-fueled third-person action combat with her foes.
But the demo does hint at other important elements of play, including a focus on investigating one’s environment. At any time, the characters in the demo can pause and look around, focus on objects, and learn about them, often leading to new interactive objects or prompts. As Noa, players also have access to seemingly magical capabilities, drawing a substance called Lux from dead things and utilizing a dark energy called Nux to enchant, ignite, or otherwise affect objects around her.
The other fascinating twist on gameplay is the cat, who we’re led to believe is actually the time-traveled embodiment of Aaron from centuries later, moving with Noa through Amsterdam. When Noa selects a cat companion, she is given the choice between several individual named creatures, including The Dreamer, Hermit, Spirit, Knight, Page, Child, Alchemist, Guardian, or Wildling. Each has described traits that seem to indicate different potential specialties, almost like cat classes. While much of the game is clearly navigated from the perspective of Noa, you’ll also have sequences played as the cat, able to jump to high places, infiltrate small spaces, and more.
An Intriguing Mystery, A Familiar Playstyle
Nothing about 1666: Amsterdam feels like it’s fundamentally the same game as Assassin’s Creed. But once you make the creative connection, there’s no denying the lines of inspiration that connect Désilets’ new project to his earlier brainchild.
According to in-demo summaries and early details revealed by the developers, Noa moves through Amsterdam, identifying entities known as the Originals, who have lived for centuries, and Noa is the Collector sent to take that power back from them. Amsterdam is lively and active during the day, but reveals new secrets at night, and Noa is able to track and confront in multiple ways, depending on player preference. If this sounds familiar (especially to players of the early Assassin’s Creed games), it’s because both are rooted in similar gameplay fantasies, and separated by setting, characters, and an increased focus on witchcraft and magic here in 1666.
After playing the prologue (which is billed as the opening of the game), it’s clear that Désilets and his team have done a fine job of establishing an intriguing setup and some gorgeous (often disquieting) visual frameworks. We’re also treated to the hints of a haunting musical score by the Canadian cellist and composer Jorane.
With those atmospheric, audio, and visual elements established, a great deal of 1666: Amsterdam’s potential hinges on the action, urban exploration, and infiltration experience that Désilets and his team are crafting, and which have yet to be detailed or played in the hours that presumably follow the revealed story opening.
If those features compare favorably to some of the fun we experienced in the early days of Assassin’s Creed, I suspect there may be an audience hungry for a return to the mystery, historical reverence, and surprise that Panache Digital seems to be shooting for here.
