Panache Digital Games is a studio led by Patrice Désilets, the former creator of the Assassin’s Creed series. I’ve been following their project, 1666 Amsterdam, for quite some time now – a game about witches and cats still remains at a very early stage of development. Here are my impressions after spending a few hours with an early access build.

The title spans three different time periods: the present day, the late 20th century, and the 17th century. The main story takes place in 17th-century Amsterdam. Centuries ago, a mysterious pact was made there with the Origins, a hidden force that has been secretly ruling the city ever since. Every 333 years, dark forces are reawakened. You play as Noa, who certainly has her work cut out for her: during the day, she investigates the city’s mysteries and searches for evidence, while at night, she battles the forces of darkness.

When you refuse to fit the system, the system turns against you.

1666 Amsterdam combines themes of history and art with a dark fantasy setting. It doesn’t take long to notice that the devs put a strong emphasis on the narrative. The story is genuinely intriguing, and it makes you want to keep discovering what happens next. This will most likely be the game’s biggest strength. On top of that, it has a wonderfully atmospheric setting – 17th-century Amsterdam, bright and sunny by day and dark and ominous at night, immediately won me over.

The title primarily focuses on classic exploration, with plenty of searching for various items that help move the story forward. From time to time, you also switch to playing as a cat. Wherever Noa can’t go, her furry companion can. At the beginning, you choose one of three available cats, each with a different appearance and set of abilities. It’s a fun change of pace that will surely be appreciated by anyone who has ever been a willing servant to one of these clever little creatures.

Talking to a cat seems normal, but what if a cat responds one day?

Besides exploring, completing quests, and running around as a cat, you also fight. Unfortunately. The early access offered a glimpse at the game’s combat. Early on, I found myself throwing punches at members of the Inquisition wearing ridiculous hats. It certainly wasn’t the most enjoyable experience. To put it simply, the combat felt clunky and offered a very limited range of options: basically attacking and dodging. The camera also worked strangely at times, which occasionally made fights more frustrating than they needed to be.

More generally, controlling the characters in 1666 Amsterdam feels somewhat stiff, especially when you navigate two characters at once (or rather you move one character while the other follows along). There were also moments when the game seemed to fail to register that I had already pressed a particular button. And, as for controlling the cat, I would have preferred to be able to jump freely rather than only at designated spots.

Here he is – a furry protagonist.

Another area that requires some work at this stage is the communication of objectives. At times, I had no idea what I was supposed to be looking for or where exactly I needed to go. And, judging by online discussions, many other players have run into a similar problem.

1666 Amsterdam looks nice. It’s not exactly top-tier in terms of graphics, but it certainly has some visual strengths. The city itself proves particularly picturesque and atmospheric. That said, there are still various graphical glitches popping up here and there, and the optimisation could definitely use some work. On the other hand, I appreciate the quality of the voice acting – it came across as quite natural.

Those hats are really funny.

Overall, I think 1666 Amsterdam has the potential to become a solid title, but it still needs some time in the oven. Its biggest strengths are an intriguing story and atmospheric world. I love narratives set during the witch-hunting era, so the game really suits my taste. Also, the fact that you can play as a cat is another definite plus: developers always get bonus points from me for that.

At the same time, the title has quite a few technical issues to overcome. If those get sorted out, I’d definitely be happy to keep playing.