1666: Amsterdam Steam reviews stall at 66% as players praise the story but blast performance
On August 25, 2026, 1666: Amsterdam was released in Early Access for PC. Behind the new action-adventure from Panache Digital Games is Patrice Désilets, one of the original masterminds behind Assassin’s Creed. The game combines historical Amsterdam with witchcraft, demons, and investigations. We have played the first few hours and evaluate what the Early Access currently offers and whether diving in is already worthwhile.
Key Takeaways
- Historical Amsterdam meets dark fantasy and witchcraft.
- Early Access offers roughly 12 to 15 hours of content.
- Additional story chapters, districts, and updates are planned.
What is 1666: Amsterdam?
In 1666: Amsterdam, players experience a story-driven third-person action-adventure set in Amsterdam during the year 1666. This historical setting is combined with dark fantasy and supernatural elements. The main protagonist is Noa Brooklyn, known as “The Collector.” She harnesses witchcraft to hunt down entities known as Originals—powerful beings hiding behind human identities.
Noa must locate them and strip away their power. She is accompanied by Aaron, a man from the year 1999 residing in a completely different era, currently trapped inside the body of a cat. Investigations play a crucial role in the gameplay; players must not only battle enemies but also gather clues. Utilizing the cat allows players to access new areas, as he fits through small openings and can scout houses. Furthermore, he can distract guards, and certain NPCs can be possessed by him throughout the course of the story.
The game features sizable, freely explorable sections of Amsterdam alongside numerous highly detailed, searchable buildings. Gameplay offers a blend of exploration, investigation, story elements, combat, and witchcraft. By day, players explore and speak with citizens to uncover leads on Originals. Once an Original is identified, they can be marked, and when an Esbat (a special moonlit night) arrives, the Originals reveal their true forms for combat.
What Does 1666: Amsterdam Offer in Early Access?
1666: Amsterdam has been available in Early Access since August 25. The current build contains the first act of the campaign, which Panache estimates takes roughly 15 hours to complete. The Early Access phase is scheduled to run for approximately one year until the full release. Several major content updates are planned leading up to launch, advancing the narrative chapter by chapter.
In addition to new story chapters, upcoming additions include new districts of Amsterdam featuring further Originals, extending playtime significantly. Bug fixes, performance optimizations, and general gameplay polishing are also on the roadmap. The developers openly state that the game is not yet complete and technical issues may arise during the Early Access period.
Is 1666: Amsterdam Worth It in Early Access?
Having tested the initial hours of 1666: Amsterdam, the cat acting as a secondary playable character immediately stands out. Aaron makes exploration vastly more engaging by granting access to new locations through unique movement mechanics, such as navigating between rooftops. His sprinting speed also facilitates smooth navigation.
However, movement is not entirely flawless; for instance, jumping requires looking toward a specific spot and pressing a button, a system that occasionally feels clunky rather than fluid. Visually, the title is striking, capturing historical Amsterdam directly along the canals. Interiors are realistically designed, featuring compact yet tall structures that create tight, winding alleyways.
Combat, particularly at the outset, remains basic, limited to melee strikes and dodging. Players wield a staff executing a three-strike combo, requiring strikes, a dodge, and a follow-up attack. It quickly becomes evident that combat is not the core focus, which instead prioritizes world-building and exploration. The first boss can be defeated without intensive dodging simply by healing through incoming damage. Additionally, facing multiple adversaries can occasionally trigger camera tracking issues.
During clue investigations, evidence is occasionally too scarce, making searches tedious, whereas other segments over-explain solutions and hold the player’s hand, indicating a need for better balance. Running the game on an RTX 4070 Ti yielded intermittent frame drops and brief freezes, particularly during cutscenes. Certain stealth sections also suffered from inconsistent AI, with enemies failing to detect the player at point-blank range.
Player reception mirrors these impressions on Steam, holding a 66% positive rating as of September 1, 2026. Users praise the unconventional narrative, the Amsterdam setting, the witchcraft atmosphere, and the cat mechanics. Criticisms target the unpolished combat, poor optimization resulting in frame drops, and awkward movement controls. True to developer transparency, the title remains in early development, with patches slated to address these points over time.
Conclusion: Is 1666: Amsterdam Worth Buying Now?
1666: Amsterdam presents compelling concepts even in Early Access. Historical Amsterdam delivers exceptional atmosphere, inviting exploration through narrow houses, canals, and hidden pathways. Aaron as a playable feline sets the title apart from standard third-person adventures, ensuring the hunt for clues feels distinct.
Simultaneously, the early development stage is apparent. Combat remains simplistic, movement and camera controls can be cumbersome, and performance, AI, and investigation guidance require refinement. The foundation is solid, but substantial polishing is still needed.
Those intrigued by the unique setting who wish to track development from its inception can dive into 1666: Amsterdam today. Conversely, players seeking a polished, technically stable adventure should wait for subsequent updates. Potential is undoubtedly present, but the current state positions it as a promising Early Access project rather than an outright recommendation.
Hey, I’m Kilian, but online you’ll probably know me as “Tux1243.” I've been part of the team for almost two years now, always trying to keep you in the loop with the latest and coolest gaming news. I also have a huge passion for doing deep dives and detailed analyses of entire game series and franchises. I love getting to the bottom of things and exploring the little details and backstories that make game worlds so fascinating.
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