1666: Amsterdam's new Gameplay Feature gives a closer look at Noa and Aaron. The video, released July 29, spotlights the two protagonists and the tools and abilities shaping their story.
1666: Amsterdam's New Gameplay Feature Gives a Closer Look at Noa and Aaron
The Witch-Hunter And Her Cat
1666: Amsterdam is an upcoming action-adventure from Panache Digital Games, led by Patrice Désilets, the co-creator of Assassin's Creed. The story is told between two protagonists: Noa Brooklyn, a secret witch-hunter living in 1666 Amsterdam, and Aaron, a modern-day professor whose consciousness gets thrown back in time into the body of a cat.
This new Gameplay Feature, narrated by executive producer Jean-François Boivin, is the first official video to show combat directly, alongside a closer look at Noa's Heeparan and Nuxefer in active use and an extended look at Aaron's cat-form traversal across Amsterdam's rooftops, none of which the Prologue covered in this level of detail.
Noa
Noa Brooklyn poses as an apothecary's apprentice in Amsterdam, but the feature reveals she's secretly the latest in a long line of women called the Zaindaris, entrusted for generations with hunting down the Originals, people corrupted by an ancient magic known as the Nux. To do this, she relies on two inherited tools shown off in the video: the Heeparan, an artifact that bonds to her and lets her absorb and wield Nux magic, and the Nuxefer, a manuscript she uses to record her journey for whoever inherits her mission next.
The footage shows her switching between her apprentice disguise and her ceremonial Zaindaris attire as she moves through Amsterdam's streets and interiors. Panache says its roughly 50-person team researched in person, photographing real textures and proportions to build a shared design reference for the whole studio.
Combat footage shows Noa channeling stored Nux energy through the Heeparan during a stealth sequence, while a separate scene shows her absorbing more Nux directly into the artifact. Another moment shows her transferring Nux energy from the Heeparan into the open Nuxefer, reinforcing how both tools work together throughout her journey.
According to Panache, the Nux system and Noa's role as a witch-hunter were shaped by real historical research into 17th-century witch trials, including visits to museum archives to study period documents and the scales once used to weigh evidence against accused individuals. The studio has said this research informed the tone of Noa's story, grounding the game's supernatural elements in real history rather than treating them as pure fantasy.
Aaron
Aaron's introduction, however, takes on a very different tone. A university teacher who traveled to Amsterdam to celebrate the year 2000 with his partner, Aaron gets swept into a ritual that flings him 300 years into the past and into the body of a cat. Trapped in 1666, the feature shows him navigating the city with abilities his human form never had, able to see and reach places that would otherwise be closed off to him.
As a cat, the feature shows him squeezing through gaps and reaching ledges his human form couldn't, part of a traversal system. Panache describes it as "cat possession," which the studio's own developers have said was built to let players reach the most cramped, historically accurate corners of the city.
According to the reveal, the two characters' paths become bound together across the centuries, with Noa and Aaron needing to work in tandem to uncover the truths behind the Nux and confront the force threatening to upset the balance it holds.
Positive Fan Reaction, Mixed Demo Reviews
Reaction to the new Gameplay Feature on Youtube has been largely positive, with many commenters expressing excitement for the game and praising Désilets' track record. Some viewers specifically called out wanting to see more actual gameplay footage rather than short clips, echoing a similar request from the Prologue’s reception. A recurring point of discussion centers on Noa’s surname, Brooklyn, with several commenters noting that the name may be historically inaccurate for 1666 Amsterdam.
Reception to the Prologue itself has been mixed. On Steam, the demo currently holds a roughly 50% positive user rating, with common complaints citing floaty movement, animation issues, and the absence of combat. Several Steam reviewers specifically singled out Noa's black cat companion as a standout moment despite otherwise negative impressions of the demo overall.
1666: Amsterdam is planned to launch in Early Access on PC sometime in 2026, with console versions planned for a later date.
Sources:
Panache Digital Games Website
Panache Digital Games X Account
