The Midnight Chronicle. #2

Before anything else, I owe you a proper introduction.

My name is Alessia-Rose, and I am the Social Media and Community Manager at Panache Digital Games. I am the one liking your posts, sharing your art with the team, and probably the person you have already crossed paths with on Discord. I am a fan of all things adventure, dark and witchy which means I ended up in exactly the right place. Over the coming months I will be bringing you regular updates and taking you behind the scenes of 1666: Amsterdam. If you have thoughts, questions, or feedback, I am your first point of contact. Do not hesitate to reach out.

This cycle, we are sharing the extended version of our first gameplay feature, the one you may have glimpsed at Future Games Show, now with the full lore intact.

STEAM NEXT FEST

From June 15 to June 22, 1666: Amsterdam participated in Steam Next Fest with the current Prologue demo.

We are pleased to share that we ranked in the top 50 most played demos of the festival. To put that in context: June 2026 featured a record-breaking 4,931 playable demos across every genre on Steam.

For an indie studio, that kind of visibility changes things.

Thank you to everyone who played, reviewed, streamed, and shared their thoughts. Every piece of feedback helps us shape a stronger game.

A First Look Into the World of the Zaindaris

You may have seen a version of this already.

When we presented at Future Games Show on June 6, we shared a shorter cut of our first gameplay feature. What we are releasing today is the full version, narrated by our Co-Founder and Executive Producer Jean-François Boivin. It goes deeper into the narrative, the lore, and the Zaindaris. There is a good chance you will learn something new.

BEHIND THE SHADOWS

This edition we’re talking with Philippe Debay our Narrative Director at Panache Digital Games, about how the narrative department created this unique world.

-How many people are in the narrative department and what are their specific roles?

There are currently two of us. Jess is a Narrative Designer. Together with Pat and I, we came up with the story, its progression, its structure, the characters, and their narrative arcs. She then works closely with the Level Design team on mission design, and writes the text and dialogue. I do exactly the same thing, but I also serve as the guardian of Patrice’s creative vision for the narrative, provide script-doctoring, and help develop the tools we need to produce the content. I’m also actively involved in casting and directing actors. I make sure the narrative direction aligns with the other areas of production (art, production, game design, etc.).

-When you are building a world with this much history and mystery layered into it, how do you decide what to show and what to keep in the dark?

My answer is simple: with a mix of instinct and experience. We do our best to put ourselves in the player’s shoes to gauge their level of curiosity at any given moment, depending on specific events in the narrative. But we also try to have fun ourselves, because deep down, we’re not unique: if we find something captivating or “cool,” it’s a safe bet that thousands of other people will feel the same way.

-Ancestors told its story without words. 1666: Amsterdam takes a very different approach. What changed in how you think about narrative, and why?

I just wanted to make this kind of game. The big difference here is working to ensure that narrative design harmonizes with game design and level design, so that the narrative doesn’t tell a story in isolation or in parallel with the rest. Game systems, gameplay, and level design situations must also contribute to the narrative. We need to think in terms of experience, not just spectacle.

-Players are going to experience a lot more of this world in Early Access. Without spoiling anything, what is one thing you are most excited for them to discover?

The relationship between Aaron and Noa.

We asked some of the team a simple question: what moment in the Prologue stuck with you? Here are some of the answers.

SAM - Sound Designer: There are a lot of things I love about the prologue: the atmosphere, the beginning of the narrative, and the music.

Jacques - Level Designer: When Aaron is looking for the different ingredients for the ceremony in the hotel room.

David - Technical Design Director: When you take control of the cat and have to leave the hotel room and make your way to the clearing.

Ricardo - Animation Director: The ceremony where you can see all the witches dancing around the tree. It's magical.

Carl D. - Senior Animator: My favourite moment is when you see Noa from behind and you see cats eating the goat.

Carl P. - Technical Animation Director: There are two really cute transitions. The first one, when you press play, the transition from Noa into gameplay draws you into the game and invites you into our world. Also the transition from the painting, when you zoom out from the magical clearing to the library.

Fred - Senior Producer: In the prologue? It's the end, because it's actually the beginning of everything.

Étienne - UI/UX Director: The beginning, the very moment it starts. Entering the clearing, I think that's really fun.

Milan - Programmer: The first time we transform into cats and wander around the territory.

Marino - Animator

It's when Aaron and Agnes walk into the hotel, and there's a small group dancing in the bar at the back. I think it's really cool that there's no action anywhere else except there, it makes you want to dance with them.

Joël - Producer

When you arrive by boat in Amsterdam and the Radiohead song starts.

Nathan S. - Level Artist: Wait, I'm biased because my favourite moment is the library, but I'm also the one who made it.

And from me: Alessia-Rose - SMCM: The moment that will stay with me forever is when Noa approaches the tree and you hear the Zaindaris mantra growing louder and louder, shifting as you make your choice. I may be a little biased. The voices of the twelve Zaindaris are performed by the women of Panache. Which means I can now officially say that I am a Zaindaris. I think that is really cool.

FROM THE COMMUNITY

Some of you have been capturing beautiful screenshots of the Prologue and sharing them on social and our Discord. Here are a few of our favourites.

Steam post imageSteam post image Artist: 6VAC

Explore more of his work : 6VAC Virtual Photography

Steam post imageSteam post imageSteam post imageSteam post image Artist: Gingerbread Captures

Explore more of her work at gbcaptures.com

Artist: simon0avp 🤝 In collaboration with

@frenchy_geek | @sic.parvis.magna.sfd

Explore more of his work at : Simon0avp work.

If you have screenshots or fan art you would like to share, bring them to our Discord or to tag us on social media.

FROM THE STUDIO

When a crash occurs, a small window appears asking if you would like to leave a comment. Based on experience with our first game, Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey, our Senior Programmer Vincent Picard was fully prepared for jokes.

You surprised him.

Detailed reports. Precise descriptions. Players going out of their way to help us track down every bug. And we had not even asked. No official bug report system, no formal feedback channel. You found your way to our Discord and started sharing anyway, so we made a little corner for it. You are not just here to play. You are here to help us build it. We do not take that lightly.

We will have an official bug report system for Early Access.

WHAT'S COMING

Next cycle, we return with a new Devlog exploring the artistic direction of 1666: Amsterdam. Historical research, visual inspirations, and how a city across three centuries finds its look.

Thank you for being here. See you at the new moon.

FROM THE ARCHIVE

On the quiet dawn of a hazy new moon, the veil grows thin and a new chapter whispers. Our journal prepares to open once more. From behind the curtain, something stirs, asking to be named. What has been shaped in shadow will soon be revealed, in the coming months.