Video Games
First Developer Diary Entry Released for Dark Fantasy Action Title ‘1666: Amsterdam’ [Watch]
After making a surprise reveal at Summer Game Fest, Panache Digital Games has gotten the ball rolling on the first entry in the new developer diary series for 1666: Amsterdam. The first episode, entitled “The Vision: The Real City That Became a Myth”, takes viewers behind the creative vision of the game, exploring how the team transformed the real streets of Amsterdam into a world shaped by mystery, superstition, and hidden truths.
The diary reveals how the entire studio travelled to Amsterdam in 2024 to study the city’s streets, canals, architecture, sounds, and atmosphere firsthand. Rather than relying solely on historical references, the devteam immersed themselves in the city’s environment to better understand its scale, rhythm, and character.
The diary also delves into the game’s exploration systems, including the ability to enter houses, traverse rooftops, and navigate the city alongside a feline companion, creating multiple opportunities for discovery and player choice.
“Inviting the studio to Amsterdam was, at its core, about sharing something,” explains Patrice Désilets, Panache Digital Games Co-Founder & Creative Director. “We gathered everyone and said: come into your game. Come experience it the way I did.”
Set to launch into Early Access on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, 1666: Amsterdam centres around the eponymous city that was built on wealth, power, and sheer will, but now fuelled by a sinister force it did not forge. Entities known as The Originals have lived for centuries, granted time, granted power, and the freedom to abuse both. That power is now owed. Noa Brooklyn was born The Collector, raised by the Zaindaris for a purpose she did not choose: taking that power back.
Take part in Noa’s Commencement as she inherits the mantle of the Collector. Unravel a mystery that spans centuries. Choose the companion that will walk beside you. Follow the traces left behind in a city shaped by secrets, power, and memory.
Video Games
Immerse Yourself in Mystery with Narrative-Driven Folk Horror Title ‘The Polar Darkness’ [Trailer]
Independent developer Horsefly Games has announced their own brand of folk horror with The Polar Darkness, a narrative-driven mystery inspired by Finnish folklore, classic investigative adventures, and cosmic horror. Accompanying the announcement is the first trailer, which offers the first look at the game’s visual style, mystery-driven gameplay, and isolated northern Finnish setting.
Coming to Steam next year, the game is set during the polar night (Kaamos) of 1980s northern Finland. Players take on the role of journalist Emma Järvelä as she travels to the isolated village of Sysiluoma to investigate a controversial revival movement led by a charismatic cult leader and her child preacher. When the child mysteriously disappears during a sermon, and a blizzard cuts off all contact with the outside world, Emma becomes trapped in a community where every resident seems to be hiding a different version of the truth.
The Polar Darkness emphasizes investigation, dialogue, observation, and deduction. Players will question villagers, gather clues, solve environmental puzzles, and piece together a mystery rooted in local history, folklore, and something ancient buried somewhere deep.
“Classic mystery adventures such as Gabriel Knight were a major inspiration,” said Juho Kuorikoski, creator of The Polar Darkness. “I wanted to create a story that captures that sense of investigation, folklore, and slow-burning dread, but through a distinctly Finnish lens.”
The story unfolds across three days using a time-based structure mechanic. Complete tasks and objectives to advance the game’s internal clock. Characters move and events change as time passes, and choices determine what you see and what you miss. Each playthrough reveals a different perspective on the truth.
The game features a distinct visual presentation that combines photographic 2D characters based on real actors to atmospheric 3D environments. Complementing the visuals is a soundtrack heavily inspired by Finnish folk music, composed and performed by Finnish folk artists.