1666 Amsterdam Cat Gameplay Guide: How to Play as Aaron

If you told me before playing 1666: Amsterdam that one of the most interesting parts of the game would be controlling a black cat, I probably would have laughed. On paper, it sounds like the kind of quirky side mechanic developers throw into a game for a few minutes of fun before sending you back to the “real” protagonist.

After getting into the game, though, I completely changed my mind.

Aaron the cat is not a joke character or a disposable gimmick. He changes how you approach Amsterdam, how you solve investigations, and even how you think about the game’s strange time-travel story. While Noa feels like the character built for direct confrontation and supernatural abilities, Aaron is all about movement, observation, infiltration, and finding routes that simply don’t exist for a human character.

And honestly? Some of my favorite moments come from sneaking through places as this tiny black cat while the people around me have absolutely no idea what is going on.

So if you’re wondering how to play as Aaron in 1666: Amsterdam, here’s everything you need to know, including the movement tricks, stealth tactics, exploration mechanics, and the mistakes I’d avoid after spending time with the feline side of the game.

Aaron Isn’t Just a Familiar — He’s a Playable Character

The story behind Aaron is one of the game’s strangest ideas.

Aaron begins in 1999, where he’s simply a university teacher traveling to Amsterdam with his partner ahead of the new millennium. Things obviously don’t go according to plan. A supernatural event tears through the normal flow of time, sending Aaron hundreds of years into the past.

The really bizarre part is where he ends up.

Aaron’s consciousness becomes attached to a black cat, bringing him into the world of Noa, a Zaindaris protector hunting supernatural beings known as the Originals.

That setup could have easily been played for laughs. Instead, the developers use Aaron to give the player an entirely different perspective on 1666 Amsterdam.

Noa can fight, manipulate supernatural forces, and deal with dangerous enemies directly. Aaron can’t.

What he can do is go almost everywhere.

That distinction is incredibly important.

Once you understand that difference, switching between Noa and Aaron starts to feel less like a gimmick and more like one of the game’s core design ideas.

How Do You Unlock Aaron?

You don’t simply select Aaron from a character menu at the beginning of the game.

His gameplay becomes available as you progress through the opening narrative and complete Noa’s Commencement, the initiation that establishes her role as a Zaindaris.

At a certain point, Noa establishes a bond with an animal familiar. The game gives you several thematic options, including names such as The Dreamer, The Hermit, The Spirit, The Knight, The Page, The Child, The Alchemist, The Guardian, and The Wildling.

The important thing to understand is that these choices don’t fundamentally turn Aaron into a completely different gameplay character.

Once the bond is established, Aaron becomes part of the larger gameplay loop.

The character-switch system then lets you move between Noa and Aaron during appropriate sections of the adventure. Noa is generally better suited to dangerous confrontations, while Aaron becomes extremely useful for investigations, scouting and environmental puzzles.

Don’t think of the switch as “which character do I prefer?”

Think of it as:

What does this particular situation require?

That mindset makes the entire system much easier to understand.

The Best Thing About Aaron Is His Movement

If there is one reason I think players should spend time mastering Aaron, it’s movement.

Playing as a cat makes Amsterdam feel completely different.

Roofs, fences, balconies, beams and narrow ledges suddenly become potential roads instead of background decoration. The city starts looking less like a traditional open-world map and more like a giant vertical playground.

Aaron can:

• Run along narrow wooden beams and rooftops.
• Jump between nearby platforms and boats.
• Climb using ivy and accessible ledges.
• Drop from heights that would be dangerous for a human.
• Navigate narrow passages and tiny structural gaps.
• Reach areas that Noa simply cannot access from the same angle.

This is where the parkour-focused design really shines.

If you’re moving through the city and see something that looks just slightly too narrow for Noa, there’s a good chance Aaron can get through it.

And that is one of the first habits I’d recommend developing.

Stop looking only for doors. Look for holes.

Broken windows, gaps in fences, openings beneath buildings and partially damaged structures can often be more useful than the obvious entrance.

Don’t Ignore the Jump Predictor

Aaron’s movement can feel surprisingly fast, especially when you’re moving across rooftops.

One useful feature is the trajectory indicator that appears when using the parkour movement system. It helps you judge jumps before committing to them.

This might sound like a minor convenience, but Amsterdam has plenty of awkward gaps and waterways where a poorly judged jump can completely ruin your route.

My advice is simple: don’t rush every jump just because Aaron is fast.

Take half a second to line up your movement.

Once you become comfortable with the system, you’ll start chaining jumps together naturally, but during your first few hours, accuracy is more valuable than speed.

Small Spaces Are Aaron’s Secret Weapon

This is probably the most important 1666: Amsterdam cat gameplay mechanic to learn.

Aaron’s size isn’t merely cosmetic. It fundamentally changes how you infiltrate locations.

A human character approaching a guarded building may need to find a complicated route around the perimeter. Aaron can sometimes just crawl through an opening that is barely noticeable.

Pay attention to:

• Broken basement windows.
• Sewer entrances.
• Gaps beneath doors.
• Damaged wooden fences.
• Narrow openings between buildings.
• Small holes around warehouses and houses.

These aren’t just environmental details.

They can be alternate routes.

You might enter a restricted location through an opening, scout the interior, identify an objective, and then figure out the safest way for Noa to approach afterward.

That makes Aaron particularly useful before committing to anything dangerous.

Use Aaron as Your Scout

If I had to give one piece of practical advice for beginners, this would be it:

Scout first. Act second.

Aaron is excellent for checking an area before Noa enters it.

Instead of running directly toward an objective with Noa and discovering three guards, a locked door and nowhere to escape, switch to Aaron and take a look around.

His small size and mobility let you gather information without immediately starting a confrontation.

You can look for:

• Enemy patrol routes.
• Alternative entrances.
• Quest objects.
• Environmental hazards.
• Hidden pathways.
• Useful positions for Noa.

This makes Aaron feel almost like a living reconnaissance drone, except the drone is a cat that can casually sit on a roof afterward.

And yes, I absolutely recommend using that advantage whenever possible.

Aaron’s Focus Sense Is More Useful Than It Looks

Aaron doesn’t have Noa’s supernatural toolkit, but his animal instincts effectively provide another form of environmental awareness.

Using his focus ability can reveal interactive elements and clues that might otherwise blend into the scenery.

You can use it to identify potential tracks, unusual structures and hidden access points.

This is particularly useful in investigation-heavy sections because 1666: Amsterdam doesn’t always scream “interact with this.”

Sometimes the important clue is tucked into an area that looks completely irrelevant at first glance.

If you’re stuck, don’t immediately assume you’ve missed a quest marker.

Switch to Aaron.

Activate your focus.

Walk around.

Look upward.

Check underneath things.

That simple routine can save a surprising amount of time.

Stealth: Being a Cat Doesn’t Make You Invincible

Here’s the part that surprised me.

You’d think being a small animal would make Aaron basically invisible.

It doesn’t.

The people of 1666 Amsterdam are living in a world filled with superstition, plague anxiety and fear of witchcraft. A strange black cat appearing in the wrong place can attract attention surprisingly quickly.

If you enter a restricted area and get noticed, your detection level can begin increasing.

And once people decide that you’re suspicious, being adorable isn’t necessarily going to save you.

The general rule is:

Avoid attention rather than trying to escape it at the last second.

Stay away from obvious patrol routes, use elevated positions, move through vegetation when possible and take advantage of objects that break line of sight.

How to Reset Suspicion

One of the more amusing parts of Aaron’s stealth gameplay is that he can use ordinary feline behavior to make himself look harmless.

If guards or civilians become suspicious, you can sometimes disengage and behave like a completely normal stray cat.

Jump somewhere safe.

Groom yourself.

Curl up.

Wait.

It sounds ridiculous, but that’s precisely why it works so well within the game’s atmosphere.

The important thing is not to treat suspicion as something you must always fight through. Sometimes the smartest option is simply to disappear from the situation and let everyone forget you were there.

The Best Strategy: Switch Between Aaron and Noa

This is where Aaron becomes genuinely powerful.

Don’t play the two characters as separate campaigns.

Play them as a team.

For example, imagine Noa needs to enter a guarded courtyard. Instead of charging through the front entrance, switch to Aaron.

Use Aaron to reach the rooftops.

Move across the building.

Find a gap.

Drop into the courtyard.

Observe the guards.

Create a distraction if necessary.

Then switch back to Noa.

Suddenly, what looked like a difficult combat encounter becomes a controlled infiltration.

This Noa and Aaron gameplay loop is one of the smartest parts of the concept.

Aaron creates opportunities.

Noa exploits them.

Environmental Distractions Are Your Friend

Aaron isn’t defenseless just because he can’t fight like Noa.

He can manipulate the environment.

A meow at the right moment can attract attention. Knocking something over can pull a guard away from a position. Scratching or interacting with objects can create enough noise to change a patrol route.

These distractions aren’t about creating chaos for the sake of chaos.

They’re about moving people.

And in stealth games, controlling where enemies are standing is often more valuable than defeating them.

A guard facing the wrong direction is basically a solved problem.

The Weirdest Part: Time Is Connected

The larger story becomes even more interesting because Aaron isn’t isolated from the game’s time-travel structure.

1666: Amsterdam uses multiple timelines, including Aaron’s connection to 1999 and the later storyline involving his daughter Clio.

Actions and discoveries across these eras are connected through the game’s larger narrative structure.

That means Aaron’s role isn’t simply:

“Play as a cat for a few missions.”

His discoveries can contribute to understanding what happened across different periods.

Some hidden fragments and historical clues can only be accessed through Aaron’s unique movement abilities. These discoveries later become meaningful in the broader investigation into the Originals.

This is one reason I recommend actually exploring instead of sprinting directly from objective to objective.

You might think you’re collecting an optional clue.

Later, it may suddenly explain something that seemed completely unrelated several hours earlier.

A Simple Aaron Gameplay Routine

If you’re unsure what to do when entering a new investigation area, I’ve found this general approach works extremely well:

1. Switch to Aaron and scout the area.
2. Activate focus and search for alternate routes.
3. Check rooftops, openings and underground passages.
4. Watch enemy patrol patterns.
5. Use environmental distractions when necessary.
6. Return to Noa once you understand the situation.

It sounds basic, but it completely changes how you approach the open world.

Instead of reacting to danger, you’re preparing for it.

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Beginner Mistakes to Avoid

A few things can make Aaron feel weaker than he actually is.

Treating Him Like a Combat Character

Aaron isn’t designed to win fights.

If enemies have already surrounded you, you’ve probably made the mistake several seconds earlier.

Ignoring Vertical Routes

If you’re constantly walking at street level, you’re missing a huge part of Aaron’s potential.

Look up.

Running Past Everything

The temptation to move quickly is strong, but focus mode and environmental clues can reveal useful information.

Slow down when entering unfamiliar areas.

Forgetting to Switch Back to Noa

Aaron can create the perfect opportunity, but Noa still needs to capitalize on it.

Don’t spend ten minutes preparing a route only to forget that the objective requires your main character.

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Final Verdict: Aaron Is One of 1666’s Best Ideas

I went into 1666: Amsterdam expecting Aaron the cat to be a fun novelty.

Instead, I ended up thinking he’s one of the mechanics that makes the game stand out.

The contrast is what makes it work.

Noa gives you power. Aaron gives you access.

Noa can confront threats. Aaron can slip past them.

Noa operates like a supernatural hunter. Aaron moves through the world like a tiny spy who happens to have four legs.

And once you start combining the two, Amsterdam becomes much more interesting.

If you’re just starting the game, don’t rush through Aaron’s sections or treat them as filler between Noa missions. Learn his movement, experiment with small openings, use focus mode, study patrols and get comfortable switching between the two characters.

The best Aaron players won’t necessarily be the ones who move the fastest.

They’ll be the ones who look at a guarded building and immediately think:

“There has to be a cat-sized way in.”

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