Ambition: A Minuet In Power, a roguelike simulator/dating sim game from newcomer indie developer Joy Manufacturing Company, has launched its campaign on Kickstarter as of two days ago. The game has a goal of $60,000 with 28 days to go (at time of writing) and has already reached over $13,000 in less than two days.
Set in 18th-century France, right at the turn of the Revolution, Ambition is a unique take on both roguelikes as well as visual novels, and it turns regulating your all-important social standing into the main goal of both the narrative and gameplay. To paint a better picture of what Ambition is like, here’s a bit of an explanation from the game’s Kickstarter page:
Many romantically focused games are like choose-your-own-adventure books with preset decisions and outcomes. Once you’ve beaten them, there’s rarely a reason to go back and play again.
Romance in Ambition isn’t just story writing, it’s a mechanic. By engaging in liaisons with various nobles, the player gains limited access to the resources of the person they’ve seduced. The more devoted their partner is to them, the more power the player has over that noble. This lets the player influence the outcome of political events. A particularly creative (and ruthless) player can even maintain multiple secret liaisons simultaneously. Getting caught doing this, however, can have very dangerous consequences.
How does one gain the devotion of a seduced noble? Wear their gifts out in public, attend their events, spurn their enemies, and more.
Additionally, Ambition randomly generates the world you play in, every time. This means that every playthrough is a little different. Nobles you meet in one playthrough might not show up in another. The revolution may be a success, or a disaster. It’ll be up to you, as the player, to figure out who to befriend and who to snub, in order to ensure the best position for yourself.
If you’d like to learn more about Ambition: A Minuet In Power, you can read our original article about the game or visit the game’s Kickstarter page. You can also watch the new trailer for the game below:
