Indie studio The Joy Manufacturing Co. has announced that its most recent development undertaking, Ambition: A Minuet In Power, will soon come to Kickstarter in hopes of getting crowdfunded. This new project takes inspiration both from roguelike and dating sims, and creates something entirely new that’s based heavily in social standing, time/resource management, and getting your rival’s corsets all in a knot.
Through a detailed hand-drawn art style, the game tells the story of a young, heartbroken woman named Yvette living in 18th-century France seeking to “court, snub, and seduce” her way to the top of society. Your main objective is to create alliances, besmirch your enemies, keep up with ever-changing fashion trends, balance your social calendar, and do whatever you can to uphold a strong reputation until you make it to the top of the societal ladder in a pre-revolution France.
Ambition automatically generates its world and gameplay every time you play, meaning that things are a little different every time you play. So the constantly shifting social tides become all the more important and unpredictable.
The game’s website lists a number of key features that will help immerse you in this aristocratic French experience:
- Gameplay focused on socializing and deception. Work the room and tell people what they want to hear in order to advance your Reputation.
- Carefully manage your social calendar to make sure you attend all the right parties without stretching yourself too thin and becoming exhausted.
- Acquire and choose from dozens of outfits based on actual fashion plates and paintings from pre-revolutionary France. Wear these outfits to impress members of the five factions.
- Increase your reputation with the five factions to unlock new bonuses and abilities.
- A breathtaking soundtrack by award winning game composer, John Robert Matz!
As the game plays out, the features above aren’t all that players will have to keep themselves occupied. In addition, they’ll be able to unravel the mystery of Yvette’s lost lover, drive enemies into social ruin, and use changing political tides to make sure they’re on the winning side of history.
This is the first game from Joy Manufacturing Co., and while it’s an ambitious start for a team of five people, it seems that this isn’t their first rodeo. The team apparently has over 40 combined years of industry experience, covering everything from console, to mobile, and even social titles. Also, on their website they make the claim that “We want to make games that are different, engaging and that we, as a team, actually want to play ourselves. Something that delights our players and something that we can be proud of.”
Ambition: A Minuet In Power is planned to launch on Kickstarter soon, but no specific date has been set right now. You can learn more about the game and stay tuned for updates on the upcoming crowdfunding campaign by visiting the official website.
[Early press release and assets provided by Joy Manufacturing]
