A lot has happened behind the scenes with Ambition: A Minuet in Power since we covered the announcement of the French Revolution themed dating simulator back in August. Joy Manufacturing have launched the Kickstarter for their game on November 17th and in the short span of 5 days have already reached 33% of their $60,000 goal. For $20 you can support the project and obtain your own digital copy of Ambition for Windows or Mac, and for a limited time you can receive a digital copy for a pledge of only $15. At the time of writing there were only 30 of these Limited Edition tiers left for purchase.
In case this is the first time you are hearing about it, Ambition: A Minuet in Power is a fresh take on the dating simulator genre. Joy Manufacturing aims to combine elements of Japanese dating simulation games with a procedurally generated story, set within the realms of a dangerous and volatile political environment. The fresh and intriguing historical concept takes place in Pre-Revolutionary France in the late 18th century, where you play as a young woman Yvette who decides to use the burgeoning turmoil and faction wars to her own advantage.
The team have also released their first Preview trailer for the game, which gives a much deeper look at some of the systems that will be at play during your quest for power, as well as showcasing the gorgeous hand drawn art style. If I wasn’t excited for the game before, the trailer has definitely solidified my own ambitions to overthrow the monarchy of France for my own selfish designs. Without spending too much time analyzing and picking apart the trailer — I’ve posted it below for your own enjoyment — there is a lot that we can unpack here from the brief looks at the calendar, the dinner parties, and Yvette’s dressing room.
I think my favorite part of the trailer is the wonderfully crafted narrative that perfectly elicits the desires of the main character Yvette, and the tenuousness of the subterfuge that we will have to weave if we want to truly seat ourselves beside the most powerful factions in France. You will have to craft the perfect schedule, arrive in the finest clothing acceptable to the factions you are trying to side with, and ensure not to outwardly cross them as your ambitions outlive their usefulness. The Kickstarter page includes a wealth of brand new information on the game, allowing you to start studying up on your adversaries and the systems being implemented in the game long before you’ve stepped into the ballroom.
There are multiple tiers in the Kickstarter campaign, which will get you everything from access to the digital or physical editions of the soundtrack and artbook for Ambition, extra copies of the games to share with your revolutionary comrades, beta access to the game, and a host of other physical goodies including limited edition vinyl stickers and postcards. The more expensive tiers will even include your name (and possibly a customized message) in Ambition’s credits along with signed physical copies of the artbook.
I have yet to get my hands on a copy of Ambition to try it for myself but I would still strongly argue that this is a project that is worth supporting. Not only does it take a personal favorite genre of mine to a completely new environment, but it offers to evolve that genre in ways we haven’t really seen before. I am always behind almost any project that wants to shake up an established and comfortable genre with some new mechanics and ideas, and I firmly believe that Ambition is going to do just that.
You can read about Ambition in our feature piece on how Ambition: A Minuet in Power Seeks to Overthrow the Genre, or head on over to their official site to learn more. If Ambition seems like the type of deceptive gameplay you want to embroil yourself in, you can support the team’s project directly on their Kickstarter page.
Ambition: A Minuet in Power is set to launch in 2018.
