We’ve previously covered upcoming indie romance roguelike Ambition: A Minuet in Power. After a successful debut showing at PAX East this year, it’s clear that the team at Joy Manufacturing Co. is making solid progress on this unique title. I recently had a chance to sit down with the PAX demo of the game for an extended session, and feel confident that this game is going to turn some heads when it’s complete.
The demo build essentially comprises the first few days of the full game. Players step into the shoes of Mademoiselle Yvette Decaux, youngest daughter of the Decaux family, as she makes her way to Paris to meet her betrothed, the Baron Armand de Marbo. Unfortunately, something goes awry during Yvette’s trip, and by the time she arrives in Paris, Armand is nowhere to be found. This leaves Yvette single, with only a small bit of money, the clothes on her back, and living in Armand’s shockingly run-down house on the outskirts of Paris.
Camille cheerily welcomes you to your new home.
Fortunately, Yvette has a friend in the relentlessly cheerful Camille Laurent, the housekeeper of Armand’s home. Part organic tutorial, and part cheerful companion, Camille can always be counted on to serve up some good advice for the next party, along with a cup of strong tea or glass of wine, as needed.
Parties are where the main action of the game plays out. Get dressed for success (like Roxette said) based on the preferences of the guest list. Every outfit Yvette can wear has statistics for its level of modesty and fashion. There’s also a statistic for novelty, which is determined by how often the outfit is worn. Even in 18th Century Paris, wearing the same outfit twice in a row is a Fashion Don’t!
Choose your conversation partners wisely.
Once Yvette is inside the party, the next challenge is to try and make the most of every conversation. In the demo, every party had at least one more available conversation than players had time for. As in most text-heavy roguelikes, it’s going to take multiple playthroughs to see everything Ambition: A Minuet in Power has to offer.
The demo does show a few places where the team has some distance yet to go until they cross the finish line. In my playthrough, I noted multiple areas of missing dialogue options, misaligned text, and unfinished assets. With no official release date though, there should be plenty of time to give Ambition the polish it deserves.
Each day you can choose one place to go in Paris. New locations show up on the map as Yvette’s story unfolds.
Despite the obvious rough edges, Ambition shows a lot of promise. Provided the team can stay the course, this title could turn into something really fun when it is finally released.
Disclosure: The author of this piece is a Kickstarter backer of the game. No compensation was received for this preview.
