Preview | Ambition: A Minuet in Power |

LifeisXbox’s Ambition: A Minuet in Power preview | Ambition: A Minuet in Power is a revolutionary, romantic, visual novel where your choices change the course of history. This soon-to-be-released game by developer Joy Manufacturing sure sounds promising so naturally, I had to try out the demo now that Ambition: A Minuet in Power is featured during LudoNarraCon.

The story

Ambition: A Minuet in Power takes place in 1789 France. A young woman travels to Paris to live with Baron Armand de Marbo, the love of her life. Upon her arrival, she quickly finds out that she left all by herself in a big, new city. She decides to live for herself and seek her own passions, as France marches towards a violent uprising that will change history forever. I absolutely love the idea of a strong independent woman not letting the stupidities of a man decide her fate and mood, so good job Joy Manufacturing!

Demo

The demo I played lasts about half an hour and introduces you to the basics of the game. You play the prologue and get a peek at chapter 1. During the demo, you get to know Armand’s maid, visit the store to buy a beautiful and appropriate dress, and attend your very first party. During your adventure, you earn credibility and peril when engaging in conversations with new people, which you will also need along the way. When new features are introduced, you always get the choice to get a tutorial or not, so that was quite handy. Still, I found the gameplay to be a bit overwhelming, but I think that’s because half an hour isn’t really enough to really get into a game, you know.

Features

The first thing that will catch your attention, is the very suitable soundtrack. It fits right in with the 18th-century gameplay! I looked it up, and it was composed by award-winning composer John Robert Matz, who uses string quartets as well as the orchestra of the late baroque. The music aspect of the game is simply perfect! The artwork is quite fascinating and the beautifully illustrated graphics really portrait 18th century Paris in an exquisite way.

Besides the usual graphics and music aspects, there are some special game features in Ambition: A Minuet in Power. There is a calendar to keep track of commitments like parties because time is super important. You get a little familiar with this calendar in the demo, and it looks very useful and handy. Besides a calendar, you also have your wardrobe and journal. The outfits in your wardrobe have three traits: modesty, luxury, and novelty. Different political factions prefer different looks, so it’s important to be dressed correctly. Then there is your journal, where you keep track of notables, politics, and gossip you’ve heard.

The last thing I got to do in the demo was selling some gossip that I picked up at a party. I mean, a girl has to earn some money, and selling gossip to Pierre is the way to do that here! Of course, just making a profit off of other’s people misery comes at a cost: your very own credibility and security are at stake.

Conclusion

I feel like there is so much more to Ambition: A Minuet in Power than meets the eye. The demo really makes you want to experience more, and that’s exactly what a demo should do. I’m very curious about the rest of the gameplay because I do feel like I have only seen the tip of the iceberg and this game offers so much more!