Steam Link Spotlight - Ambition - A Minuet in Power
Steam Link Spotlight is a feature where we look at PC games that play exceptionally well using the Steam Link app. Our last entry looked at Jupiter Hell. Read about how it plays using Steam Link over here.
This time, we're looking at what seems to be the PC counterpart and evolution of Regency Love. There's no apparent lineage between the creators here, but Ambition - A Minuet in Power certainly bears a close resemblance to Tea for Three's excellent (and underrated) mobile title about the trials and tribulations of navigating the complicated social web of old European high society.
In it, you play as Yvette Decaux, a woman of common upbringing who has found a noble suitor who she has moved to Paris for. The game opens with your arrival to the city, where things are not quite what you were expecting. Your suitor is missing and his estate seems rather humble, but you take it upon yourself to make an impression on his and your behalf in the meantime.
This involves socializing with various movers and shakers of different social circles, from the Church to the Revolutionaries, and you do this primarily through parties that you have to prepare for, including picking an appropriately stylish (and preferably new!) outfit that matches each occasion.
Ambition plays mostly like a fairly standard piece of interactive fiction, which helps keep controls simple (even on mobile). In switching to Steam Link's direct mouse control, the game feels as natural as can be on iOS, as most of your actions consist of navigating menus and tapping to advance dialogue or choose responses.
The opening moments of Ambition set out a clear path of intrigue that I'm eager to continue exploring while streaming the game to my mobile device. It seems more than possible for this game to come to the App Store with very few if any control modifications, but I don't know if I can wait to see if that will happen.
Ambition - A Minuet in Power was developed by Joy Manufacturing Co. and published by Iceberg Interactive. It launched on August 18, 2021 and is available on Steam for $19.99.