Original Release: Apollo Seven, 2020, PC
Other Releases: Android (2020)
A time management sim in the lineage of Princess Maker and Long Live The Queen, now featuring graphic nookie.
Naked Ambition (PC, Apollo Seven, 2020)
Where to Buy: Freeware – Download (designer’s site – also has an optional Patreon with bonuses)
Review by: Master-B
In the annals of Japanese time management sims there is a very brief, aborted branch of “woman raising” games that pretty much started and ended with the Princess Maker series. Unless there’s some sort of Japan-only oeuvre of them I’ve never heard of, the only follow-up I can think of was 2012’s minor indie sensation Long Live The Queen. I’ve always had a personal theory that the “digital monster” genre happening to emerge right then managed to scratch that same gaming itch without the risk of accusations of sexism and misogyny and all that.
Anyway, here’s Naked Ambition to revive this fine tradition. And if all of this so far is gibberish, basically this type of game puts a young girl in your charge for one reason or another and asks you to raise her to hale and hearty young womanhood by giving her weekly tasks to do, periodic gifts, and etc. A mix of predictable and unpredictable skill checks pop up as the game progresses, forcing you to chart out a careful path for her.
As with conceptual predecessor Long Live The Queen, this game centers around a succession dispute in some ye olde times of yore kingdom. The king has been killed in a war and we have a bit of a dilemma on our hands; succession should go to the male prince, but he came into the family as a package deal with the former queen and doesn’t have royal blood. Our aspiring Queenlet does have the royal blood but, alas, also a punanner. A royal council of seven is ruling the realm temporarily in absence of a head of state, and tradition dictates that they decide the matter at an annual festival in a year’s time. So our would-be queenie has that long to convince the council she’s the superior choice, but is at the marked disadvantage of being good at and knowledgable about absolutely nothing.
So it’s basically Long Live The Queen’s setup again, except with the amount of potential deaths drastically ratcheted down and a bunch of porn scattered in. There’s also a card system that randomizes the game’s events to some degree. You play the role of a trusted childhood friend of the Queenlet who advises her by having a weekly conversation that influences her mood, and also instructing her to train in two particular disciplines. The week’s events then unfold based on a combination of stat checks and whatever “mood cards” the princess happens to currently have in her deck (you’re able to add and remove one of 10 each week via the conversation).
The designer touts the art as “90s” style, I would go a step further and peg it specifically as “Sega Genesis fantasy game.” For an erotic game, that’s … an option. Not that it’s bad at all, some of the backdrops are quite nice and I like the little animation flourishes that a couple of the characters have. But it’s at “semi-pro” and if your game is trading on tiddies you really want to be at “pro.” I guess some points are deserved for something other than the stock animu aesthetic though.
Anyway, a full-blown review is a bit pointless right now as the game is a WIP and is not even complete yet; as I write this you can only play through about 3/4 of it. Certainly enjoyable at this point, though, and there are things to like here: some good writing with a lot of simmering subplots that keep you guessing as to how to proceed, and a decent level of complexity in terms of branching possibilities and overall strategic approaches to reaching your Queenly goal. Definitely worth keeping an eye on.
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