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Focusing on games before release, this project features game spotlights and creator interviews: the second installment of “Pre-Release Spotlight”!!
In this project, we dive right into the play experience, design intent, and the roots of creation!
The featured game for round two is “Ambitious Road,” and our guest creator is Michihito Kuroki.
Let’s get to it!
This time’s guest: Michihito Kuroki
Michihito Kuroki: Crossdressing bro at 10k wishlists (@IP_Meteor996) / X
With this project, I’m trying to lower the barrier to talking about games in the scene and create a place where people can casually say, “This game looks interesting!”
What I’m writing in this article is how I feel.
I’d be happy if that urge to talk about a game spreads to you readers, too.
So, let’s get started.
Ambitious Road overview
Genre: SRPG
Developer: Michihito Kuroki
Publisher: Imperial Project
Store page (Steam)
Genre-wise, it’s a classic war-chronicle SRPG in the vein of the Fire Emblem series.
True to the name “Ambitious,” it’s a story about the ambitious protagonist, Michel, fighting to rise to the top in an age of turmoil.
A packed cast of bold, larger-than-life characters
Apparently, more than 40 units can join your army, and both allies and enemies are full of strong personalities.
Toku-san, huh… (cute)
They’re an enemy who only shows up for a moment in the demo, but design-wise they’re my favorite character.
Will they join you in the full release?
Well… there’s also something appealing about them being an enemy… hmm.
Kuroki said that when designing the characters, he consciously reflected the Fire Emblem series tradition of “standard roles.”
For details, check out the interview article (link).
Clearly differentiated feel in how each character plays
Not only are the characters memorable, but their unit performance is also carefully differentiated from one character to the next.
Let’s use the three Aerial Knights (flying units) as an example.
First up is Cheryl, your twin-tail childhood friend.
Her base stats are on the low side, but she has excellent skills: one that lets her act consecutively, and one that gives her a chance to hang on instead of being defeated.
(She was my favorite so I prioritized giving her EXP, and she ended up with the highest stats—but even then, compared to same-level characters, her stats were still on the modest side.)
Iris, the big-sister type, is a damage dealer who can add her magic attack power to physical damage. Since damage is king, she was simply easy to use.
I didn’t get far enough in training to unlock skills, but Alyssa—the soft big-sister type—had high base stats across the board, and even used casually she reliably delivered solid results. A very handy pick.
Like that, even within the same class, the feel changes, and I enjoyed the differences in each character’s individuality.
The protagonist: the man named Michel
Lastly, I want to talk about the protagonist, Michel.
As mentioned earlier, he’s a character driven by ambition and aiming to climb the ranks, but he shows a more sincere attitude toward ordinary soldiers than you might expect.
He’s also portrayed as more than just arrogant and overbearing—for example, his tone softens when he’s in front of his father.
He also shows surprisingly pathetic sides at times, like getting played by female characters, so he’s written as more than a one-note character.
According to the creator, Michihito Kuroki, Michel is depicted as “an ambitious, bold, stylish, dark-hero-like protagonist,” with influences including:
– Lelouch from “Code Geass”
– Light Yagami from “Death Note”
– Reinhard from “Legend of the Galactic Heroes”
– Jerid Messa from “Zeta Gundam”
– Caesar
– Napoleon Bonaparte
and others.
As for Michel’s portrayal, I felt like: “Maybe the surrounding characters and worldbuilding are set up so it doesn’t turn into pure convenience?”
He’s definitely a protagonist burning with ambition, so the story certainly has that rags-to-riches success-story side. But what stood out to me was how it’s written so that “everything doesn’t just go smoothly”—scenes where nobles look down on him, or where the heroine plays him, and so on.
So, I asked the developer, Michihito Kuroki, about that point,
“Since it’s also a war chronicle that leans more realistic, I felt it was better to include as many hardships as possible.”
“I was also worried that without those obstacles, he might just come across as a guy who’s simply lucky.”
“On the other hand, some people say there isn’t enough depiction of Michel having a bad time, so it’s a difficult balance to strike.”
That’s what he said.
For those who enjoy ensemble stories driven by a cast of vivid and memorable characters.
In this game, a huge cast of distinctive characters throws themselves into major battles as a war chronicle unfolds.
If you’re drawn to bold characters, give it a look.
And that wraps up our introduction to “Ambitious Road”!
I also had the chance to interview Michihito Kuroki, so if you want to peek inside the creator’s head, be sure to check that out too. (link)
Until next time—enjoy your gaming life!!
Thanks so much for reading to the end!!!
On X, I loudly shout about new article updates, impressions while playing, what it’s like trying to make games, and more.
About 1.3x louder than the blog posts (according to our own metrics).
*For game developers*
In the trial project “Pre-Release Spotlight,” we create pre-release feature articles and interview articles with an emphasis on going beyond the demo/early access play experience to dig into why the game is fun.
By doing so, we aim to create a precedent that says, “It’s okay to talk about this game,” and to sow the seeds of a fan community.
About the project “Pre-Release Spotlight”
If you’re interested, feel free to contact us using the form below.
