Kitty Powers’ Matchmaker: Deluxe Edition

Genre: Simulation / Puzzle / Misc.

Players: 1, Online Content Sharing

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Review:

Kitty Powers’ Matchmaker is a game that presents itself as a dating Simulation, but also has elements of Puzzle games, with some elements of game shows as well. Players take the role of an employee at a matchmaker service charged with not only pairing up prospective couples, but also making choices for them and feeding them responses while they’re out on dates. This game was originally released on mobile devices in 2014 and gradually ported to other platforms, hitting the Nintendo Switch in 2020.

The presentation here is cartoony in a way that seems very reminiscent of the style of mobile games, with cheesy music that fits the theme, with different nationalities’ restaurants backed by music in the style of that particular nation. While the presentation is otherwise a bit bland, I will say that it’s at least made interesting by the character of Kitty Powers herself, who is… let’s just say a somewhat masculine woman with a retro 50s housewife style that works well with the game’s tongue-in-cheek nature.

The gameplay here mostly consists of variations on memorization. When players initially match up daters, they can try to aim for someone whose physical and personality traits match what your client is looking for, or who appreciates what your client brings to the table. However, from there, their success in a date largely comes down to remembering details about them and about things that were said earlier in the date. The more accurate you are, the more smoothly things will go.

However, it bears mention that especially early on in the game, players will basically be playing with one hand tied behind their back, as much of the information they need will be obscured, and you’ll also be limited in your choices. As you progress you’ll gain access to a wider variety of prospective dates, the ability to change a client’s appearance to better appeal to a date, and the ability to go to fancier restaurants where the social game becomes more difficult… but with this progression also comes snootier, pickier clients who are harder to please. Ultimately, you’ll feel limited in your choices no matter how far you are in the game, and in any case it often feels like a binary thing – there are correct answers and incorrect answers, but there doesn’t seem much nuance beyond that.

I will say that Kitty Powers’ Matchmaker does have one feature that’s a nice touch and adds something interesting to the game – at the outset of the game, you create your own character who gets sent out to other players online to participate in dates in other players’ games. Unfortunately, you can’t control much about your character beyond appearance and basic personality traits (no specific interests), and while you get updates on how their love life is going, this is more for flavor than an actual significant element of the gameplay.

There is one other thing I should note here – this game has zero support for the touchscreen, even though it seems like it would be ideal for it. In fact, there seems no reason for this game to have taken as long as it did to get ported to the Nintendo Switch if they were just going to bring over the same version that was on other consoles. Also, $15 seems a bit pricey for what amounts to a fairly shallow game.

In the end, Kitty Powers’ Matchmaker is at least an interesting game that brings a whimsical atmosphere to a dating-themed Simulation / Puzzle game. Having said that, the game is fairly shallow, and players’ information and choices often feel too limited to make intelligent selections. On top of that, the lack of Nintendo Switch-specific features and the somewhat high price both make this a game that’s unlikely to be worth your while unless you’re particularly interested in its topic matter. If you are, go ahead and give it a try – it’s not bad, just don’t expect too much.

tl;dr – Kitty Powers’ Matchmaker is a Dating Sim with strong Puzzle elements that takes a whimsical approach to the genre, but it’s a bit shallow for its price, and the lacking options make its puzzle elements less than satisfying. It’s not bad, but you should only get it if the topic matter really appeals to you.

Grade: C

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