Taken out to Dinner | Kitty Powers' Matchmaker

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You may be familiar with our Taken for a Quickie series, in which we answer questions to offer a speedy overview of a game, but that just wouldn’t be fitting here. We've taken Ms. Kitty Powers’ dating sim out to dinner instead.

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by Sam
​Sant

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​@SlamShotSam

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Developer: Magic
Notion
Publisher: Stellar
Entertainment Software
Platforms: Xbox One,
PS4, PC, iOS, Android
Players: 1

Wait. Who’s Kitty Powers?

Kitty’s the drag queen alter-ego of the game’s director, Richard Franke. She’s endearingly camp and genuinely funny at times.

Alright, so what’s the aim of the game?

You create an avatar that Kitty places in charge of a small branch of her dating agency, then you're tasked with building its reputation to increase profitability.

And how do you do that?

By finding matches for your clients and successfully guiding them through their dates. You’ll analyse personality traits, interests, physical attractions and astrology to pair couples of any sexual orientation off, then use high-tech surveillance equipment to monitor events and help each party avoid any embarrassing faux pas.

At the night’s conclusion you decide how the two should part; do the job well enough and they might enter a relationship and conclude your work, otherwise you’ll need to send them on subsequent dates - while being sure to eat somewhere new and avoid repeat topics of conversation - or, if you really balls it up, call it quits and just be friends.

But how does that work in terms of gameplay?

You’ll make dialogue choices and tackle a range of mini-games, which are largely luck and memory-based. As you progress to more demanding clients, you’ll need to accrue upgrades and actually engage in some tactical planning, though greasing a palm will always extend it as a helping hand should you need it. If you’re too tight for that, you can also get a good look at Kitty’s tips free of charge!

A friendly and inclusive little game that entertained us far more than we’d ever have expected a dating simulator to.

Zing! Be honest: Did you nick that from the game?

Unashamedly. It’s absolutely awash with racy innuendo and there are some real gems in there, though the humour may be somewhat lost on those outside Britain. As someone with a personal penchant for awkward situations, dating and its stilted interactions are fertile grounds for comedy.

Would you recommend a purchase?

Though we enjoyed our time with Kitty Powers’ Matchmaker, characters did begin to repeat themselves, which is pretty damaging when the snappy writing is what’s keeping you around. By the same token, different types of dates (you’re only able to eat out) would’ve been a natural progression and added some much-needed spice to the game’s love life.

That said, playing in short bursts now and then should go a long way to remedying those issues. If you aren't put off by the £12.39 asking price, it’s a friendly and inclusive little game that entertained us far more than we’d ever have expected a dating simulator to. So, by all means, give it a go if this piece has managed to arouse you in any way... Oh, err, your interest, that is. ​