Kitty Powers' Matchmaker

People online are calling Kitty Powers' Matchmaker a guilty pleasure, and they're not wrong. This sugary digital confection has all the conceptual density of a ball of cotton candy and is just as indulgently satisfying. As a new employee at Kitty Powers' matchmaking agency, you're asked a few questions to customize your avatar (looks, star sign, and so on) and then are let loose on your first client. Clients can be women or men and can be attracted to either gender (or both). Successful matches depend on paying close attention to what "type" your client is -- hippy, arty, or sporty, for instance -- and matching them to someone with similar interests and attributes. Once you've set up the date, your client heads off to meet his or her match at a restaurant, and from there, you control (“advise”) through a hidden earpiece. Things quickly get awkward and/or ridiculous, which is the genius of Matchmaker -- it manages to boil the complex process of dating down to a handful of amusing (and frighteningly true-to-life) essentials handled by mini-games.

If you do succeed in creating a good match, you not only get happy clients, you get extra money, experience, and reputation points. The first is good for unlocking more restaurants, client types, and client customizations; the latter two bring you more affluent clients. Unlocking restaurants is especially good since each one comes with a new and hilarious dating dilemma (such as a sudden gas attack or impromptu visit from the ex). Along with habit-forming gameplay, Matchmaker's main advantage is its visual appeal. Kitty Powers is the outrageous centerpiece in a smorgasbord of candy-colored characters and backgrounds, all of which are a veritable feast for the romantic gourmand. Overall, Kitty Powers' Matchmaker really doesn't lack for much. If anything, it could use some different dating activities and perhaps some better achievements. Still, those are minor quibbles for an entertaining, well-executed dating sim that's a whole lot of flamboyant fun.