The game starts out rather basic. As a new matchmaker working at Kitty Powers' agency you try and help your clients find that special someone. There are ten types of clients and they all have different interests, traits and things that attract them to each other. Nerds, hipsters, glam types - they're all represented. You're playing the role of Cyrano de Bergerac, guiding your client through the treacherous waters of a date. This is performed via a series of mini-games, some dependant on your date, others on the venue (there's a whole range of ethnically flavoured restaurants to choose from).
These mini-games include holding in farts (basically you're drawing cards guessing whether it will be higher or lower than your last card), various memory games with phone numbers, desserts or your waiter's appearance, or a pachinko-like exercise to see who ends up paying the bill.
The dates work on a three strikes and you're out system, but you also need to keep your strikes low if you want a second date or a full-on relationship. And while it is rather amusing to get dumped, ultimately you're goal is to be a successful matchmaker both in the short-term (find your client a partner) and the longterm (find them a partner for life).
You can lie if you're client doesn't agree with his or her date's appearance or opinion, but there's the risk your date will find out and it doesn't bode well for the longterm prospects of the relationship (that you're also rewarded or penalised over as you can take a hit on your reputation if you continually match up pairs that don't make it last). Lying is handled via a "wheel of fortune" style win - if you're lucky your lie will even score you bonus coins. Just like in real-life.
There is surprising depth here, mainly thanks to the rather detailed clients and their personalities. It's not as simple as matching types and interests - an outgoing nerd won't necessarily match up well with an introvert nerd and while sporty types may all seem shallow and easy to match, that's not always the case.
Ultimately Kitty Powers' Matchmaker isn't as addictive as it could have been and even if there is a lot to do it's not as varied as we'd have liked. There are many restaurants to visit, but we would have liked options to take our dates elsewhere, as there could have been some much needed variety from some new locations.
We award a big plus for the inclusiveness factor as you'll find clients of different races and sexual orientations distributed among all of the personality types. It's quite refreshing and given the randomness factor you'll end up with some rather special variations. The avatar you create will populate other people's games and you earn coins as your avatar is being matched up. The writing is also inspired, and there is surprising amounts of dialogue to be discovered here. And even if the mechanics grow a bit repetitive, the dialogue continues to feel surprisingly fresh even if there are naturally some repeating lines as the same subjects are covered.
While the game offers some extras on Steam over its mobile counterpart, it's easy enough to spot the mobile origins of the game. Not that it's entirely a bad thing. The game is designed for short sessions and serves as a great little time sink in windowed mode while you're supposed to be doing your job. However, if you're looking for something worthy of a longterm commitment, Kitty Powers may not be it. At least she's good for a bit of fun.