A Match Made In Hell

Originally made for the Madvent Calendar 4, A Match Made In Hell has graduated to a fully fledged steam release! They added an intro sequence, 2 additional characters to the roster of matches that can be made, and some extra items / side quests. Overall I'd say this is quite improved over its initial proof of concept. The game itself is quite text heavy as the core mechanic is talking to people, but it's jam packed full of humor that had me grinning. My biggest complaint is replaying the game seeking out other endings is a chore. While a first play through takes about an hour, the game can be sped through in 5-10 minutes if you skip dialogue quick. Still, having to go collect all the items and date spots every run is a chore. It'd be nice if they added a 'quick match' option, after you beat the game once, that just gave you all the items and locations, letting you play around with all the combos without all that walking about.

an oddball game for oddball players! while it's visually off-putting in a lot of places, i feel like it's fully worth it for some weirdo animations and the strength of the comedy writing, which made me laugh frequently enough that my 1-hour playthrough left my face a bit sore. the playtime is definitely worth noting - there's plenty of things to do and different approaches to the final match-up to take, so i'm fine with that entry-fee, personally! the endings are extensive and apparently there is a frankly stupid amount of possible outcomes - as a fun thing to do on an anxious afternoon, it's pretty good, and i recommend it!

I never use Instagram. The last time I posted on that particular platform was around 2021, I think, but every few months I log on and browse a few of my network’s stories to catch up with the people that made this particular social media feed their home after evacuating Facebook or Twitter or wherever else us millennials once frequented daily. Amidst all the usual garbage and ads, a post appeared announcing that an acquaintance from years back - a college friend’s ex-boyfriend - had just released a game on Steam. A lofi, PS1 aesthetic inspired matchmaking simulator set in hell, made by a skeleton team of two. The setup was intriguing enough that I thought I’d give it a go. Whilst A Match Made in Hell is slightly unpolished in the way an expanded-game-jam-turned-first-shipped-project was always going to be, it’s also a lot of fun. The visuals are cooky, the writing is silly, and the central mechanic, matching 6 hellish singles by selecting their ideal partners, date venues and gifts based on clues teased from point and click style branching dialogue, works well to give the hour long game enough thrust to stay interesting throughout, whilst also inviting repeat plays to see more of the potential outcomes considered or throwaway matches might lead to. It took 2 runs through the game to grab all the achievements. It’s definitely worth checking out if you’ve got a couple hours spare and want something that’s all about charm rather than challenge.

Be not afraid of buying things at random. At the end, there are hints. You can play with the memory of a gold fish, and half as many thumbs (keyboard controls only). Beware the narrator. He is a salty fiend.