You died. It was unfortunate, to say the least. But it’s weird. Suddenly everyone finds you hot now? You’re a spooky, sexy skeleton, and your real life has just begun. That’s the killer hook of Matchmaker: Dungeon Heart, an Aussie-made dating and romance sim powered by combative match-3 gameplay.
It’s currently in early access, and in the lead-up to Valentine’s Day, Ghost Moth is gearing up to invite more players in. Matchmaker is the first game from the emerging Melbourne studio, and was inspired by a desire to see more diverse, queer dating sims around, particularly ones where women are well-represented.
“We were really unhappy with the general trend that a lot of dating games go when it comes to the representation of women, and how women should be treated, and wanted to make something that reflected our views,” Jordan Cook-Irwin of Ghost Moth told GamesHub.
“We also wanted to make sure that there were datable options, no matter what kind of person (or monster) you are into, which is why we don’t just focus on one particular gender of datable characters.”
As noted, you can explore Matchmaker: Dungeon Heart‘s many romances as you wish. You can share a flirtation with the buff and gruff minotaur man AJ, the kindly dragon Vanora, the perky bird creature Philomena – whoever you fancy. And in short, sweet, and earnest exchanges, you’ll build up your friendships, romances, and skills.
By nature, the game is relatively simplistic – it has a fun, cartoonish art style that brings to life its cutesy romantic prospects – but with a layer of neat, adorable writing over the top, it’s easy to get wrapped in its romances. Simple dialogue is often kick-your-feet-and-giggle cute, and it’s lovely to see how each plot evolves.
Combat is also a neat twist on the match-3 formula, with attacks and defence reliant on connecting unique nodes, and thinking well ahead with each new move. While match-3 will be a familiar system to many, there are some neat quirks that make this system far more engaging and tactical than first appears.
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Per Cook-Irwin, it’s thanks to the contributions of a variety of team members that these systems came to life. While Matchmaker: Dungeon Heart started off as a holiday project for himself and his wife, it quickly became a larger endeavour.
“We were lucky enough to have circles of friends who were already in or interested in working in the games industry, and they were excited enough about our pitch to join the team,” Cook-Irwin said.
Once a formal company was established, the team was able to pursue game funding, with this significantly expanding the scope of the game.
“Without the help from VicScreen and Screen Australia, we wouldn’t have been able to dedicate four years to making Matchmaker: Dungeon Heart. Not only did it give us the financial freedom to realise our dream game, but it allowed us to work with artists, writers, sensitivity readers, voice actors and programmers from all across the country, and gave us the opportunity to network with other industry professionals at events like GCAP and SXSW Sydney.”
Ample support has allowed the game to grow over a number of months, to the point where the team is proud and excited to share it with more people. It’s already had solid showings at events like PAX Aus and SXSW Sydney, and Cook-Irwin described sharing a real connection with players on the showfloor.
“It’s validating for us as a team to watch people fall in love with the game and our characters in person,” he said. Going forward, he aims to share the game with many more people, in the hopes they’ll feel equally passionate about its many quirky characters and neat gameplay style.
“We just want as many people to know about the game and play it as possible,” Cook-Irwin said. “We think it’s a really great time, and it would make the years of development worthwhile to see our game bring joy to others.”
Matchmaker: Dungeon Heart is now available in early access on Steam.
