The Matriarch (2022)

Developer: Chewa
Platforms: Windows
Genres: Casual
Rating: 3.8 of 5, 859 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 2.2 hours
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A tense game of hide-and-seek where you must blend in with bots and avoid the Matriarch, balancing paranoia and dark comedy.

paranoiddeceptivetensecartoonydarkly funnystrategiccooperative

What players say

Players love the premise of hiding and blending in with bots, but the multiplayer is dead and matchmaking takes ages. Long-time players say development stalled in 2024, and while it is great fun with the right group, without friends it is unplayable.

Screenshots

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More by Chewa

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.