Posted October 06, 2025 by Oceanaga
This is something I've been trying to figure out for a while now; how does The Matriarch end? Initially I was thinking of just not having an ending and letting players quit when they've seen everything, but that isn't a very satisfying conclusion, so I wanted to come up with something more "final".
I've implemented the first draft of the answer to this in a feature I'm calling the "VIP system", and I'm very excited about how it's shaping up. The way it works is when you enter the immobile section you can start entertaining VIP clients. These are reoccurring guests that you will have various interactions with. You start off with simple introductions but as you interact with them you learn more about them, their backstories, who they are and build a relationship with them. As your relationship builds, more interactions unlock, eventually unlocking an ending that you can select when you finally decide to not renew your contract at The Matriarch! Each ending is tailored to each VIP guest and no two are the same. You are also not required or forced to take these endings since I will be adding in two "ambiguous" endings where you either continue to work at the club indefinitely or retire from the club life.
Now you will have a final goal to work towards, figuring out which VIP you like, and getting their ending. It adds a nice layer of replay value in trying to see all the endings, and it's, in my opinion, a great way to deliver character stories through the game. The first version of this feature will be included in the next major update, 0.8 (no ETA for this yet) and I'm excited to see what y'all think of it. I would also like to mention that just because I'm adding in endings, this is in no way an indication that development is ending. I still have more plans for this game, but we're at a point in the game's development where looking at closing out the core loop feels right.
0.8 development is still chugging along (over the weekend I think I did some 2000+ lines of code/story for this feature alone); I've knocked out a lot of tasks but still have lots to do so I do not have a release date in sight. I just wanted to share what I'm working on behind the scenes with y'all and figured itch's devlog feature would be a great way to talk about it.
As always, I'm super appreciative of all the support, feedback, and encouragement y'all give and I hope in turn that the game reflects that appreciation.