Dressmaker Is the New Girly Game Everyone Is Playing!

Move aside, Time Princess! There's a new dress-up game in town. Ever since its launch last month, Dressmaker has taken the world by storm. My cosplaying days may be behind me, but this game brings back all the nostalgia of visiting the now-defunct Joann's Fabric, picking out beautiful patterns and materials, and jumping on my sewing machine to watch my visions come to life. The history of the game is almost as remarkable as the game itself. Developer Jonathan Hau-Yoon created it for his wife, Sabrina Becker, when she was diagnosed with a mobility disorder that impacted her ability to sew. It turns out making dresses virtually can be even more fun and relaxing than doing it in real life.

The game is a stress-free job simulation where you play as\ a dressmaker in a fictional kingdom inspired by several different historical eras with a diverse modern spin. The clients come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Each has her own unique taste, allowing players to make dresses for all different body types and styles. There are a few loose story threads throughout the game, including a duke seeking a wife, a runaway princess, and a secret lesbian dalliance. Though the clients never interact with each other in the dress shop, they gossip about each other and share newsletters after key events that they attend in the dresses you design for them.

Since this is a job simulator, I was wary at first that I'd have to be careful with my budget to afford the fabrics I wanted. It turned out there was no need for this concern. The game gives you a generous amount of currency to complete each commission with beautiful ethereal fabrics that behave better than the real-life variants. These fabrics stay perfectly smooth at all times, with no need to iron them before or after cutting. My favorite types are the gradient and color-changing silks that look incredible in the game's virtual lighting. The game offers cotton, silk, velvet, and wool to work with. The only fabric type missing was chiffon, or any sort of sheer equivalent. If I had to guess, the designers must have struggled with the transparency element, since even the lace fabrics are presented over an opaque base.

If the sewing process isn't fun enough already, getting to know the clients is even more of a blast. Some of my favorites include Alice, a gothic lolita possessed by two friendly spirits, Vivian, a sultry vampire, and Adora, who hides a royal secret. Seeing the game's events unfold as a direct result of the dresses you design for the characters is an absolute pleasure. With Dorothy's pigeon, who can summon characters for bonus commissions and scenes, there is no shortage of gameplay time. Players also have the option of designing their own "off-the-rack" dresses, which many people in the online community have taken advantage of to recreate famous princess movie designs.

Another thing I would have liked to see in this game is for the characters to model the dresses I created for them, but that may have been too difficult for an indie studio to program. As it is, the game is highly impressive with detailed and accurate mechanics of cutting out patterns, setting measurements into the dressmaker dummy, and simulating fabric textures in different lighting. There are endless combinations of designs you can create, especially when you start adding accessories like flowers and trim in the mix. The game is addictive, fun, and relaxing, with limitless opportunities to unleash your inner princess.

In a world where girly media has become a rarity, Dressmaker is here to push fantasy fashion into the modern era. This game allows players to live out their wildest cosplay dreams without having to deal with piles of wasted fabric scraps, jammed bobbins, or excessive ironing. For people who have never sewn before, it's a risk-free introduction to the craft, and for those who have, it's a great way to relax. The diverse cast of characters will keep you playing for hours on end until you become the ultimate dressmaker.