Back in the early 2000s 2D flash games were all the rage. I remember logging on to Barbie and Stardoll, playing any dress-up and makeover game I could get my hands on. These games not only spurred my interest into flash animation (RIP Adobe Flash) but also the cozy genre. 

When Dressmaker showed up on the Wholesome Direct in June of this year, it captured the same feelings those 2D games brought.  It feels familiar, nostalgic, and encompasses the little moments that make a game feel magical. 

Gameplay

In Dressmaker, you have recently come to the town Twillford and opened up your very own dress shop. Each client that enters has their own style and story to tell. Uncover their secrets as they share what they’re looking for in a dress. Each commission is different, with their own budget, and check list specific to the clients taste. Draft a pattern, choose fabric and cut out pieces to build the dress. Finish by sewing your piece together and adding accessories.

There are no skill checks, no timers. Dressmaker is a game you play at your own speed. And while there are requirements for each dress, the player can make choices they think will suit the clients needs.

Clientele

There are 10 beautiful clients who will ask for your help designing them a dress. As you create their dresses and get to know them, discover the stories behind their celebrations, dreams, relationships, and challenges. 

Rose – A librarian who is looking to find herself. Very first customer when coming to Twillford.

Prudence – A well to do but snooty Lady on the marriage mart. Looking to woo the Duke into marriage.

Priya – Sister to the Duke. More interested in finding a spouse for her brother as well as her art than finding a spouse for herself.

Marie – Dreams of being a diplomat rather than the assistant to one.

Edith – A “retired” opera singer, finding her way in the world once more.

Alice – a quiet and unassuming blonde, battling the two spirits that live inside her while trying to be herself.

Dorothy –  Eccentric and nosy woman, who loves her pigeons.

Fiona – A new to town farmer looking to support her new friends and build her business.   

Vivian- A mysterious gothic woman, who only appears at night. Your cat doesn’t like her much, maybe it can sense something. 

Adora – A critic of the arts who hides behind a shy girl exterior.

How to Make a Dress

A commission from a client will include a few requirements: casual, glamour, eclectic, just to name a few. They also might request a fabric type or color. Once you have an idea, head over to the book on the table to draft your design.

In order to completely fulfill a commission, you must hit all the requirements asked by the client. Each part of creating a dress will have a completion bar letting you know if what you’ve chosen fits the criteria. The whole dress is considered, from the draft, to cutting fabric and sewing. 

Open your design journal to begin. Everything you need to know about your client, and the commission will be inside. You’ll have the option of choosing a top, neckline, skirt and sleeves for your dress. Each piece has tags that coincide with the requirements from your clients. By clicking on the name of the piece options to filter tags will appear. You can filter during each piece of the build which is super helpful. 

Choosing a fabric is the hardest part in my opinion. And it’s not because the task is difficult, it’s just because there are lots of options. From silk and sequins, to wool and cotton. Choose the fabric that fits the design best. One tip is make sure you purchase enough fabric, although you still have the ability to go back and purchase more with no penalty, it just makes it a smoother process. 

Time to cut your chosen fabric. When you’re dealing with fabric, and especially patterns, it’s important to make sure you’re placing them the right way before cutting. Each piece will have a line with arrows. Line it up going left to right to make seamless transitions in your dress. Making sure your fabric is cut correctly also affects your quality score. After cutting your pattern, lay out your pieces on the manikin before sewing. 

Sewing can be as easy or challenging as players would like. For players who enjoy a challenge, you will need to rotate the clothing using A & D to help sew on straight lines, and W & S to speed up the machine. For players who want something a little less chaotic, you can click the sewing assist button in settings. This will auto rotate the fabric for you. It isn’t perfect, and if you speed up the machine too fast your stitch will be crooked, and your quality score will take a hit. But because Dressmaker is such a forgiving game, you can easily remedy your mistakes. Use the seam ripper to take apart the fabric, and start again. No penalty or setbacks. 

Once all of your pieces are sewn together, add your finishing accessories. Trim, bows, lace and jewels. Add as little or as much as you like. If you’re a little short, accessories can also add to your requirement score. Once you’ve finished, your dress is now complete and it’s time to deliver it to the client.

Things to Keep In Mind

When you’re designing your dress, make sure you pay attention to how much cloth is needed. This will help once it comes time to purchase fabric. It’s great to be ambitious when you’re designing something for a client, but you’re only given so much money for each commission and each fabric has a different price. You can easily run out of money if you aren’t careful. You cannot return fabric, however you can use leftover fabric for other dresses. 

If you start a dress, and are either unhappy with how the fabric looks you can easily recycle the fabric at the cutting table. Recycling adds back the fabric like it never happened, saving you material.  

Although Dressmaker feels like a core loop of gameplay, each request is different and a little challenging. You can choose to stick to the plan and finish every request of your clients, or if you dislike them sabotage their outfits. Your choices will change the outcome and consequently their reactions and feelings towards you.

The higher you level up the more dress types, fabric and accessories become available. The more options, the easier it is to be able to hit all requirements. 

Behind the Game

Dressmaker began as a side project for developer Jonathan Hau-Yoon, who wanted to create something that had a personal meaning. His girlfriend, a talented dressmaker, developed Ehlers-Danlos syndrome which prevented her from continuing her craft. 

In early conception, Dressmaker was simply a creative tool rather than a game. After a video sharing the early prototype hit half a million views online, Hau-Yoon brought the idea to publisher Free Lives. In three weeks Hau-Yoon, along with Ruan Rothmann and Sara Laubscher made a playable prototype of Dressmaker. There were more than 30k downloads of the prototype in its first month along with viral videos from content creators playing Dressmaker. Hau-Yoon attributes Dressmaker being picked up by Free Lives to develop an entire game. 

Early concept taken from itch.io and current game as released on Steam.

Final Thoughts 

I adore Dressmaker. It is easily one of my top played games of the year. It’s nostalgic, cozy and the story is so memorable. The concept is so charming and the ability to replay and try new designs as well. For some players, I can see the gameplay loop being a bit repetitive, but personally it’s comforting and adds to the appeal. Sometimes all it takes is a needle, thread and a little nostalgia to leave a stitch on your heart.

Dressmaker is now available on Steam for PC, MacOS & SteamDeck. 

Thank you to the devs for the key for the purpose of reviewing this game.

Dressmaker was reviewed on PC.