2023-12-18 23:09:09
In search of glamour.
Syn Sophia is a Japanese company best known for its work on the Style Savvy franchise (La Maison du Style in French) in partnership with Nintendo. In this series, we have the opportunity to manage a fashion store and do several other industry-related activities. With this expertise, the developer decided to create Fashion Dreamer, another work on a similar theme in partnership with Marvelous. Instead of running a store, here we have a virtual world to explore, meet people and try to dictate fashion trends. The proposal is more open in the simulation aspect, but it is soon possible to see the limits of its perspective. Fashion Dreamer places the player in control of the muses, which are virtual avatars that can be used to explore the game’s world, Eve. In this virtual environment, we can choose between male or female bodies, with up to four simultaneous muses in total. In controlling them, our role is that of a digital influencer, exploring our fashion sense and sharing it with other people. The game is divided into two modes, Solo-Play and Online, the first focusing on interaction with NPCs and the second opening up several possibilities for interaction with people from different locations around the world. With Online you can quickly access a lot more top-tier clothing options and it’s also a very interesting way to see other people’s styles, however, as with console gaming, you must have a Switch Online account to take advantage of this mode.
Whatever the mode, the gameplay follows the same logic. We went back and forth to areas known as Cocoons looking for characters to interact with. We can then use the clothes we have on hand to create an outfit for these people according to their preferences. In Solo mode, an NPC will usually ask for something specific like “purple shirt” or “blue pants” and you have to search through your options for an outfit that fits that proposal. However, one should always ensure that the individual is fully dressed instead of just being able to choose a single piece to change their current look. In Online mode, we have four guidelines: color, visual pattern (“Print”), type of item desired and style. The ideal is to try to match all the options that are provided (some may have “anything”) to be better evaluated. Each person can set these values for themselves, making it easier to request specific types of items the player wants to obtain to expand their repertoire. The outfit combinations are sent to the other player, who can then like to add the items to their list.
Like.
Aside from the issue of clothing coordination, when interacting with a character, you can “steal their look” in two ways. First of all, you will be able to take advantage of the used clothes and receive them for your collection. If there are clothes exclusively designed for the opposite body shape to yours (A for women and B for men), a system message warns you that they cannot be worn by the current muse. This issue is only reported once per game session. We can also copy this character’s customization traits, such as eye color and shape, mouth and nose shape, hair, beard and mustache. Interestingly, the game has an exotic and somewhat inconsistent combination in how it views its models, as it attempts to limit much of the clothing, but allows beards on the more feminine body types. It would be more interesting to completely remove clothing limitations to give more freedom in creating looks. The same system also applies to virtual showcases. There are different clothes designed according to several factors. In Solo mode we only have access to clothing from the Eve system, but online it is possible to find creations of other players, considerably expanding the combination possibilities.
We can also create a Showroom, which is a room where we display clothes according to our sense of decoration. It is possible to create very expressive spaces with the support of objects, wallpapers and mannequins. As other people interact with your character in their world, you will receive points if they decide to visit you and enjoy your games. Clothing creation follows a simple pattern and color choice scheme. Therefore, we are limited to the choice of an already assembled clothing model, such as a hooded jacket, women’s shoes with a bow, among other options in which it is not possible to modify the shape of the garment. The player’s freedom lies solely and exclusively in the definition of colors, being able to choose how he wishes to color each part of this object. The result is effective and simple to use, despite limited creativity. There is also an in-game photography system for the player to enjoy the Cocoons environments and stylish suits, whether in selfies or group photos. You can adjust the camera position, ask the muse to strike various poses, add filters, and adjust the camera focus. Items such as drinks, umbrellas, flowers and other items can be purchased to create something even more specific for the photo.
A monotonous world.
Despite everything we’ve mentioned above, Fashion Dreamer’s main problem is the complete lack of focus and its repetitive pace. We’re thrown into Eve with one perspective: “make more points and spread your style across the world.” We even have an influencer rank that increases as we interact with the world, releasing new cocoons and some small rewards, but this gives the game a very distant objective perspective. The truth is that Fashion Dreamer is like a blank slate, a fashion amusement park more than a real game. The game loop remains the same from start to finish, with the player trying to post more clothes with likes and interacting with characters to create clothing that generates points for himself. Other than that, we only have adjustments to your own muse and the release of more customization items, such as different eye colors when increasing affinity with certain NPCs. There aren’t even any major distinctions between each Cocoon outside of the general aesthetic of the shots, which makes the gameplay very repetitive and makes it more interesting to enjoy the game in a very casual way.
For those looking to understand fashion better, the title also falls short of what the Style Savvy franchise was capable of. We have no chance of failing miserably even when we pull off ridiculous, uncoordinated looks. There is only one rating system that gives more rewards if the player can better follow the color coordination criteria and meet the character’s request, but we can even ignore what he wanted to do what he wants and still receives points. We also have a very simple clothing selection menu. While Style Savvy had several categories, brands that represented different styles and even dictionaries of terms to familiarize the player with the world of fashion, in Fashion Dreamer we only have the choice of “layer” (top, bottom, outerwear) and accessories. As a result, some very specific requests can be particularly confusing to process. After all, what defines one specific shoe over another? With all these elements, the game ends up offering a more loose and superficial experience. While the developer’s previous titles have managed to be even fashion-themed didactic, what we have here is a title that just seems to want to drop the system into players’ hands like a toy. Without challenges, the experience tends to remain monotonous and limited in its appeal only to those who already love the fashion world.
VERDICT
Fashion Dreamer is a fashion game with plenty of character and clothing customization options, but exploration quickly becomes repetitive. Especially for those who have played the developer’s previous works, it doesn’t take long to wish the title had some other content to break up the monotony.
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#Fashion #Dreamer #Nintendo #Switch