As someone who has been gaming for many years, there will always be games that speak to you. I’m not just talking about your favourite games; I’m talking about those really special games that may not be on any ‘best of’ lists through history, but the games that are more than just games- games that inspire you, make you emotional or are just something special. Now, I’m a woman with a soft heart; I cry at movies, TV shows, even commercials (especially holiday ones), so it’s not surprising when I talk about games that make me feel. There are a lot of them, for a lot of reasons, and the one I am talking about today isn’t a game that makes me emotional because of the gameplay; it’s because of WHY the game exists.
Dressmaker has become a bit of an indie darling; it’s popping up all over social media and streaming. It’s a game where you design and create dresses on commission for the people in the town. Choose fabrics, cut patterns, sew pieces together and decorate to your heart’s content. When I heard some of the story behind it, I simply had to play it.
Developed by Cozy Lives and published by Free Lives, the game puts the creativity in the hands of the person behind the keyboard. I have always been in awe of creative people, people who can take nothing and make something: art, clothing, game development, all of it. One of these creatives is the co-developer of the game, Sabrina Becker, who, when diagnosed with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, found it difficult to keep up her love of sewing. This game became an act of love and a way to help reignite her passion for sewing. She helped her husband, Jonathan Hau-Yoon, shape the game by designing and curating dress pieces, guiding the aesthetics and providing feedback while playtesting.
Dressmaker is a cozy game, and although I am not particularly good at games that require intricate crafting mechanics, I was drawn into the story and gameplay. You are a new dressmaker in what I can only assume is Regency England (town of Twillford) of an indeterminate date. Even the newspapers you receive have no date, so I am only speculating.
As customers start to arrive in your shop, you learn more about them through their stories and requests. The local librarian, a young lady possessed by dual spirits, a woman determined to catch the eye of a Duke in hopes of marriage, and an eccentric older woman who brings 3 pigeons as companions into your shop; each person I met was interesting and well thought out. Each had their own reasons for their requests, and the more you matched their requests, the more they would pay you.
I think I loved this game a little more because of my love of Bridgerton. I felt I was in on all the gossip in the shop, and I couldn’t wait to hear the follow-ups the next time a customer would visit. The game loop is simple: ring the bell when you’re ready for a customer. Some arrive during the day, others in the evening. Listen to their requests, take their measurements (bust, waist, hips), choose and draft a pattern, pick appropriate fabrics, cut, sew, and add accessories. Every time you level up with a customer, you will earn new designs, fabrics, and accessory options.
Every dress design begins with your journal, where you will mix and match the collars, bodices, sleeves, and skirts to create the perfect pattern. You can use coloured pencils to play with colour or even drag fabric samples over to the drawing to test things out before committing to them.
Oh, and you have a pet cat in the shop. Easily jumps up in score from me. You can interact with the cat, and the cat will react to different customers too.
It’s not often you find a game where you can ‘feel’ something that’s sitting 2D on your screen, but somehow the developers managed to make all the fabrics feel real. The differences between velvet, silk, and linen were obvious at a glance; the sheen of silk stood out against cotton even if they were the same colour, and the textures of embroidery, lace and velvet were easy to see.
The handy filter allows you to filter by customer request, workwear, cute, gothic, etc. But the amount of fabric you need and lay out your pattern pieces. While you may be tempted to maximize the space, cutting with the grain nets you a higher-quality dress, so you may need to sacrifice some material. You can save any not used for another time, though. Pin the pieces on the mannequin you set to the customer’s measurements and then sew them together.
Sewing is fairly straightforward, and I didn’t struggle as much as I anticipated I would. This might be because I used the available accessibility options to make it easier for me. I could sew by holding down the space bar and releasing at the right time. Since I struggle with mobility in my hands at times, this was helpful, and I am glad to see these sorts of options. After you’ve finished the dress and added accessories like buttons or brooches, take a photo and complete the commission.
While I found sewing each piece a little monotonous at times, I couldn’t help but laugh, thinking it would have been nice to have a few little mouse helpers like Cinderella had in the movie.
As you move through the game, you can also create your own designs to sell off the rack that are not done by customer request. These can net you some extra money to use when purchasing fabric or accessories. Since these have no requirements, you can let your creativity run wild. I have seen some absolutely stunning dresses online designed by content creators. I refer back to my earlier statement about being jealous of creative individuals.
I talked a bit about the fabrics, visually, but the whole game has muted colours, making it easy to sit and look at for a longer period of time. Brighter colours tend to appear when customers are in the shop. The game also switched between 2D and 3D, giving the dressmaking sections a little more depth than the story components.
A cozy game needs a cozy soundtrack, and the soundscape felt very reminiscent of the time of Bridgerton again. It could have been soft ballroom music, and I could imagine these ladies in their dresses going to grand parties. Everything was instrumental, which I appreciate in a game that requires a little more focus.
Dressmaker is a nice combination of business management, character stories and playing dress-up. I found the crash course in how pattern design and sewing work fascinating; I clearly paid very little attention to the sewing component of my home economics class back in the day. This was much more advanced in its scope than my class ever was, though. If you enjoy a creative outlet or are interested in design and sewing, Dressmaker is a perfect game to check out.
Until next time…be good to yourself and be good to each other.
**Special thanks to Future Friends Games for the review code**
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