Image via Cozy Lives
Of all the cozy games I have played over the years, none hit as close to my personal interests as Dressmaker. I have been a cosplayer since my teens, worked as a seamstress at a theater, and have continued to sew with headless abandon well into my thirties. I was nervous to pick up Dressmaker, as a sewing simulator felt like an impossible feat. However, hours into the game, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that this may be one of the best cozy simulator games I have picked up all year.
The storyline of Dressmaker is simple. You are a new seamstress who has settled in an idyllic, fantasy town. The residents of this town all have goals in mind, and you are the one who will help them dress for success. To do this, you will need to take commissions, measure your patrons, and then design them a stunning outfit to their exact specifications. Any wrong embelishment could be the difference between success and failure.
Dressmaker excels at putting you in the driver’s seat, delivering a space filled with creativity that is addictive, exciting, and deeply fulfilling. After hours of dressmaking, I am still not ready to be done, and find myself constantly thinking about what project I want to start next. The best part – my carpet is not currently filled with pins, and my house doesn’t look like a scrap bin at a fabric store.
Key Details
- Developer: Cozy Lives
- Publisher: Free Lives
- Platforms: PC via Steam
- Price: $14.99
- Review Code Provided: Yes, for PC via Steam
From The Design Book to Creation
The first thing to cover when diving into Dressmaker is the gameplay loop. The entire story takes place in an adorable dress shop, where you will speak to customers, take their commission, and then begin the process of making their requested clothing item.
First, you get to take the measurements of your client. This is done in a short minigame where you use the measuring tape to grab a handful of critical sizing numbers. After this, you are tossed into the design booklet, where you draw up an outfit based on the requests of the patron. These dresses are typically involved in the overarching story that is told through interactions with the customers.
Sketching up the dress is a delightful process. You will have the ability to mix and match pattern elements, which gradually unlock as you increase your reputation as a dressmaker. Each pattern piece has scores tied to it, which are used to impact the overall effect of the dress you are making.
After deciding on the overall look, you can use fabric swatches to create a basic color palette. I actually would recommend popping to the fabric store before you fully throw down your concept colors, as the fabric color, style, and type will have a large impact on the score of your commissioned piece. It would be really nice if a swatch booklet were added to the game that would allow you to test all the swatched you have unlocked. I’d rather look first and shop later.
To shop for fabric, you will exit the dress pattern design notebook and click on the shelves across the room. Here, you can pick up fabric and accessories for your dresses, though they can be expensive you so you need to shop smart in order to complete requests.
After this, you will head to the cutting table, lay out your pattern pieces, cut them out, and head on to sewing. You will use a dress form adjusted to size to assemble the dress, completing a sewing minigame for each piece that is put together.
Sewing is a Dream in Dressmaker
While the entire game feels fantastic to play and scratches that same itch as Powerwash Simulator, I really have to tip my hat to Cozy Lives for the way they accomplished the sewing minigame. This was the element of Dressmaker I was really worried about, and it is easily one of the most exciting and enjoyable parts of gameplay.
To sew pieces of your pattern together, you will guide them through the sewing machine along a dotted line. The more accurately you follow the designated seam, the higher the quality of the dress will be. You guide the fabric with your mouse and can control the speed of the machine via a setting toggle. This is the part I love most about sewing, and Dressmaker has recreated it in a way that feels very concrete, while removing the parts of sewing a project that genuinely suck. Like reloading a bobbin. Or accidentally wrecking your needle on a pin. Or trashing your thread by layering your silk too many times over.
I’ve seen some of things.
To put it frankly, as a seamstress, I genuinely enjoy the way Dressmaker has captured the process of sewing, while elimnating the parts of the process that make me want to chuck the machine out a window.
I could sit and sew little patterns all day long and never get tired of it, and that makes every minute of the dress-building process a delight.
Unlimited Creativity
If you are a fan of Barbie clothing simulators from the 2000s, or love the process of making unique clothing items in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you are going to love Dressmaker. As you play, more patterns, fabric types, and accessories continue to unlock. The constant stream of new options turns this $15 simulator into a creative monster, where you can create the ballgown of your dreams with very few limitations.
I am obbsessed with the lighting, how the fabric falls, the glint of buttons and glitter. Every time I finish a dress, I am already looking forward to the next project, and that is what makes the game so addictive. There is no lack of options. You can really make anything you want.
From bolts of cloth to sequins and jewels, every minutes of Dressmaker feels like prepping for the fairy princess party of my childhood.
Final Score – 9.5/10
If you love simulation games, are creative, or just want a cute story with fulfilling progression, Dressmaker is for you. The game is lovingly made and genuinely beautiful. Character portraits are sharp and clean, with thoughtful designs on par with expensive otome games, and the 3D models for the dresses themselves are breathtaking.
I can’t say enough good things about Dressmaker, and I hope that additional story content or expansion packs will be released in the future. I am obssessed, and hope anyone who picks it up will be too.
**Bonus Action was provided with a PC Steam code of Dressmaker for the purpose of this review**
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