Love at First Stitch: A Review of Dressmaker | The Gamerheads Podcast

Platform review: PC (Steam)

In development for console with no expected timeframes

Price: $14.99

I cannot express how much I love this game. I don’t usually start off my reviews without first explaining the context of the game, but this game is oozing with love. From creation, execution, and the overall premise of this game I can feel the strong emotions that went into this game. Dressmaker is one of those games that as a girl I wish there was more of. The amount of freedom and creativity I have to design dream dresses, own my own business, and help other women with their events makes this game so enjoyable. It’s a true “girls game” which I don’t feel like there are enough of in the gaming space despite how many people love the whimsy of games like this. The closest comparison of a game I’ve personally played in the past few years is Infinity Nikki, but not everyone enjoyed the gatcha elements and there wasn’t a lot of creative freedom in designing the actual outfits. However, I’m sure there are many other games out there I haven’t heard of with similar aesthetics.  

I want to start out with why this game was created in the first place as I feel it’s important to mention. Jonathan is the creator of Dressmaker and his wife Sabrina loves to design and create dresses. Unfortunately, she fell ill and her health no longer allows her to do the thing she loves the most, create clothing. Jonathan set out on a mission to create a space for Sabrina to be able continue to do what she loves by creating this game. While creating this game, he learned from Sabrina how much actually goes into creating clothing like culture, technology, stories, and more. He wanted to capture her love and joy of creating clothing into the game. I find this absolutely adorable that this game all started because of the love he has for her. 

When I first launched the game I wasn’t expecting more than choosing my fabric, sewing it together, maybe adding a little embellishment here and there and selling my new creation. Thankfully, it was so much more than that. It starts out with a story that a local leader passed away and most people are looking for outfits for the funeral which then leads to a much bigger story (that I won’t spoil). I then was able to measure the customer, adjust my mannequin, pick each element of the dress based on the customer’s preference and if I wanted to I could add my own creative touch to it. I also enjoyed that it felt realistic to how I would actually sew with being able to fit the pattern on the fabric Tetris style (so I don’t waste it) and even being able to pull out my stitches if I made a mistake. My first dress was pretty plain as I got the hang of how everything worked, but I slowly found myself trying to be more creative with my designs as the orders came in. I have seen a ton of other people’s creations online though and I am absolutely amazed by how creative people have gotten.

Final Grade: A+

I did think that I was only going to put a few hours into this game, but I can see myself coming back whenever I just want a cozy creative moment in my gameplay loop. The story flows so naturally with how things might unfold in that political manner and it really does allow for that creative freedom to satisfy the orders. I also love how the game encouraged me to keep moving through the story so I could unlock more patterns, fabric, and embellishments. Overall, there is so much love towards this game, both from me and the community, that I highly recommend it if you enjoy a good story and love being creative. 

Review code provided by Future Friends Games