Those that love style simulation video games as a lot as I do will doubtless bear in mind a collection for the Nintendo and 3DS referred to as Type Savvy (also referred to as Type Boutique and Ladies Mode). Developed by Syn Sophia, this collection of video games was distinctive.
They every had their very own tales as to the way you got here into proudly owning a boutique of your personal, you’d meet vigorous, memorable characters throughout your time as a stylist, and most significantly, you had customisation choices galore. For the reason that launch of Type Savvy: Styling Star in 2017, which featured a pop idol twist, followers have been in need of a brand new dress-up recreation like Type Savvy for the Nintendo Change.
Syn Sophia listened, in fact, and not too long ago dished out Trend Dreamer for Nintendo’s hybrid handheld. That stated, regardless of being unable to place it down for the previous week or two, it was removed from what I’d hoped. As a lot enjoyable as it’s at hand out my unwarranted style recommendation to folks, the sport is boring, flat, and lifeless in comparison with its religious predecessors.
We’re dwelling within the age of social media (or the collapse of it, for those who’re feeling cynical), and Trend Dreamer has tried to make this the core caveat of its recreation, to its detriment. Relatively than opening up a boutique, tending to clients’ wants and visiting the Exhibition Corridor to purchase new garments, Trend Dreamer is all about gaining social media followers. The memorable characters we beforehand had have been exchanged for caricatures that aren’t half as partaking, your ‘boutique’ is merely a Showroom that gamers can go to quite than having any substantial goal, and even clothes customisation feels half as thrilling because it as soon as did.
With all of that in thoughts, this didn’t cease me from tirelessly taking part in the sport for hours on finish. Whereas it’s removed from what I anticipated it to be, and much faraway from how vigorous and engagement the Type Savvy collection was, there’s nonetheless lots of enjoyable available in meting out unwarranted style recommendation to NPCs or different participant’s Muses. Every time you accomplish that, you acquire followers, and the extra followers you acquire, the extra hub areas (referred to as Cocoons) that you may go to.
Even then, the joy of unlocking a brand new hub space to discover is missing; they’re all the identical, that includes some characters to provide style recommendation to, a salon, and a pop-up space the place you’ll be able to accumulate new garments. There’s no incentive to really hold going with Trend Dreamer after some time; you’re not boosting a boutique’s earnings anymore, you don’t must diligently earn money from clients to purchase new clothes objects, and so forth. There’s no limits, which is nice for some gamers, however damaging for simply how partaking the sport truly is.
Syn Sophia has efficiently modernised the collection, and it is actually not let gamers down when it comes to simply what number of objects of clothes can be found. If you would like a recreation the place you’ll be able to repeatedly dress-up characters over and over in new clothes, Trend Dreamer is simply that. You may take loads of images of your characters outfits, amass an enormous social media following, and unlock extra garments whereas doing so. However that’s it for Trend Dreamer’s gameplay loop. It’s related sufficient to the Type Savvy collection, however the lack of a problem or an overarching objective past gaining as many social media followers as attainable looks like a let-down.
Let me reiterate that as lifeless as Trend Dreamer typically feels, I nonetheless can’t name it a nasty recreation. I positively had enjoyable taking part in it, and can little question return to it once I really feel like mindlessly taking part in dress-up. However the lack of a problem, objective, or any actual gameplay past amassing cult standing among the many style world has seen me doing one factor I by no means fairly imagined doing in 2023, and that’s returning to Type Savvy. Whereas Trend Dreamer is undoubtedly granting the liberty that I think about lots of gamers have been dreaming of, I can’t fairly assist however miss the problem that its religious predecessors supplied.
