Fashion Dreamer (Nintendo Switch) Review

Fashion Dreamer is set in the virtual world Eve, where models called Muses roam the various areas, checking out other Muses' ensembles, taking photos of their outfits, be it full of generic brand or the Muse's own unique brand clothes, and then creating new looks called Lookits. The aim is to gain as many 'likes' and 'followers' - both online and offline - to increase the seemingly limitless wardrobe, access all four different themed areas (called Cocoons), and simply have fun!

Unsurprisingly, the very first act is to create a Muse. A total of four can be created and interchanged at any time. Some may like specific looks for each Muse, which can be easily be distinguished since up to four brand items can be created. Others may take the simpler route of picking just one Muse for everything. This does have the drawback of there being two main body types, and only accessories seem to be able to be worn by both types. The type A Muse, for example, cannot wear any of the Type B tops, trousers, or one-piece outfits (including dresses, bottoms and shoes). This can be quite irritating when there is a particularly nice top that can only be liked and not tried on. However, sprinkled in the Muses that roam the Cocoons are individuals of the opposite type, who can then be dressed up in any of the liked outfits, so sticking with one Muse is not too limiting, thankfully.

There are a range standard faces on the character creation side that are selected and then fine-tuned with facial features, hair styles, and make-up. The basic standard set of options is fairly decent, with new options acquired throughout… seemingly at random… leading to two or more toned hairstyle options and a more extensive range of lip colours. Looks are everything in Fashion Designer and can be changed at any time in the Salon area. Here, a nearby guide will provide three suggestions on how to change the Muse's facial features and hairstyle, which is useful for those who want a change but are unsure of what to try. How often hair colour or style is changed is completely down to personal choice.

The tutorial does a good job of explaining each main part. First, there is choosing an outfit; items can be put into favourite boxes. Unfortunately, these and the main inventory do not have an auto-sort. There is a filter to pick from type of clothes, but again sadly it does not include filter for specific colours or patterns of clothes, which would have been extremely useful, as with such a wide range of hues sometimes it can be hard to see if a pale colour is beige, pink, or orange. Outfits are not just for the main Muse to wear. The other Muses dotted around the Cocoons have their own desires, whether it is to wear whatever is trending, to have a specific item type like a denim jacket, or, and this is where it gets very cool, the Muse wants to wear exactly what the main Muse is wearing, so they are twins.

When selecting what items to dress a Muse in, it can be beneficial to know what the latest trend is since three matched categories lead to more bonus points and other prizes being awarded increase in quantity. Sometimes, the required item isn't in either the suggested wardrobe, which has a small range of possible items, or the individual's wardrobe. The Lookit can be exited and, if there are enough available slots, the item can be created. Also, trends can be double-checked on the trend board in the Pop-Up area.

Item creation is one of the main appeals of Fashion Designer. While it is not necessary to make a wide wardrobe using the clothes designer, it can help achieve Muse's Lookit requests and is fun. Perhaps the reason the title uses the word 'dreamer' rather than 'designer' explains why instead of having the option to change the actual pattern on a piece of clothing, all that can be changed is the colour. There is often more than one colour that can be altered - this can be the sole of the shoes and the toggles of a hoodie, or the detail on the belt, as well as the main background colour. Each colour can be fine-tuned in how light or dark it is, as well as how much of the colour it uses. Recent choices are saved in a history file, which makes it easy if certain ones are desired for the Muse's brand. Alternatively, already created hues are unlocked from helping other Muses, creating complementary colour tones, separated in various categories, such as pastel, vivid, and monochrome.

Once an item of clothing is created and given the brand logo, which can also be individually designed with an impressive array of background and foreground items and a kaleidoscope of colours, it can be worn by the main Muse, given to other Muses, or even put in the showroom. The showroom can be styled to whatever the brand's vibe is. Mannequins and standalone shelves can display either the brand that the main Muse has created or simply items they like. Everything from the wall and floor, furniture, like chairs and props, to the type of music that plays is all customisable.

Showrooms are not just for the individual. When in online play, which uses all the currently unlocked Cocoons, it is possible to visit other Muses' showrooms, check out their designed items and acquire them in the ever-expanding wardrobe. Fashion Dreamer feels unique in that no money is needed to buy clothes. Simply liking an outfit will add it to the wardrobe, whether it is in the showroom, on a Muse, or in the Pop-Up area, which shows a wide variety of new items that seem to change several times in 24 hours. It is tempting to only acquire outfits that suit an individual's taste but it is worth adding even not-so-nice tops or trousers to be able to fulfil a Muse's wish and garner the maximum rewards.

These can be coupons for the gacha machines located in each area with a random item to be designed, tickets for the two types of bingo to gain E-Points, the main currency needed for designing clothes and also received from both virtual Muses and other players in online mode when they like an individual Muse's outfit or showroom. This is perhaps one part that is let down if people can only play the offline version, as the amount of E-Points garnered from virtual Muses is far less than those from real individuals in the online mode. E-Points can be gained by putting photos of other Muses found in the Cocoons or ones taken in the Photo Egg, which is a special photo booth. Each Cocoon has its own style of backgrounds and borders to use in the Photo Egg, with an extensive range of poses for the Muse to adopt, as well as props that can be bought in vending machines. Pinning a Photo Egg photo, which can have stickers put on it, can garner more likes from other Muses, which results in increased E-Points.

The online mode is almost the same as the offline mode in the style of areas, only there are more showrooms to view, and the different Muses do change regularly. The new Cocoons are unlocked as the influencer level increases. Cocoon Hope is the starting one, a light and airy-themed area that feels welcoming. Act is darker in tone and has more a street vibe with some of the areas in a subway train, whereas Fun is full of cute pastel shades with cloud staircases that lead to photo spots that have actual wings to stand in front of. It is easy to get the first three Cocoons within a few hours, but the final one, Cocoon Love, which was not reached at the time of writing, requires more effort, needing the main Muse to have ten thousand likes. Each Cocoon will entice different styles of players. Initially, having four feels a bit limiting in scope, but a hunt on the game's website leads to the discovery that Fashion Dreamer is set to have what could be monthly updates starting in December 2023. These will include new items of clothes and it is teased that there will be extra ways to play, as well. Perhaps new Cocoons will get unlocked in these updates, which would be most welcome. Those concerned about the online interaction can be rest assured the game feels family friendly. Any interaction with another Muse in the real world is simply liking their outfit or individual clothes item - there is no actual talking allowed.