The game that’s got everyone sewing

Dressmaker is a single-player simulation for PC and macOS. It’s inexpensive, has a local publisher (Free Lives, the studio behind Broforce and Terra Nil) and has managed to outsell Silent Hill on Steam. It also has a better review line-up than some major AAA games on the platform. Dressmaker is a game where you run a boutique. Clients come in with demands, and you have to pick a fabric within budget, cut patterns and sew the dress of their dreams. You can also add details like buttons, lace and other embellishments. It sounds ridiculously simple, but it fills a gap in the gaming market.

In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you can design some clothes or accessories pixel by pixel, but you’ll need heaps of patience. Infinity Nikki includes tailoring and design, but the game is bogged down by intense in-game monetisation and technical issues. Dressmaker is different. It’s a cosy game, but inspired by real dressmaking, which will make you feel like a real tailor. You’ll take client measurements, sketch designs, choose fabrics, arrange and cut patterns and then sew. You’ll also have to push fabric through a vintage Singer sewing machine, which requires precise movement, especially around corners and curves. And for gamers with poor hand-eye coordination like me, there is a sewing assist mode to make the process a bit easier. Garments need to be finished manually, which is the point where you’ll add finishing touches, but, remember, everything costs coins. Piping, for example, is less expensive than a fancy gem brooch. New fabrics and trims unlock as you progress, and the best bit is that there’s no time limit on commissions, which means you can spend an hour on a single gown if you want to. And there is a shop cat to pet while you listen to the chatty townsfolk gossip.