Style Savvy (2008) Review

I’ve been playing this game on and off for years now, and every time I restart, I get sucked into the expansive world of fashion. I mean, over 10,000 fashions in one game? That’s incredibly mind-blowing, and very impressive. Can you imagine the work that went into making all of that? For 16 different fictional fashion brands? You really have to wonder how long it took to come up with all those designs and implement them all into the game. I imagine there was at least some inspiration from the real-world fashion of the time. Honestly, a lot could fit nicely in today’s fashion world. Kinda gives you an idea of how timeless Style Savvy really is. Though, it’s not without its issues. There were some things that made me a little annoyed and that I felt were rather unnecessary. But it is, overall, a solid game worth revisiting.

Alright, first, what makes this game good? For me, it’s the near-endless choices and combinations you can make. Basically, you get to decide what looks fashionable on you and your customers. You don’t even have to stick to one brand when making an outfit, whether it’s at your store, on you, or during a contest. For instance, Raven Candle and Marble Lily could work together, though one is more goth while the other is more colorful and frilly. I could also appreciate that the clothes had specific names and weren’t just ‘shirt’ or ‘pants.’ In the summer, you get camisoles, miniskirts, sandals, and more. Plus, when the seasons change, so do the styles, which is really convenient. Although it is a bit tedious getting rid of last season’s looks to make room for the current one. You can only get rid of one garment at a time. It would’ve been a lot easier to pick multiple at once.

Besides the clothes, there’s a few choices you can make when you run your own store. How the interior looks determine what primary brands you’ll have. You’re not lacking in options, as there’s over 20. For example, there’s ‘an industrial, punk interior featuring metal décor’ and you start with garments from Mad-Jack (a punk rock style) and AZ-USA (pronounced Az-ZOO-Sah, a glitzy and daring style). Some give you four brands to work with, others only give one or two. Regardless, every interior looks unique and colorful in their own way. Then there’s choosing the music for your store. There’s nine different tracks to choose from, all catchy in their own way. Some are just instrumental while others have limited vocals. You can pick what matches your store or go in a completely different direction.

Another thing I liked about Style Savvy was that the customers weren’t generic. You actually knew their names and got some small insight into their lives. How often in the real world do store owners get to know their buyers personally? And depending on the look of your store, you’ll only get certain customers. Well, at first, anyway. Names range from something simple like Sally to something fancy like Genevieve. Something I found funny was that there’s an actual customer called Azusa. Like, were the devs running out of names and decided to just name one after a brand? I’d honestly love to hear the story behind that decision. Amazingly, none of the names repeat, despite a few looking/sounding similar. None of their profiles are similar either. There’s a girl that’s ‘always ready to drop everything for a party,’ one who ‘speaks four different languages,’ one that ‘volunteers for a group that protects tree frogs,’ and more. (If you know who I’m referring to, kudos to you.) They also invite you to hang out with them sometimes, which is actually kinda cool.

One of the few shoppers you see at both Grace’s and your stores is Zoe, a model. The only brand she really likes is the high-end Alvarado, and if you don’t carry that brand, there’s a high chance she won’t buy anything. While a little annoying, it’s not the end of the world. Some customers visit almost every day, while others only visit on certain days. Many have set budgets to keep in mind, while others you can be a little more extravagant with. If they decide they want more than one garment or a whole outfit, their budget often increases. Something that I always found interesting was that when a customer wants to buy a display outfit, their budget is five dollars more than what the outfit costs. Like, if the outfit was $150, they would have $155. I don’t know why that is, but as long as they buy it, I guess I don’t care. The same thing happens when you advertise two items on a flyer.

So, what about Style Savvy made me frustrated? Well, just a few things. The first and most glaring issue is the unrealistic body types. Practically everyone has a ‘where are your organs’ body save for, like, two people. Those two people being Felicity, the editor of the game’s fashion magazine, Nuances, and Rococco, the hostess of the fashion contests. Even the two men in this game, Dominic and Godfrey, are ridiculously skinny. I know this is a late 2000’s game, but wow, way to isolate a significant part of the population. Curvy people deserve to be fashionistas too. Another thing that annoyed me was when customers came in and didn’t buy anything. Like, I’m glad you like the displays and appreciated my help the last time you were here, but if you’re not buying anything, please go away. And sometimes customers ask for the same garment every time they come in, and you have to sit through the same dialogue every time. Thank goodness for fast-forward tapping, right?

Also, it’s exasperating when someone who very clearly doesn’t match the style of the store comes in. Like, girl, this place sells Penbridge (a preppy style) and Capsule (a retro style), what are you doing in here wearing Karamomo (Asian-inspired style)? And how am I supposed to know you like other brands when you’re not even wearing them? Only so many customers actually say they want a change of style. Plus, it would be a lot easier if they could tell you what other brands they like besides their main one. You can only guess three times before you just have to choose something and hope they like it. Sometimes you can convince them, other times they’ll tell you no. It’s a coin toss either way.

Despite my grievances, Style Savvy is a fun way to past the time, and I’ll keep coming back to it no matter what.