Fashion Show Game

Jojo's Fashion Show World Tour: Hot or Not?

Bring out the designer in you! Jojo's Fashion Show World Tour is the third in a series of popular time-management fashion show games where you help Las Cruces label owner Jojo Cruz through a designer rut. With her daughter Rosalind off to make it big on her own, Jojo is left to keep the clothing line fresh and fab. Now left with an empty spot in the two-woman team, Jojo looks for a new assistant and picks style savvy Hayley after a frustrating interview with a few dud designers. The newcomer proves that she is the crème de la crème of the fashion industry by helping Jojo keep their line on the limelight -but is she loyal? The ambitious young designer may just be out to ruin Jojo's career and to replace Ros in more ways than one.

The intriguing drama unfolds at the start of every stage through a few lines of dialogue or a news snippet. While this is obviously not the best way to deliver a story, it does serve as an ice breaker -which works just enough to keep players curious. In the end, the main attraction of Jojo's Fashion Show World Tour is the busy and challenging game play it offers.

Ready for the Ramp

The concept is simple; from Tokyo to Los Angeles, you are in charge of dressing up models to strut on the catwalk as they showcase the Las Cruces label. Each stage presents you with a different number of models to manage - with the additional time pressure and theme-specific requirements of course to make the fashion show game challenging.

A few rules are set at the start of the fashion show. To pass, you will need to earn a rating that meets the level requirement. In order to get more brownie points from your critiques, you will have to rely on up-to-date and complementary designs that are in line with the theme.

There is no need to panic if you are not a fashion savant. The clothing styles included in every show are introduced at the start of each level. To get an idea of what is hot for that style, you are given a brief description as well as a list of related trends. For example, when choosing pieces for the vintage-inspired Amsterdam Street theme, would you choose gaucho pants in bold patterns? Not really.

All the Action Happens Backstage

The intricacies of World Tour are best portrayed by the more sophisticated parts of its gameplay system. There are a myriad of stages -each with its own design and runway segment. The best part is that the themes are based on real styles; something that would-be fashionistas may enjoy learning about.

To help Jojo take the fashion world by storm, you have the opportunity to make an ensemble for each theme. You get to pick out and design the top, complementary bottom garment and get to choose a pair of shoes. This segment gives you the freedom to choose the cut of the clothing as well as its pattern and print. Colors are broken down into three categories, namely, the base color, the accent color as well as the hue of your chosen pattern. When you are done, the completed creation then goes into a quick launch bar so you can feature your design on the runway with ease. For all the shows that include the same theme, you can re-use the ensemble as it is or alter and update your design.

Like in a real fashion show, time is of the essence in this virtual fashion show game, and keeping track of who wear what will be your main focus in the game. Outside of your custom ensemble, the rest of the models will have to be fitted with readymade pieces which are randomly generated. It starts out easy with only two, diverse styles to choose from, but when similar trends start pouring in and time ticking away, you may just end up sending models to the runway in their undergarments.

For an added wow factor, signature pieces should always remain on your radar. Right beside your model lineup, you are given a reference picture for these show-stopping clothing ensembles. Pull off the whole outfit and you are rewarded with bonus points and approval from the masses. You may do this several times during the show if you can manage to find the elusive pieces more than once. It takes a bit of practice, but once you have a good grasp of the controls expect this to be your main ratings booster.

Being the darling of the crowd does not only help you rack up the points, you are also given the ability to refresh the contents of your styling wardrobe. This would potentially help you complete a fierce outfit when you are left only with mismatched items at the last minute. Here is an important tip: to polish your ensemble, additional accessories pop up in your styling rack every once in a while. True to form, this gives your outfits a boost, as long as they compliment the look of course.

For most of the fashion game, you are focused on female clothing, but there are also stages where you get to manage male models. This means that not only do you have to read up on styles for females but also on the opposite gender variant. This may all sound overwhelming at first, but time management veterans will likely find that the pace is just right.

Right Out of the Designer's Pages

Jojo's Fashion World Tour is truly fashion-inspired when it comes to presentation. While Jojo does not look as endearing as she was in the past games, the edgy character art does look like it was taken right out of a designer's sketchbook. The colors are tasteful and it successfully gives the game a classy, chic look. The runway-worthy music pulls the game atmosphere together beautifully and is incredibly immersive.

Prepare to spend hours playing World Tour if you want to see the ending. Game time is pretty lengthy, as there are ten locations with ten levels each. You may also choose to replay each stage any time you wish, so you can go back to challenges featuring your favorite styles.

The Verdict

If you have even the remotest interest in fashion design or time-management games, then you must certainly try your hand at this fashion show game. The core game play alone is more than certain to keep you on your toes. The polished visuals and upbeat music brings the experience of enjoying the high production values of a well made game. There is absolutely no reason to pass it up even if you are not into the storyline (which even we admit, is a little overdrawn). If you are the type who cringes at the thought of having to through several screens and soap opera-like drama dialogue, you can always skip the cut scenes and just focus on enjoying the challenge that the game provide. Simply put, the positives heavily outweigh the negatives on this title -up to the degree that they are hardly noticeable at all. So if you are ready, pack your bags and get set to conquer the fashion world with Jojo's Fashion Show World Tour. We give this game a hurriedly dressed model's 97/100.

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