FabStyle (ファブスタイル) is a fashion retail simulation game primarily designed to appeal to a young female audience. It is the third fully 3D game developed by Ruby Party and their first IP to not be given the Neoromance series labeling. The game's overall theme is to "live a wonderful life"; the common catch phrase for the game is "Fabulous!"
FabStyle is the pet project of Keiko Erikawa, who remained an influential figure for directing the tone and look of the game. She believes that women in Japan generally have little to no exposure to the business world, so her hopes are to inspire and educate women to try by being exposed to this product. Erikawa believes the game's lighthearted tone and fashion customization appeal to anyone, regardless of age, gender, or career choice. Sound director Mari Yoshida and CG director Mayu Inose are involved. Former Nintendo president Satoru Iwata expressed interest in bringing the game overseas.
The Premium Box edition includes a guidebook containing character profiles and concept art, a soundtrack CD that has ten character image songs and game music, a DVD which includes two promotional movies and the cinematics in the game, and four printed art cards.
Plot[]
The game takes place in Harbor City, a renowned fashion city in Japan. The protagonist, a new owner of her elder sister's appeal shop, aims to win the Platinum trophy in the Business Award competition, overcoming college education and love life hurdles.
Gameplay[]
The Business Award is a four-year competition with stages of Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. The protagonist must meet sales goals to advance to each level. Success depends on her marketing, intelligence, and allure stats, which can be increased naturally throughout the game to influence consumer attitudes.
FabStyle cycles through three phases in the game: Work Time, Free Time, and Monthly Evaluation.
Work Time[]
The protagonist must purchase clothing for her store, adjusting their budget based on the store's sales and profit ratings. Clothing brands are divided by the Business Award competition level, with each having a unique Japanese fashion design theme. The store must discard previous season clothes to avoid losing profit. The protagonist can choose between mass purchases or purchasing from any branding, with the latter option recommended for diverse visitors.
Each article of clothing is divided into one of eight categories:
- Inner - tank tops, T shirts, light blouses
- Tops - jackets, parkas, tunics
- Outer - trench coats, full body coats
- Pants - jeans, cargo pants, shorts
- Skirt - long and mini skirts
- One-piece dresses
- Dress - full body dresses
- Accessories - shoes, hats, jewelry
The game involves a store mannequin dressed in popular clothing trends, offering promotional discounts and seasonal sales. The store opens with consumer requests, and successful selling within a twenty-second time limit is rewarded with a ten-second boost. Attention to specific requests earns an extra fifteen seconds to the time limit.
Free Time[]
When the opening sales for the store are completed, the player is free to wander Harbor City. The protagonist's make-up and clothing can be customized based on her current wardrobe. A total of four visits can be made to any place in a given month.
- My Shop - revisit the shop during the month and attend to a single customer's inquiry. If the shop is thriving, a special clothing option may be obtained by visiting. The player may need to attend to the shop to increase the sales bar (lower right bar in graphic interface).
- Academy - classes featuring real world concerns regarding fashion, business, and manners. Text for each subject is given to the player and followed by a five question test. Every test is multiple choice. The player can excel in these tests to obtain the optional plague and owl trophies.
- Beauty Parlour - visit the Mako Salon. The player can customize their avatar's hairstyle and color, purchase cosmetics, and keep their purchased makeup for future playthroughs.
- Exhibition Hall - visit currently available clothing brands to buy clothing for the protagonist. Purchased personal clothing is kept in subsequent playthroughs.
- Cafe - get business tips or romantic advice from the cafe owner. Special promotions can be obtained if the building is sparkling.
- Park - contact a male character for a meet and greet. The player can learn more about the protagonist's current love interest. Valentine's Day, White Day, and Christmas can be celebrated with whoever likes her the most.
Romance events are colored letter icons on the map screen, marked by the first initial of the associated character's name. Players can complete these events, which can change the game's ending, and multiple men can be romanced simultaneously.
Monthly Evaluation[]
The game provides a progress report on the store's sales, profits, and sales, allowing the player to assess their progress and plan their actions. The game then repeats the Work Time phase after confirming the process.
Modes[]
Continue[]
Load from a previous save. Ten save slots are available. If the player completes one playthrough of the game, they can load the cleared game slot to keep their previous settings for their avatar and whatever clothing they purchased for her personal wardrobe.
New Game[]
Self-explanatory.
Collection[]
Event and music collection. Completely a selection of earned character events with the male cast.
Sound[]
Allows the player to adjust the volume for the game's sound effects, music, character voices, and movies.
Characters[]
- Meg
- Jin
- Leo
- Yves
- Akira
- Fleming
- George
- Rick
- Arisa Hamai (Arisa) - voiced by Umeka Shoji. Age at start of the game: Age 27. Arisa, a successful fashion business owner and Platinum Award winner, sends an evening gown to her sister if she nears earning the Platinum Award.
- Mari Tachibana (Mari) - voiced by Umeka Shoji. Age at start of the game: 25. Reliable and cheerful staff member of the protagonist's store. She has some history with Arisa and Jin, and swears to keep an eye on the protagonist for them. Mari is often dazzled by her boss's celebrity.
- Naomi Yamashita (Naomi) - voiced by Yuka Komatsu. Age at start of the game: 19. Naomi, a friendly classmate at the fashion academy, aims for grade A if the protagonist declines Leo's Owl Awards. She prefers feminine, frilly clothing in pink and white colors.
- Yoshikuni Otani (Yoshikuni) - voiced by Hikaru Midorikawa. Age at debut: 32. President of the real estate company Tanik Impression. Sponsors Suezo, one of the protagonist's selfish rivals, yet is interested in the other business owners. If the protagonist impresses his covert agents at her store, Yoshikuni feels her honest and caring customer service has already won the competition. He ceases his partnership with Suezo to cut him from the race.
- Kei - Age at start of the game: 28. Owner of Habor City's beach café. The protagonist can receive tips for running a successful business or wooing one of the main male characters. Listening to her grants a small bonus to either Marketing or Appeal stats. Routinely comes to the store as a customer. Her preferences are casual clothing, and her favorite colors are white and black.
- Mako - voiced by Mitz Mangrove. Beautician and owner of Mako's Salon. Grand prize winner of the annual hair stylers' contest. If the protagonist visits his beauty parlor enough, he will confess that he is gay and struggling to find a boyfriend who will appreciate him. Mako occasionally has crushes on the main male cast and will offer clues about their color and hair preferences. Players may cheer him up from his romantic problems for a friendly discount.
- Bobby - voiced by Grace Mahya. Lithe jazz musician at the bar Bar Bar Bar. Dresses in men's clothing for show attire. Reveals George's past music career in one of his events.
Differences between ports[]
- The Nintendo 3DS port includes more movies for character events. These movies may play pieces of a character's image song. The DS versions replaces these segments with a text summary.
- Player customization is used for movies in the 3DS port.
- Additional underwear for the protagonist is included in the 3DS port.
Related Media[]
A completion media meeting was held for the game and broadcasted live on Nico Nico Live. Hiroshi Okamoto (Leo) and Tomoya Nakamura (Yves) also appeared as guests in Neoromance Starlight ♥ Christmas 2011.
The game's commercial has Nozomi Sazaki portraying the protagonist. As a reference to her portrayal an in-game version of Nozomi can visit the protagonist's shop for a clothing request.
Two guidebooks were published for the game. The soundtrack in the Premium Box was later available for general purchase.
Image Songs[]
- Performed by Mikako Fuchi
- Performed by Tomoya Nakamura
- Performed by Grace Mahya
Allusions[]
- Xmas Season is the same musical arrangement used in Kiniro no Corda 2.
- Jin mentions dining at Teikoku Hotel. The in-game's dictionary includes a similar worded summary of the place as seen in Shaberu! DS Oryouri Navi Marugoto Teikoku Hotel.
- Real world products, events, and people are included within the game, but some are altered slightly to avoid copyright issues. One of them includes the in-game's idol group AK84B (no relation to the actual band with the same name).