Style Savvy is the sort of series that has offered Nintendo-themed clothing before. In past entries, they’d be available as special downloads, occasionally doled out to players. That happens with Style Savvy: Fashion Forward too! It’s how you can get some Splatoon attire, as well as Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer furniture and clothing. When it comes to the amiibo items, though, it isn’t as easy as tapping the amiibo to your New 3DS XL or reader. You actually have to work for these items, which makes collecting these extras even more exciting.
There’s quite a nice selection of amiibo accessories to choose from, which tend to act more often as accents than full outfits. Exceptions exist of course. Lucina unlocks a skirt, Isabelle gives you a shirt, Rosalina provides a dress, Palutena offers a top, the Inkling Girl gives leggings, and Yoshi offers a hoodie. But most of the items are more subtle nods to the characters they’re inspired by, which means you might do a double take when you first see a customer come in with one of them.
Yes, that’s how you’ll first see the amiibo items in Style Savvy: Fashion Forward. After scanning in the amiibo from the in-game menu, you’ll need to stop by your shop and see which customers are waiting for your help. An amiibo-related visitor will appear, either carrying or wearing the item you’re attempting to earn. This person will have an outfit request you’ll have to fulfill. You’ll need to exactly meet their needs and choose the “Try it on” option to earn the accessory. Giving her the option to “Take a look” may result in a sale, but won’t reward you with the amiibo-related item.
While it would have been nice to immediately get the item tied to the amiibo, I appreciate what Style Savvy: Fashion Forward does with its NFC compatibility. Getting to fulfill customer requests by putting together outfits is its own reward, even if the same customer always seems to want the same thing and may not even show up in past outfits. Getting a new person to help before getting the extra item is an additional bonus. It also makes the getting the item more satisfying, because you actually earned it.
The amiibo items in Style Savvy: Fashion Forward are a pleasant nod to existing Nintendo properties, while also keeping you pulled into the game. These accessories and pieces of clothing have to be earned, giving you another reason to keep playing. They aren’t part of full costumes, so you have to think when working them into your avatar’s outfits. They’re inserted naturally into the game, a happy bonus for doing what the game expects of you. It’s a delightful reward and let you do what many people already do in real life – subtly show how much you love a franchise, without going overboard into full cosplay.
Style Savvy: Fashion Forward is immediately available for the Nintendo 3DS.
