Dress To Impress

Play it on: Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC, iOS, Android

Current goal: Get on the podium more than once

Yes, I’m hooked on a game built by teenagers running on a platform made for children. Dress to Impress is a Roblox game that tasks you with dressing up a Bratz-like figure in an outfit befitting a specific theme (which changes every round) from a selection of clothing scattered around a simplistic boutique. You only have a few minutes to pick out your clothes and accessories and style your hair, nails, and makeup before walking the runway, striking a pose, and waiting for other players to dole out their votes. The top three players will get a coveted podium position and some in-game currency, which you can use to buy nicer outfits and accessories.

Frustratingly, Dress to Impress is often populated by children who either make alliances before their runway walks to ensure their mutual success or who are wooed only by outfits that reference pop stars and Disney princesses. As such, I’m rarely on the podium, even when I conjure up the perfect representation of a “movie night” fit these grade schoolers have ever seen. But despite my frequent losses, I have a blast every single round, because Dress to Impress mixes the perfect amount of quality gameplay with jank to ensure your experience is always a little bit frantic. I’ll be playing this damn kid’s game all weekend. — Alyssa Mercante