A Dress to Impress-Style Mode Could Help Project Rene Multiplayer Shine

Rumors continue to swirl around The Sims’ latest endeavor, Project Rene. Essentially acting as The Sims 5, Project Rene has captured the attention of many a curious Simmer. Some features of the project have been confirmed, but adding a Dress to Impress-esque mini-game could be a fun addition to the long-awaited project.

Project Rene was first announced in 2022 at the Behind The Sims Summit. The hook for the next installment of The Sims franchise is its online multiplayer cross-platform capabilities. Leaks by play testers have revealed some of Project Rene’s multiplayer features, but much is still left in the dark. However, these play test leaks highlighted interesting features like a central meeting area for players, called The Hub, which could house mini-games such as the suggested Dress to Impress-like mode.

Mini-Games For Project Rene

By combining The Hub and XP gain, possibilities for mini-games in Project Rene start to run rampant. The project’s online multiplayer capabilities will likely be used for more traditional aspects of The Sims franchise, like shared households. However, joint player mini-games have always been a hit in online multiplayer games and will surely continue to be.

Create-A-Sim (CAS) is one of the most celebrated aspects of The Sims 4, with many players using or even creating custom content for the feature. Project Rene’s version of CAS was leaked by data miners, proving that the feature will be included. This means that, like The Sims 4, the “dress up” elements of CAS will be available to players.

Why Dress to Impress Would Be the Perfect Mini-Game For Project Rene

The Hub, XP gain, and CAS create the perfect storm for a Dress to Impress style mini game for Project Rene. There are hundreds of CAS assets across all The Sims 4’s DLC packs that could serve as inspiration for new clothes, jewelry, makeup, and hair in Project Rene.

The premise is simple. Mini-games, which could hypothetically be found in The Hub, could lead to bonus XP gain. By placing at a certain rank in Project Rene’s version of Dress to Impress, players can earn XP. No confirmation on XP’s purpose in Project Rene has been announced, but leaked information has made it sound like an integral part of gameplay.

Like Dress to Impress, gamers would be able to search through a treasure trove of items before strutting down the runway. Though EA and Maxis likely won’t want to rip off the hit Roblox game, posing is an iconic part of Dress to Impress that should be included. Theming is also paramount for this hypothetical mini-game, as players needs to know what to dress as. Fortunately, The Sims has a wide range of fashion icons to take inspiration from.

Project Rene’s Twist on Dress to Impress

The easiest theme that comes to mind is Townies. Characters created by EA and Maxis for The Sims, Townies develop the rich history of the franchise into an extensive lore. Theming in the Townie category could range from picking a specific Townie, like Bella Goth, and having players pick their best red dress for the runway to impersonate the iconic character. Alternatively, the category itself could be “Townie” with players dressing up as a Sims character of their choosing.

In a similar vein, non-playable characters could serve as a fashion category. The Grim Reaper, Father Winter, and Bonehilda are all staple characters in The Sims that could serve as fashion inspiration for the hypothetical mini-game.

Of course, EA and Maxis could always stick to classic Dress to Impress themes like Ballerina, Cowboy, Preppy, etc. But forcing players to dress up in their own version of cowplant couture would be much more interesting, and entertaining, for Simmers.

This mini-game is, unfortunately, just a dream. Until The Sims team announces more about Project Rene, Simmers will have to strut the runway in Dress to Impress instead of The Sims.