I have spent a fair amount of time in the chair at a salon, as I am not great at doing hair myself. I expected Hairdresser Simulator to follow the standard simulator format, and it does. However, while I didn’t necessarily learn much about the ins and outs of styling hair, I did learn the limits of my own patience.
Plot Ahoy!
Hairdresser Simulator starts you out with a training course run by one incredibly sketchy Geordie who allows you to train on one of his regulars named Posey, whom he labels as an “airhead,” so you know the game is already off to a great start. After you make it through Posey, you’re pretty much let loose in Geordie’s salon.
Eventually, you’re able to move onward and upward, even purchasing and staffing multiple salons at once as you build your hairdressing empire.
Review Notes
Most simulators do offer the option of actually doing the activity you’re simulating, and this usually takes the form of a minigame. That doesn’t exactly happen in Hairdresser Simulator. You will be doing hair. I realize that sounds like an obvious statement, but yes, you will be washing and conditioning hair. You’ll need to learn how to section hair in order to use your tools most effectively, and once you’re out of the tutorial, you get only the vaguest of guidelines as to what the customer wants. Fortunately, most directions are pretty clear, but occasionally, you’ll get thrown for a loop.
Visually, the way haircutting works is that the title highlights the sections of hair you’re working on in the most bilious colors imaginable. I mean, I will say that you’ll never be confused about where you’re working on a client’s head. You select your tools from a radial menu, and you have a pretty impressive suite of tools available to you from the jump. There are a few that you’ll need to unlock, but you definitely have more than enough to function as a full stylist as soon as you begin.
Once you’ve amassed the necessary funds, you’re able to purchase your own salon space. Decorating it is fairly straightforward, and you have the option of either using a preset design or making it your own. Depending on how much time you want to spend, both are decent options. You can also change paint colors and decor by purchasing them later.
You also get the opportunity to design characters, at a pretty granular level, and these characters might reappear when you’re in sandbox mode. That said, Hairdresser Simulator’s graphics are a bit rough. That can also be a blessing, depending on how badly you fail at a particular cut. There’s a really steep learning curve there that you might not anticipate at first.
TLDR
If you’re a big fan of simulators, there’s a lot here to love. Unfortunately, you shouldn’t expect the title to be an entirely bug-free experience. Hairdresser Simulator glitches, and at times, the severity of those glitches can really interfere with the game experience. However, despite the glitches and the somewhat underwhelming graphics, there really is something incredibly satisfying about finally nailing that complicated cut.
That said, I’d recommend Hairdresser Simulator for serious fans of either the simulation genre or hair. More casual gamers may want to try the free demo first to make sure they will enjoy it.
Hairdresser Simulator retails for $19.99 on Steam.
Stray Thoughts From Behind the Keyboard
- I’m sure there is sound design, but honestly, it fades so much into the background, that I didn’t notice.
- There is apparently an adorable hair vacuum named Hairry.
- You’ll put in some elbow grease when decorating, up to and including patching walls yourself.
- The devs are really responsive to comments, which is nice.
- So, it turns out I’m no better doing pixelated hair than I am my own actual hair. That probably says something about me. I’m just not sure what.