A Stylin' Career Choice
In all honesty, I wouldn't say that hair stylist would be my career of choice. It would be pretty far down on the list, actually. I can barely comb my own hair, let alone cut it. I'd hate to think how I would do on someone else's hair. That being said, I had a lot more fun here than I care to admit.
But I guess I did admit it. Whoops!
Career Transitions
First came Sally's Salon. Up next was Sally's Spa. Needless to say, our heroine is doing pretty good for herself at this point. But while talking to her friend Nell about her newfound success, she remembers something her Aunt told her when she was younger. She told her that despite how successful she got in life, she should never forget her roots.
Not only is this good advice, it has a literal meaning for Sally as well. When she was younger, she had aspirations of being a hair stylist, but they were never realized. Now she's looking to wrong that right and you get to help her achieve her childhood dream in Sally's Quick Clips, the latest game in the series.
The Formula For Success
The first two games in the series used the hugely popular (and incredibly fun) Diner Dash formula. You would control the lead character as she darted back and forth, taking care of each and every customer that entered her business. This time around, that formula is somewhat scrapped, and we're introduced to a new hybrid mechanic that combines elements of Diner Dash with match-3 puzzle games. The result? A resounding success, I think.
Customers will come in as usual, but there's no need to seat them. They'll simply appear in the chairs and request to have their hair either shampooed, cut, or blow dried, usually a combination of the three. Instead of moving Sally around, she just stands off to the side of a large game board full of symbols that represent the various services your business offers.
If a customer wants their hair shampooed, you'll have to make bubble symbol matches of three or more until you're able to do it. The same goes for cutting and blow drying hair. There are other symbols on the board that grant you certain bonuses. Match four-leaf clovers to build up a cup of coffee. Customers still get impatient, as in the other installments of the series, and giving them coffee calms them down (how, I don't know!) and refills one heart.
A New Direction
The changes made to the gameplay formula makes Sally's Quick Clips a breath of fresh air and keep the series going strong, even in its second sequel. This installment could've easily drove the concept into the ground, but now it's just as good as it ever was, if not better.
The game isn't just a good part of the series, either, it's just a good game. The developers took a risk combining two popular gameplay formulas but it worked great and made something truly memorable.
