So Dress to Impress is *actually* a horror game?

Where did fashion games like Polly Pocket, Stardoll and Myscene.com go? I’ve been searching for one to fill the doll-shaped void in my heart since those servers were disconnected. But, thanks to my bestie (and TikTok) I recently became aware of Dress to Impress — and it absolutely hit the spot.

Essentially, each round of the game is themed, so obviously the goal is to show off a little creative flair while creating a fit that’s on theme before strutting down the runway and hitting all of the fitcheck poses, including the iconic pose 28. If you know, you know. Everyone’s fit is voted on from one to five stars, and the winners are always rigged. Think: VIP members who’ve got access to an incredible separate wardrobe, players who are never on theme, or ones who serve up the most snoozy fits — and always somehow snatch the throne. Ugh. 

And yet, since discovering DTI, I’ve been addicted.

If you’re wondering how this even came about, let me give you a quick rundown on Roblox. Basically, it’s a gaming platform where players can create games for themselves or for others, so multiple servers can exist at once and DTI is just one of many. Before DTI, I genuinely thought Roblox was either for kids and gamers, but now everyone is flocking to get in on the action, me included. Thank you @caseohgames for putting me on.

But, I’ve been making a huge mistake — I was only playing it as the surface-level fashion game up until very recently. Because in a plot twist even the most cooked minds couldn’t have predicted, Dress to Impress is actually a horror game.

I’ll give you a minute to process that mayhem.

Ready now? Okay, let’s get into the disturbing details. The theme of this round is detective-core and it gets really creepy, really quickly.

The in-game nail tech, Lana, is at the centre of this horror game that blends girlypop fashion with lore that has Five Nights at Freddy’s vibes. There’s a whole subculture dedicated to ‘Lana lore’ — and I thought it was serving cunt, but it’s unfortunately giving cult.

I didn’t think I could love this game any more than I already did, but then it gave me my literal dream crossover of gaming genres. An addictive game with deep and spooky lore? I’m in.

I’ve been watching YouTube vids and doom-scrolling on TikTok to find out what is going on, and it’s not for the girlies that scare easily. Apparently, this was supposed to just be an April Fool’s update, but it’s gotten way deeper since.

And somehow, a tonne of players still have no idea about the lore. I’m going down rabbit holes and they’re in it to win it. Maybe ignorance is bliss.

To be fair, the first time I noticed something strange was when I was getting my character’s nails done and I noticed a note on Lana’s desk, reading “Find Me” with a player number attached, and curiosity got the best of me.

For context, there are three main characters within this lore: Lana (the unassuming nail-tech), Gigi (the actual owner of the DTI game) and Agamemnon AKA fortressawakening (a rogue enigma).

Diary entries, letters and photographs from a minigame called ‘The Forest’, which needs to be completed to get a cute dress for runway walks, have confirmed that Lana had a terminal illness that she recovered from – but, she was left with crippling hospital bills. Gigi reached out to her and enlisted her as a nail tech until she began to resent everything DTI, and has since gone missing and Gigi seems to be to blame.

Currently, I’m assuming that poor Lana is dead and players interact with her spirit, but it’s hard to tell. My queen Lana loves to talk in cryptic code but is it even her all the time?? Because DTI has confirmed in her diary that the in-game ‘Lana’ is not the real one.

Now, seeking revenge, Lana has gathered a cult (under the ‘coterie’ game category) that makes actual player sacrifices to Agamemnon, and there have even been live and gameplay-friendly executions. Plus, there’s an experimentation room inside ‘The Forest’ that’s gone from hosting a terrified and wigged-out Lana clone to now what seems to be a… meat creature? And you’ll even find graves of dead players in this minigame, too.

And that’s not all. Updates also span from missing players, hidden notes and Lana clones to ominous portals and an eerie photo gallery with a warning to not dig too deeply… 

As for what’s new in the lore space, there’s a random meat room just outside of the DTI house where the fashion game takes place, and it’s confirmed to have an upcoming lore quest, plus a hidden portal with a huge key that’s labelled with Lana’s name. And let’s not forget about that massive portrait of Lana at her desk with the meat creature next to her.

And it gets wilder. Lana herself has also been going after popular lore investigators who’ve gained platforms from their speculating, the most recent soon-to-be victims being Callmehhaley and Enchanteddizzy, which I think is a really fun way to keep it all interactive.

I’m so curious to see how that’ll play out, if the Roblox characters die and how that story continues through their YouTube channels if they do.

As for concrete lore confirmation, Lana’s even got her own YouTube channel called ‘Lanadoesnails’, which posts unnerving videos confirming previous lore, or just dredging up new suspicions. The most recent update was literally posted yesterday, so it’s all still unfolding.

It’s also been recently confirmed that Lana and Agamemnon’s plan is to eventually take over DTI completely, and with the hair salon chairs glitching to become the same texture as the meat room, it looks like their mission might be successful.

I just know that with Halloween coming, these updates are about to reach a whole new level of terrifying. Until then, you’ll find me slaying runways and investigating lore when clocking insane hours of DTI gameplay every week.

Written by Nishika Sharma, who has yet to be initiated into Lana’s coterie. Lowkey offended. You can follow her at @nishikasharma_ on socials.

Image credit: ROBLOX, Dress to Impress Wiki + Punkee