Truth in Tap: Project Makeover – A Fashionable Bait-and-Switch?

If you’ve played mobile games for more than five minutes, you’ve probably seen those Project Makeover ads—you know, the ones where a tragic-looking character is bullied, dumped, or fired for their “terrible fashion sense.” The solution? A magical makeover that somehow fixes their life, love, and career.

So, I did what I always do—I downloaded the game to see if it actually delivers. Spoiler alert: It doesn’t.

The Ad vs. The Reality

The ads make it look like a dramatic makeover sim, where you personally choose outfits, fix hair disasters, and rescue people from their horrible life situations. But once you get into the game, you quickly realize that it’s actually a match-3 puzzle game—and a pretty aggressive one at that.

Yes, you do get to style characters and renovate rooms, but there’s a catch: You need to beat levels of match-3 puzzles to earn currency for every single action. Want to change a dress? Solve a puzzle first. Need to fix the wallpaper? More puzzles. At some point, it starts to feel less like a fashion game and more like a never-ending grind.

What the Game actually is

If you’ve played Candy Crush or any other match-3 puzzle game, you already know what you’re in for. Here’s what Project Makeover actually consists of:

✅ Endless match-3 puzzles to earn cash for makeovers.

✅ Aesthetically pleasing designs—the makeovers do look nice.

✅ Limited creative freedom—you don’t get to freely mix and match styles. Instead, you pick one of three preset outfit options, and each item—shoes, makeup, a top—costs coins separately, meaning you’ll be solving a lot of puzzles just to complete a single makeover.

✅ Freemium mechanics—you’ll hit difficulty spikes where the game nudges you toward spending real money for extra moves.

Basically, if you’re downloading this for the drama-filled makeover experience, you’re going to be disappointed. If you actually enjoy match-3 games with a fashion twist, then you might have fun with it.

The Verdict: Should you play Project Makeover?

🎨 Makeovers? Yes, but heavily locked behind puzzles.
🧩 Gameplay? Mostly match-3, so if you’re not a fan, you’ll get frustrated quickly.
💸 Pay-to-win? Not mandatory, but expect to grind or pay when the puzzles get ridiculously hard.
📖 Storyline? It’s dramatic and entertaining at first, but it’s mostly there to keep you playing the puzzles.

Final Score: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)

Project Makeover isn’t a bad game—but it’s not the game you think you’re getting based on the ads. The puzzles can be fun if you like match-3 mechanics, and the makeover designs are cute. But if you’re hoping for a full-on fashion and drama game, you’ll find yourself stuck solving puzzles instead of styling outfits.

What do you think? Have you played Project Makeover? Were you expecting more fashion and less puzzle-solving? Drop a comment and let me know!