Beastfolk Barber is an adorable hairdressing sim that offers up more than just shop talk

Of all the other professions I never quite saw myself as a hairdresser, I’m simply not creative enough and my small talk leaves a lot to be desired. But I was still willing to give it a go (within the safe confines of a game) because Beastfolk Barber just looked too cute to pass up on.

The premise is simple: you play as Freddie, the owner of a small hair salon in Starfish City, where beastfolk now outnumber humans. So to keep up with the changing clientele Freddie rebrands her shop for beastfolk and snags herself a magical mirror in hopes to beat out the competition who have more money and employees at their disposal.

Any time a client sits down ready to get their haircut you can use the mirror to show them up to three hairstyles they might like. This way they can get a feel for a hairdo before any hair is chopped off. But the catch is that they won’t always tell you out right which one they prefer.

It’s up to you to keep track of the options you present them with and their reactions to them and come to a decision of which one is best for them all on your own. You are a professional hairdresser after all.

Luckily, it’s not too hard to suss people out, I managed to please every customer who walked through my doors, except for the owl. But he was really grumpy to begin with, and looking back on our interaction I think he may have been a really shady criminal. You see Beastfolk Barber has more going on than just cutting people’s hair with little minigames, there’s actually more to these beastfolk than just looks.

Everyone who sits in your chair has something going on in their personal life and they really want to talk to you about it. Whether it be chasing the guy of their dreams, getting ready for a tough family reunion, or trying to push legislation through the senate to try and adjust age limits for various beastfolk.

It was the two headed dragon, Luca and Varo, who brought this issue to my attention. Apparently every beastfolk has to go by human rules and regulations. For example, bees don’t live long enough to access their government pension (which is 65 in this world; we should all be so lucky) and mice have to wait over half their lifespan for a chance to vote. But Luca and Varo are trying to change this, and apparently needed the help of a good haircut to get their confidence up to do so.

On top of all the civil unrest and shady business Freddie also has to deal with a demonic presence called Edi who’s also in need of a haircut. But being a demon, their request is not exactly straight forward. First off, they won’t pay in cash, instead opting to grant you one re-do, magically erasing or changing whatever thing you wish for. Secondly, in order to get a chance to cut your hair you need to prove your skill by acquiring 10 regulars.

Sadly, the demo ended before I could make any real headway with the task, but I think I did a good enough job for at least three clients to return to my salon. I guess the proof will be in the pudding once the full game releases in the future, hopefully we won’t have to wait too long.