Princess Captain Avenger

The screen opens on a princess standing in front of a tall mirror, and the first thing you actually touch is a small toggle near her portrait that flips her between royal mode and hero mode. Pick a base skin tone and eye color, then the mirror character updates instantly, so every click shows up on her right away. It plays like a character creator with two separate slots for the same person, which is the whole hook.

The wardrobe splits by mode. The royal side holds ballgowns with layered skirts, tiaras, long gloves, jeweled necklaces and curls pinned up with a small crown. The hero side has armored bodices, a masked cowl, shoulder plates, boots, a billowing cape and a few emblems that sit on the chest. Capes and emblems layer over the armor, and gloves sit under the gown sleeves, so a half-and-half look is possible if you want her castle portrait to hint at her secret.

The twist is that both looks get judged together. When you finish, the game shows the two versions side by side, the princess and her avenger, framed like a comic panel next to a castle portrait. Most makeover games in this category stop at one outfit, so having to keep one person believable in both roles is what a round is really about.

Work on the hero first. Pick a cape color, then match the emblem and boots to it, because those three carry the silhouette. Switch to royal mode and reuse that same color in the gown sash or the necklace so the two looks read as one person. And try clicking the mask on and off in hero mode before you commit, since some hairstyles hide under it better than others.