Games with RPG Elements usually involve characters with numerical values, a.k.a statistics. Since Most Writers Are Human and clothing is very human, such that Appropriate Animal Attire is a way to mark anthropomorphic animals, such RPG-esque games usually have clothing as equipment.

While such equipment could just be in a simple Tier System of each level being better than the previous one, the creator could introduce a level of strategy beyond just getting the newest thing all the time. Equipment that increases a stat while also decreasing it below what it would've been if nothing were worn, makes the player need to choose between multiple options for equipment. That kind of equipment is this trope.