Summer, Autumn, Winter, SPRING!! The Sims 4 Seasons is now available.
Our sims are now exposed to the elements with the new Expansion Pack for The Sims 4. I received this code as a part of the EA Game Changers program so I could bring you this review. There is a LOT of new game play. Too much for one day of reviewing, so I have taken a while to get this review out because I wanted to experience as much as possible for you all before I wrote this.
This expansion pack might be the best of the series so far. The amount of work and detail in the new items and game play is immaculate. The Sims team have done a great job. If you are a new Sims player and are unsure what pack to get next; please make it be this pack. Here are the reasons why…
Create-A-Sim
We have two new options for outfits now in Create-A-Sim mode. Clothing for hot weather, and clothing for cold weather. You can select from the abundance of new clothing included in the new Expansion Pack, where we are provided with jumpers, coats, rain proof, snow proof clothing, summer clothing (including shirts with openings for your attractive sim boyfriend who’s way too ripped to be wearing a shirt anyway, lets be honest…) and some seriously cute stuff for the kids and toddlers. My favourite being a ripped, tie-dye shirt for the ladies and the gumboots for the toddlers which come complete with a little rainbow. Perfect for jumping in puddles at the park after a thunderstorm.
Calendar
We have a calendar in the game now. This is amazing, especially for planning events such as weddings, birthday parties, and even dinner parties. Your household will have a calendar including school, work and holidays such as “Winterfest”, “Harvestfest”, “Love Day” and “New Years Eve”. There are even random events that can pop up from time to time such as Prank Day and others. This brings a lot more storytelling to the game, and makes planning so much easier.
You can also create your own holidays with your own traditions. Finally, we can have a summer Christmas in The Sims 4. The first thing I did was create “Aussie Christmas” which included the traditions of “Water Fun”, “BBQ”, “Gift Giving” and “Drinking”, of course.
Build and Buy Mode
There has to be close to 1000 new items in this pack. Everything to keep you protected from the new weather in the game, to gardening, to family activities, to decorations for the new holidays.
Personally, my favourite items are the swing set, the single bed with drapes, the new thermostat so you can control the temperature inside your sims home (which can lead to some extreme circumstances…) and I also really enjoy a new furnishing object; the succulent wall.
As I mentioned earlier, the new calendar brings new holidays which means DECORATIONS!! There are so many new items for decorating your sims houses, including holidays such as (and totally not limited to) Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Love Day (Valentine’s Day), Pride, Ramadan, Lent, Easter, Birthdays, Halloween, Thanksgiving, New Years Eve and Snow days.
There are quite a few main featured objects in this Expansion pack including; a new Ice Skating (Roller Skating) Rink which will automatically spawn in the neighbourhood during the appropriate season for your sims and their neighbours to visit. There is also a super cute toddler pool, which can be used with adults, teens and children too. The interactive Christmas tree is a lovely addition as well, you can decorate the tree together as a family. The most intriguing object is Dr June’s Weather Controller Device which (you probably guessed it) can control the weather! Sick of the cold weather? Let’s have a heat wave! But of course, there are repercussions if your sim doesn’t have the adequate skills to operate the machine — but that’s just part of The Sims charm.
Gardening
One major update to The Sims 4 game (free update!) is the new gardening overhaul. Which also incorporates the new and amazing gardening objects in The Sims 4. There is a new Botanist’s Bench for flower arranging with the new harvestable flowers, and also there is a new Gardening Career with two branches including Botanist and Floral Designer. There is also a new Bee Hive which is super cute and interactive. Not only do the bees help you with your gardening, you can collect honey to make new recipes in the kitchen and you can also bee (not a typo) friends with the bees. Which comes with some seriously good hang ups… trust me! The last cool item to add to your new garden is the one and only, Patchy! Patchy is a scarecrow who can come to life and provides some really cute interactions for your sims.
New Gameplay
Weather brings some new interactions, and animations and also all the holidays. To keep it simple here are some of the features for each season in The Sims 4.
- Summer – Heatwaves, water balloon fights, toddler pools for lounging and even a lemonade stand for refreshments.
- Autumn – Rake the fallen leaves to create a leaf pile for burning, playing in or even a place for some itchy woohooing.
- Winter – SNOW! Snow pals, snow angels, snow ball fights.
- Spring – A great time for gardening, and flowers, spring showers, mud puddles, and sims will also sneeze on windy days.
It has taken me a while to finalize this review, mainly due to the amount of content this pack contains. If you loved The Sims 4 Cats and Dogs, then you will most likely adore The Sims 4 Seasons Expansion Pack.
