After recently reviewing and falling in love with Inzoi, I decided to give this game another look to see what makes it tick.
I've been playing the Sims 4 since 2016 (my playtime isn't reflected on this account), courtesy of some folks on Youtube.
And despite my experience with something like the Sims 3 and Inzoi, I still keep coming back to this game.
I am of the opinion that the Sims 4 is NOT a bad game at all. The Sims still feel like actual people (though arguably less than the sims 3), the graphics and performance are as good as ever, there's a ♥♥♥♥ load of things to do thanks to the plethora of DLC and mods, and it overall just feels like a more polished and "back to basics" (for both good and bad) iteration of the Sims franchise.
But that, I believe, is the problem. The problem with this game is not necessarily the game itself. But how it, and its "back to basics" nature has been used as a vehicle for corporate greed and never-ending paid additions. Apart from the obvious fact that it locks necessary or amazing additions behind a paywall, this means that when you strip everything down and compare the base versions of each Sims game, the Sims 4 looks like a step back in comparison to the massive strides 2 and 3 made. Most importantly however, this means that the game itself does not have an identity of its own. The DLC are not ways of contributing to the core message of the game, nor is it to improve on foundations that were considered its strengths. Rather, it merely serves to "rectify" the game's artificial shortcomings, and add on random content for the sake of adding more content.
But, let us dive into the specifics of both the good and the bad for a bit.
The Good:
CAS: Genuinely the strongest in the series. I don't usually use CAS, but the plethora of stuff to choose from to customise characters is wild. However, the UI does make things feel a bit hard to find, but it is far cleaner compared to previous games.
Build Mode: Its great. FINALLY have a search button. There are a ton of options to choose from, and it just feels very robust. Simple, but can also get incredibly intricate, allowing for some amazing builds.
Graphics and Performance: Another strong point. This is one of the major reasons I prefer this over the Sims 3. While there are still loading screens everywhere, they load relatively quickly, and the game overall runs incredibly smoothly while looking quite good to boot. The styling is also the perfect evolution of the Sims 4 me. Realistic while still looking animated and cartoonish. The Sims 3 meanwhile struggles with poor lighting, long loading times (despite the open world), and characters that look like smooth rocks with faces.
Worlds: I find the worlds to be fairly detailed and good at giving off their intended vibe. In Del Sol Valley, I feel like "oh yeah this is like LA". In Nordhaven, I feel "oh yeah this is northern/central Europe". In Tomarang, I feel "oh yeah this is definitely like SEA". While Sims 3's worlds are superior at being simulations, Sims 4 worlds excel at being environments.
Breadth of Content: Unmatched. 12 years of continuous development and exposure on the market give it an insane amount of DLC, stuff packs, mods, and CC. While the base game is VERY bare bones, with it maxed out? Or even just with some mods or CC? This is basically the quintessential life sim. You can do or make literally anything and everything.
Life stages: Honestly I prefer it here. There's a lot to do with pre-young adult Sims, and they actually feel somewhat distinctive.
And that's what keeps me coming back. The ability to do, make, or tell literally any story.
The Sims 4 is an excellent virtual dollhouse. You have a family, you build them a house, you make them look pretty, you control their lives, and you create whatever stories you want with them. It is incredibly good at letting you play with your Sims.
Where it falls short, however, is as a life simulator.
The Bad:
DLC: Arguably the worst aspect of the game. There is NO reason for things like Seasons or Parenthood to be locked behind a paywall. The stuff packs themselves are even more unnecessary. Just download CC. While it does expand the scope of the game MASSIVELY, it just does not feel coordinated at all. Instead of enriching the game, it ends up making it feel bloated, incohesive, and excessive.
Personalities: The Sims themselves feel quite flat. They all act in the same way despite the emotions and the new additions to the system trying to make them all feel different. A point from Sims series retrospective video I watched recently illustrates this. For example, when you encounter a fear through the revived "wants and fears" system, the fears feel unrelated to the story of the character, and often repeat. Making it feel less like expressions of who they are, and rather stuff to check off a checklist of problems.
World simulation: One of the weaker points. Not only does the non-open world mechanic make me far less motivated to go outside and explore, the loading screens ruin any chance of me setting up or attending actual events. Not to mention, townies from all random parts of the world spawn in, making it feel less real. Not to mention, Sims often don't even interact with the things at the places they're at, opting to just talk outside. The world, while detailed, ultimately feels small and barebones with the fun parts being nonexistent or locked behind loading screens.
Generations: While I have tried this multiple times, since the "perfect dollhouse" aspect for me makes the game feel good to try and set up generations in, the non-open world aspect (meaning moving between houses is never seamless), and the samey nature of the Sims in game really just demotivate me from pushing past the 2nd generation. New day, same story.
Horrible AI and Exhausting Gameplay Loop: After playing Inzoi (of which I thought the AI there was bad), the Sims 4 really left a sour taste in my mouth. At least there, they could actually fulfil their own needs. Here, especially in family gameplay, my Sims struggle massively to fulfil their own needs and I often need to micromanage for them to balance caring for their kids, doing their own thing, building up their skills, and going to work on top of that. At that point, it stops feeling like a game and feels like a chore. In Inzoi, needs are often automatically done and are not constantly intervened by external factors. Meanwhile, the Sims 4 has the problem of their queue being filled. AI actions are also aligned somewhat with character personalities.
Ultimately however, despite all I've said, I still come back.
Why? Because its the perfect dollhouse. And what is a dollhouse good at? Telling stories.
The Sims 3 and Inzoi are perfect if I want a simulation of a certain story. But the Sims 4 is perfect if I just have a random idea that I want to bring to life. Because the plethora of content in this game means that there will probably be a way to execute that.
I really do want to recommend this game. But as it stands...I can't. Not to the average person likely to view this, at least.
Because, if you're not willing to go in and spend a significant amount on DLCs to make the experience worthwhile, I highly recommend looking at alternatives like the aforementioned Sims 3, Inzoi, and even Paralives. They just offer a much more complete experience.
Honestly, its impossible for me to fully articulate my thoughts on this game in a single Steam review.
Overall though, good to even great game. But there are too many drawbacks that if you're not willing to actually invest, its not worth your time to play. No matter how casual-friendly it is.
