As an avid Sims fan, who is now completely up to date with EVERYTHING The Sims 4 has to offer, I have some mixed feelings about the latest expansion. The islands of Sulani are the next destination for our Sims and have a wealth of offerings to bring to the table. With the new ability to wander out into the ocean, we can swim, snorkel and even try and commune with the dolphins. This is all great fun, made even more amusing when I decided to skinny dip first in the ocean… Nothing like simulated snorkeling in the nude to really get your giggles going.
The islands are lush and full of life, the water clear and the views spectacular. From a content perspective, the game is packed with great new items to build and interact with. From active watercraft such as jet skis and sailboats to new loungers for the beach and the water, there are plenty of activities and various pop-up festivals to make your time on the island relaxing and enjoyable. The build mode items are themed to offer the very essence of island tropical living and I am very excited to see what I can build along with the community with all these wonderful new items. It may sound crazy but there are some brilliant looking doors that I cannot wait to incorporate into new house and lot builds. Along with new activities and items, a new playable sim type joins the ranks in the form of a Mermaid. The game-play, however, does not change much when it comes to being a mermaid. You swim much faster obviously and you have the ability to use your mermadic powers to change the weather. Testing this out, I called a thunderstorm and immediately caused my sim to become stressed… The only other noticeable difference is that instead of a hygiene meter you have a hydration meter.
With all that The Sims has to offer, I found myself in a many “what next moments”. This is the point where I started to really sit and think about what all this 40 dollar expansion has to offer. The pack has many great things to do and see, and do and really is the perfect island getaway for your sims. I feel that even though the world has been lovingly crafted and beautifully detailed, it is like booking a long vacation, but then being ready to go home after a few days. At best this pack should have been offered as a game pack in my mind and not qualified as a full expansion. I applaud the Sims team that painstakingly crafted this new expansion, but feel that they missed the mark in the execution. If you have already purchased the expansion, I sincerely you enjoy it as much as the rest of us do. If you have not purchased and are on the fence, I would recommend waiting for this one to go on sale.
