The Sims 4 has been out for 5 years now (surprising, I know!). I still remember when I got the game on the day of its release and was extremely hyped to play it. Upon its original release, The Sims 4 lacked many of the features that should have been in the game.
I still recall how when the game was launched, there were no options for pools and toddlers. As most people play The Sims to get away from real-life, or to live a fantasy life, some people want to virtually own a mansion with a giant pool.
Luckily, they’ve since added more items into the games either via free updates, stuff packs or expansions. While those do cost actual money to purchase, you can still make do with just the base game.
And speaking of the base game, I decided to take a look at what they’ve added into the game for the game’s fifth anniversary.
1. Muslim-inspired Clothing
The fifth anniversary brings in one of the much-awaited additions to the game in the form of Muslim-centric apparel.
Of course, this sparked some internet outrage (nothing new here). Religious items aren’t exactly new in the game—they’ve added in items such as a Hanukkah menorah, Diya lamps, Christmas trees and sarees into the game.
The hijabs and kufis come in a few different colours and styles the list is not fully fleshed out but it’s better than nothing. Aside from headwear, they’ve also added in some apparel that is more modest and that includes athletic wear and swimsuits.
While I’m sure some of our Muslim friends that are into The Sims might find the addition wonderful, not everyone shares the same sentiment.
Here’re some choice words that I’ve found on the internet:
2. Muslim-inspired Architecture
Aside from clothing, they’ve also sprinkled in some build items that reminded me of doors and windows that can be found on a Middle-Eastern building. Most of the new items sport a pointed arch design.
One thing the new additions did bring is a door design that’s a personal favourite: a door with a tiny window on top.
3. Customisable Stairs
Customisable stairs have been something that Sims fans have been clamouring for. While it did take the team five whole years to add it into the game, the addition is more than welcome.
Instead of the regular straight flight of stairs, you can now twist and turn the stairs to fit your design. However, when I tested it out, you can only twist it twice before the game stops you in your tracks.
The annoying part when it comes to the new stairs is with the inability to have anything under it. I could add posters to the wall under the stairs, but I can’t have flowers or decoration underneath it to add clutter to it. (You can still use move_objects to clip things through).
4. Feel-Good Summer Goodies & More
While it is undeniable Malaysia is stuck in a constant summer all year long, we can still rejoice over free summer-related objects that get added into the game. New items such as lounge chairs, outdoor dining tables, grounded lights and so on could spice up your outdoor parties.
The gnome family also grew as well, with a new member that is capable of holding up another object. If you wish, you can build a two-level gnome masterpiece.
Some glitches and bugs have been fixed, but one that caught my eye was the ability to fill empty houses in your lot. This means the empty lots that are not occupied in your town will be automatically filled. You can disable this setting if you wish.
In an internal interview by EA with Graham, one of the producers of the game, he was asked about what brought the inspiration for the new additions to the game, and he said: “When we discussed adding a set of clothing and objects to celebrate The Sims 4’s fifth anniversary, we wanted to ensure the things we created would contain fun references to The Sims, but would still be versatile additions that could be incorporated into any wardrobe or home.”
He then chimed in and said: “We’re excited to introduce new clothing and objects inspired by Muslim culture to enable even more Simmers around the world to explore their own self-expression.”
The fifth-anniversary update also brings in a boatload of patches and fixes for the game to improve the quality of life for the game.
5. A Magical Expansion Pack
A major expansion pack (it costs money) is already available for purchase now called The Sims 4: Realm of Magic. As the name implies, the expansion will bring back one of my favourite expansions from all the way back to The Sims: Makin’ Magic.
The update mentions that you’ll be able to summon familiars and dragons in the game and you can now even dress up like a sorcerer or magician, learn spells and teach spells. You can also conjure up food along with a lot of other useful spells.
Of course, if you’re not interested in magic-play in the first place, this might not change your mind. Early reviews of the expansion haven’t exactly been favourable either.
Some of the early reviews mentioned the pre-built houses from The Sims team have either stairs that lead to nowhere or missing roof textures. Perhaps the devs didn’t do sufficient testing before the update went live.
The fifth-anniversary update and The Sims 4: Realm of Magic expansion pack is already out now on PC/Mac and the expansion pack will be out on consoles come October.
- More info on The Sims 4 can be found here.
- You can also learn more about The Sims 4: Realm of Magic here.
Featured Image Credit: The Sims 4/EA
