Summary
Highlights
The reviewer provides an honest, unpaid review of The Sims 4: Adventure Awaits expansion pack, granted early access by EA. They explain that the game is a non-final software version with a watermark and disabled gallery, and disclose their EA creator code. The primary goal is to inform viewers about the pack's content and worth.
The Sims 4: Adventure Awaits focuses on four themes: childhood improvements, outdoorsy activities, getaways, and custom venues. The reviewer initially disliked the inclusion of imaginary friends, similar to their experience in The Sims 3. In Sims 4, these dolls can be purchased, renamed, and have customizable traits, even turning into life-sized creatures that only children can see. Children can interact with them, form a 'friends to the end' pact, or say goodbye permanently. Upon aging to a teen, the imaginary friend can be turned into a normal human Sim, though the process is criticized for its lack of depth compared to The Sims 3. Imaginary friends in Sims 4 are not as intrusive but also lack meaningful gameplay, with adults and toddlers unable to interact with them.
A new childhood aspiration is introduced, which is a significant addition as it provides a true, long-term goal for child Sims, unlike recent 'mini-pack tutorial' aspirations. Completing it grants the 'coolest kid' trait, improving social interactions and competitive game performance. Formative moments, resembling bucket list quests, offer 38 different challenges with unique reward traits, influencing adult skills and moods. These can be overwhelming due to their number but add rich storytelling to childhood experiences. Adults can also acquire these traits using reward points. Sentiments, while not exclusive to the pack, include new options for children related to their friends and family, though their long-term impact on relationships is limited.
The pack introduces proper playgrounds, including standalone slides, water slides for pools, and fully modular playground sets with numerous customizable pieces. These are usable by all ages, from toddlers to adults. New games like hide-and-seek (with Sims hiding in bushes or trash cans) and rock-paper-scissors are added, also accessible to Sims of all ages.
A new 'competitive' trait is highly detailed, offering a dynamic 'competitive spirit' that changes based on a Sim's behavior, affecting their reactions to wins and losses. This trait also accelerates competitive skill building. The pack introduces new skills: a five-level Archery skill (with competitions and special unlockables like shooting an apple off a Sim's head), a ten-level Paper Crafting skill (allowing Sims to create various decorative items), and a five-level Diving skill (expanding on an existing base game feature with new diving boards). The Entomology skill is tied to collecting butterflies and raising caterpillars, leading to a new butterfly collection with a dedicated habitat for display.
New outdoor activities include kayaking (which builds fitness skill and can be done in any open water and pools), free weights, and spin bikes for fitness. An in-ground hot tub is added for building versatility, and a new 'water woohoo' interaction is available in any water body. Sims can also pan for crystals in Crystal Valley, finding both crystals and decor objects. The new Park Worker career is a 10-level rabbit hole career with two branches, requiring Sims to work entire weekends and struggling with low pay and needs management, making promotion challenging.
Getaways function as customizable vacations with scheduled itineraries, while custom venues are highly customizable community lots. They can be used together or separately. Custom venues require minimal objects (sink, toilet, garbage can) and allow for detailed scheduling of Sim activities, such as kids' camps, art studios, or pretend schools. Several preset venue types are available, and custom schedules can be saved. The reviewer plans to explore ideas such as a boarding school or daycare. Getaways can be recurring events, and custom rules can be applied, including elimination competitions based on skills or romance. The competition aspect is somewhat repetitive and lacks depth, as seen in a cooking competition without a clear winner announcement or significant rewards. The three default getaways are the Revive and Thrive Retreat (fitness), Camp Gibbi Gibbi (kids' summer camp), and a Love Island-style romance competition. Getaways offer powerful reward traits that boost skills and motives, making them highly replayable despite some flaws, such as needing to pay for repairs on non-household lots.
Gibbi Point is the new world, inspired by New Zealand and US national parks, featuring three neighborhoods and 13 lots. Jellyfish Junction is a coastal artsy area with a lighthouse, shops, fitness festivals, and bioluminescent water. Wanderwood Wilds is a foresty national park-like area with a geyser, ranger station, fire watch tower, and a new playground lot type. Crystal Valley, an old gold mine area, allows for crystal panning and features the Electric Lagoon with glowing waters and special butterflies. The world is praised for its beauty and environmental richness.
Special townies enrich Gibbi Point's lore: Pruella Preener, a peculiar Plumbird, offers quests that reveal her story (though repetitive). Toshi the storyteller provides adventure quests about the 'Great Adventurers' that fill an in-game map. Laxmi, a butterfly conservationist, guides butterfly-raising quests. Buddy Scoop, a collector kid, allows tradingcollectibles and playing rock-paper-scissors for rare items. Three townie households (the Chavez-Ralstons, Addams, and Perrys) are tied to the default getaways and add to the world's narrative. The lots in Gibbi Point were built by community Simmers.
CAS content is largely outdoorsy and fitness-focused, similar to existing packs, with highlights being new hairstyles. Tagging issues lead to clothing being restricted by frame despite fitting all Sims. Children receive many new hairs and matching clothes, including a unique child-exclusive hair. Toddlers get few but cute items, like a tie-dye t-shirt, while infants receive only one full-body outfit. Build mode introduces modular playground pieces, but the lack of a new kitchen set is a disappointment. New wall decor, especially two gallery walls and a wall shelf with board games, are praised. Five new beds are included, offering variety for different themes, though their energy stats are inconsistent. The new bathroom items (sink and shower) are mismatched and not cohesive. Fireplaces are a highlight, particularly a wood stove and stone fireplace. New clutter items like board game shelves and an appliance cart (with a blender) are appreciated. Build mode also adds two new fences, columns, a spandrel, two types of stairs with railings, and two new roof textures with painted undersides (a canvas and a metal one). Wallpapers are cabiny, with a stone option and various wood panels. Three new foundations are a welcome addition. Windows and doors are split across different styles, with some lacking matching variants and swatches, which the reviewer finds frustrating. Debug items include environmental details like a giant kiwi statue, phone booth, and potted plants.
The pack's high replayability with diverse getaway and custom venue combinations is a major highlight, making it one of the most valuable expansion packs. It integrates well into regular gameplay, and the focus on childhood, with playgrounds and formative moments, is well-loved. The aspirations feel like true, challenging goals. Gibbi Point is considered one of the best and most lively worlds created. Disappointments include the shallow imaginary friends and finicky kayaking. The repetitive nature of quests is a Sims 4-wide issue. A potentially offensive term in item descriptions was promptly changed by EA. Despite minor bugs, the experience was largely positive. The Park Worker career needs tuning but offers a unique challenge. Overall, Adventure Awaits is a solid expansion, offering significant content and customization, similar to "Businesses & Hobbies" in its versatile approach. While not a true hotel pack, its customizable getaways and bed-and-breakfast-like experiences are a close substitute. The pack is recommended for long-term Sims players who enjoy deep customization and storytelling, though it might be overwhelming for new players. The reviewer emphasizes its value in comparison to other expansion packs, especially during a sale, and encourages using creator codes at checkout.