Fans of The Sims series were given a familiar area and a new story through The Sims 4: StrangerVille. The game pack brought players to the town of StrangerVille as they discovered what was wrong with the citizens. As if a story was not a huge plus, players were also given a new career track and much more.
Before buying the game pack, players most likely want to know if what is provided is worth it. Luckily the game does add more for the other neighborhoods, such as a career and many different items to build with. Likewise, there are some features that would have improved the pack.
10 MUST - Players Have A New Neighborhood To Explore
As with most packs, players get a new world when they buy this one. StrangerVille is inspired by the American southwestern states, such as Arizona and Nevada. There is even a secret lab for players to infiltrate, seemingly taking influence from Area 51.
StrangerVille is also home to two different neighborhoods – StrangerVille Plaza and Shady Acres. Shady Acres is located on the mountain part of the map, while StrangerVille Plaza is the location of the remaining lots. There are also only two community lots, with them being the library and the bar.
9 MISSING - Familiar Families Do Not Make Any Kind Of Appearance
Despite StrangerVille being inspired by Strangetown, no families from the Sims 2 location make an appearance. There are not even references to any of the families in the street names or location names. With Strangetown being a main neighborhood in the second game, it would have been cool to see some throwback for longtime fans of the series.
With the inclusion of the military career for this game pack, it would have been perfect to see some member of the Grunt family in the neighborhood or lab. Especially because there are alternative versions of the Landgraab and Caliente families, it would be possible to see old favorites.
8 MUST - Players Are Able To Become Soldiers Or Secret Agents
As mentioned in the last entry, players are now able to join the military. Like most careers found in Sims 4, players are able to select a new branch when they reach level 6. The options are to either continue with the normal military to become Grand Marshal, or they can join the covert branch and become Sims-In-Black.
A cool feature is that on each promotion, Sims are awarded a medal they can place in a display case. They will be awarded the same medals no matter what path the player picks, so there is no worry about missing out on one.
7 MISSING - Despite Being In The Desert, No Aliens Appear Here
The big hook for Strangetown was that aliens made an appearance, but StrangerVille is lacking when it comes to playable aliens. While it can be argued that the final boss is alien in appearance, its official name is Mother Plant. It would have been cool to see alien NPCs or even an improvement on current aliens.
The Sims 3: Supernatural improved on vampires even though they were added in Late Night. It seems like the same could have happened here, maybe even introducing new powers or types of aliens.
6 MUST - Players Are Able To Complete A Linear Quest
StrangerVille gave players the chance to complete a linear story and solve a mystery. Sims would need to gather information about the area, gathering photos and samples of spores, and even gain access to the secret lab through the military career. There is even an aspiration involved, allowing Sims to receive fan mail for defeating the boss.
The boss can even be revived by the player, allowing Sims to control the infection or turn it off completely. The boss can also grant wishes, giving the player money, skills, or an extended life.
5 MISSING - No Other Neighborhoods Offer A Story Like StrangerVille
Just as it gave a story for players to play through, StrangerVille is the only pack to have a story. While Journey to Batuu does let players join different factions and complete missions, the missions start to repeat themselves.
Every expansion or game pack does not need to have a story, but it would be cool to see this feature make a comeback in the future.
4 MUST - The Story Can Turn Tragic Pretty Quickly
Usually when it comes to a game's ending, it is expected for everything to work out nicely. Fighting the final boss of StrangerVille makes it so that there can be numerous outcomes. There are the usual where the Sim defeats the Mother Plant or runs away, but there is also a chance for the Sim to be killed.
Failing to defeat the Mother Plant will cause anyone else to become possessed and for the Sim to be eaten. Just make sure to knock down the boss' health quickly so this does not happen.
3 MISSING - There Is No Easy Way To Become Alive Again
Of course there is the risk of being killed, but it would be nice if there was an added way to revive a Sim in the game pack. Currently Ghosts can only be revived if they eat ambrosia, if they wish to be brought back to life at a well, or if a Spellcaster uses the 'Dedeathify' spell on them.
Having a Spellcaster or having ambrosia prepared can bring a Sim back to life, but they will need to leave the fight they are in. It would be cool if there was an item from the pack that could revive the Sim once a day or something.
2 MUST - Sims Can Finally Experience A New Emotion
It might be a small thing, but StrangerVille allows Sims to experience a new emotion. The emotion – known in the game as PØŞŞ€ŞŞ€Đ – causes Sims to adopt a creepy smile and new walking style. The possessed moodlet also overrides any other moodlets, giving +7,548,431 towards it.
Sims can experience this moodlet if they eat one of the bizarre fruits found around StrangerVille. It is also possible to obtain this moodlet by walking through the toxic gas in the second level of the secret lab. Humorously enough, vampires can obtain the moodlet by drinking from already possessed Sims.
1 MISSING - Players Cannot Look At Their Eco Footprint Here
With the inclusion of the Eco Lifestyle expansion pack, players were able to see what their eco footprint on a neighborhood was. Each section of the neighborhood could be viewed as well. Sadly, this is not the case for StrangerVille. While Eco Lifestyle did come out after, all the older neighborhoods added where players could see their eco footprint.
StrangerVille is also home to two sections, but it would have been a cool addition. After defeating the Mother Plant, it would have given players something else to do in the neighborhood.
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