Expansion

In this, the year of unmitigated bullshit, a bit of a jolly holiday away from it all’s probably what most of us could do with. So consider it fortuitous timing, then, that The Sims 4’s latest expansion, Adventure Awaits, provides exactly that. Unfortunately, like holidays often do, it also comes with a bunch of screaming children. Boo.

The Sims 4: Adventure Awaits

Adventure Awaits is The Sims 4’s 20th Expansion Pack and includes pretty much everything you’d expect from these bumper-sized bits of marquee DLC, including a bumper-sized price tag. You’ve got a new world to explore in Gibbi Point, a new Park Worker career, new building bits, new skills and traits, plus new clothing options (this time leaning more toward the chunky and rugged, although you do get a couple of wetsuits thrown in). More broadly, though, its focus is split – with some thematic awkwardness – between expanded gameplay for child-age Sims and all that Getaway stuff.

To date, my sole experience of trying to raise a child involved them catching fire and turning into a ghost (in the Sims, obviously), so I haven’t spent much time putting Adventure Awaits’ kid-focused bits under the microscope. I can, though, tell you they include imaginary friends – and yes, evil ones are possible – new traits, new games, new modular playgrounds (which explains why you can barely move for slides and climbing frames in Gibbi Point), plus a Formative Moments system that influences their skills and specialties in later life. These can also be applied retroactively to your adult Sims, meaning you can turn them into, say, a Childhood Grief Survivor, making them more proficient at Undertaking and more resistant to Fear of Death; an Explorer Extraordinaire who’ll remain energised for longer, or a Danger Kid, who’s more resistant to food poisoning from spoiled food and can better endure extreme heat and cold. The list is long, and even as a brat-averse Sims player, I do like the sense of history it gives the grown-ups.

The Sims 4: Adventure Awaits gameplay trailer.Watch on YouTube

But that’s not why I was looking forward to Adventure Awaits. I’ve always liked the idea of whisking my Sims away to exotic climes for a well-earned break from the daily grind, but The Sims 4’s actual implementation of holidays has always felt a bit flat. You pack your family in a suitcase, jetset off for a welcome change of scene, and then almost immediately find yourself stuck in the same aimless cycle of pooping and eating until it’s time to go home. The fact some expansion worlds have a distinct focus – snowsports in Mt. Komorebi, for instance, and jungle exploration in Selvadorada – does mean trips away can be given a bit of local flavour, but they’ve never felt exactly like holidays before.

Adventure Awaits, though, introduces a new Getaway system that lets you create itineraries your Sim will merrily follow once they reach their chosen destination – so they too can now experience the kind of militant vacation scheduling that makes us all yearn for a holiday from the holiday we’re supposed to be enjoying. Essentially, you pick a lot destination, your length of stay, and an end-time, then start assembling a schedule of activities to be undertaken every four hours – so, say, some 12pm kayaking followed by a frantic 4pm WooHoo. Again the list of options is pretty all-encompassing, meaning it’s theoretically possible to create a Getaway to suit all tastes and one that feels right for your chosen destination.

Image credit: Eurogamer/EA

And so I packed the magnificently bearded Max Legroom off to Granite Falls national park, a map that’s always felt a bit dull and directionless. But with the scheduling system in play, he started his two day camping trip with a refreshing shower before improving his Natural Living skill then moving onto some energising watersports, a bit of butterfly collecting (Adventure Awaits introduces the new Entomology skill if you fancy incubating your own caterpillar), a spot of outdoor recreation – which can now include diving, kayaking, and archery for adults – then a cosy meal around the campfire before ending the day with some stargazing. Finally, my holiday felt like a real holiday! But of course aimless pooping and eating is still a valid option too.

There’s more to Getaways than that, though; it’s possible to give Sims specific roles, with each group following their own itinerary concurrently, and Getaways can be assigned up to five “rules” from a broad list. So Hardcode mode will cause your Sims’ needs to diminish more quickly – handy if you want to add a bit of realism to your survivalist pursuits, for instance – or you might want your Sims’ friendships to fade faster while vacationing together for true holiday authenticity. There’s even a No Strings Attached rule if you want what happens at a Getaway to stay at the Getaway. I’ve not played around with everything yet, but the system is flexible enough – particularly in conjunction with the new custom venues system – that it can be used to build anything where some sort of scheduled autononmy might be handy. You could set up a recurring spin class populated by instructors and fellow spinners, for instance, and I’m pretty sure one of EA’s included pre-sets is essentially a competitive sex party.

It all makes for a lot of new storytelling possibilities, but Adventure Awaits includes a bunch of other stuff I’ve enjoyed mucking around with too. The new Papercraft skill is surprisingly involved, for instance, letting your Sims craft everything from origami trinkets to “derpy” paper mache animals. And there’s a lengthy list of creations to unlock, meaning you’ll be able to make all sorts of cute stuff as gifts and decorations by the time you’re done.

Image credit: Eurogamer/EA

More than anything, though, I love the new Gibbi Point map, which has something of a New Zealand vibe. Over in Wonderwood Wilds, it’s all dense forests, spouting geysers, and crystalline lakes – making it the perfect home for Sims who like their air fresh and the landscape rugged. And the nearby Camp Gibbi Gibbi means things are looking good for a Friday the 13th teen massacre this Halloween. Crystal Valley, meanwhile, is Gibbi Point’s residential quarter, full of houses you might describe as cabin chic, and Jellyfish Junction is all about waterfront leisure, featuring quaint shops, an outdoor gym, an open air theatre, and more scattered along its picturesque wooden docks. And the water even glows at night!

Whether all this is enough to tempt £35 out of your pocket is obviously a matter of taste, but The Sims 4’s Adventure Awaits expansion – with its rugged outdoorsy vibes and flexible creativity tools (and, I guess, sex parties?) – feels like it’s aimed squarely at my specific areas of interest. Sure, it’s not exactly the same as shifting my arse and taking myself on holiday, but why shouldn’t Sims get to have a bit of fun every now and then too?

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