What’s the measure of a brand new Sims 4 growth pack at this level? After 11 years and dozens of free and paid DLC releases, it is easy to think about that we have seen all of it, that we could also be previous the purpose the place a brand new launch can dramatically alter the basics of the Sims 4 expertise. But the most recent pack, Enchanted by Nature, proves that expectation is defective because of its mixture of compelling fairy gameplay, a uniquely verdant new world to stay in, and the flexibility to stay self-sufficiently within the woods. Yeah, this pack is completely different.Since a lot of the worlds in The Sims 4 are familiar-looking metropolis environments, it is at all times at the least a bit of bit thrilling once we get one thing extra distinctive, like Chestnut Ridge in Horse Ranch or Mt. Komorebi in Snowy Escape. Innisgreen, a lush world based mostly on Ireland, is one other location that positively suits that invoice, because it’s extra like a big area than a singular city or metropolis, because of its distinctive format.Innisgreen has three distinctive neighborhoods: the Coast of Adhmor is the native city, Sprucederry Grove is a form of wooded suburb, and Everdew is a colourful magical forest with a buildable lot that sits on high of an enormous tree. That variation from neighborhood to neighborhood is itself a singular side of Innisgreen–none of the earlier Sims 4 worlds have one of these selection inside themselves.Fairies are mischievous creatures.It’s additionally a large house for an occult world–Innisgreen is as massive because the cities added within the vampires, werewolves, and spellcasters expansions mixed. Even higher, it is stuffed with shocking secrets and techniques, and a few of the locals have riddle-like quests, referred to as Fables, on your Sim to finish as they discover this unusual place. With the inclusion of a pair actually breathtaking pure tons that Sims can stay on with out constructing a home, this could be my favourite Sims 4 world since San Myshuno.When I first checked out Innisgreen’s nature tons, which have massive ponds at their heart, I assumed they had been similar to the empty tons which have include each earlier new Sims 4 world. But with the brand new Natural Living talent included with Enchanted by Nature, your Sims can stay in them as is–and they have been arrange for simply that objective.It’s an thought that will sound a bit antithetical to some Sims 4 gamers, because the dollhouse side of the sport is the promoting level for lots of parents. But that side is not actually lacking from these tons, as gamers can nonetheless bulldoze these ponds and construct a home if they need, or they’ll construct rooms with out the partitions. And because the Natural Living talent can be utilized in any Sims 4 world, gamers all of the sudden have numerous new methods to construct houses for his or her Sims.The growth provides three distinct areas.Fairies are the pleasant new occult kind added to The Sims 4 in Enchanted by Nature, and they’re wild. Fairies are magical creatures with all types of unusual powers, however with their concentrate on enjoying with folks’s feelings, they have a really completely different talent set than the opposite occults, which generally have powers that perform extra like private buffs–spellcasters, for instance, are principally similar to different Sims besides they’ll do all their day-to-day actions utilizing magic.But fairies are extra of a sport changer than that, as a result of fairy skills do not actually make your Sim higher at doing regular issues (other than gardening). Instead, they’re extra about messing with different Sims and the world round them via emotional manipulation. A strong fairy might make two different Sims fall in love, after which instantly make them hate one another, or they’ll magically give different Sims a brand new kind of sickness referred to as an “ailment,” in addition to treatment it. A strong mischievous fairy may even pressure one other Sim to age up, turning them outdated with a thought. Fairies are delightfully chaotic–they could also be The Sims 4’s most enjoyable occult kind to this point.Enchanted by Nature additionally provides a brand new lively profession, the Naturopath, via which your Sim will share their information of holistic drugs and pure residing with different Sims. But you will not have a commute for this one, as a result of a Naturopath Sim works out of their dwelling. This is, kind of, a nature-focused variation of the physician profession from the Get to Work growth, together with your Sim charged with curing illnesses and educating different Sims the best way to stay off the land.The Naturopath differentiates itself from the Doctor by including an apothecary element. Those who’ve spent a lot time with the Doctor profession will in all probability discover Naturopath overly acquainted, however the further apothecary element, the place your Sim has to make the drugs for the therapies themselves, is an effective new wrinkle. It’s not a foul profession although, and it is particularly good that this is among the few that by no means requires your Sim to work greater than two days every week.If there’s any space during which Enchanted by Nature lacks content material, it is with its clothes and niknaks for Create-a-Sim (CAS). It’s not that the brand new garments are ugly or poorly designed. Quite the alternative, actually, because the stuff it does add is cool and strange, like garments made out of leaves, and there are tons of customization choices for fairies, with diverse wing designs and glowing tattoos. It simply appears like there’s much less clothes than we might usually count on from a full new Sims 4 growth pack, as a result of many of those new gadgets can solely be utilized by fairies. But what general-use clothes and niknaks which are there are cool and completely different sufficient from what we have already got that it is an appropriate tradeoff for me.It’s the identical story with construct mode, as Enchanted by Nature comes with the fewest variety of new construct mode gadgets of any Sims 4 growth. But these nature-themed gadgets, with tree stump bathrooms, mushroom cabinets, and Hobbit-style doorways and furnishings, are so distinctive and recent that it could be troublesome to mistake any of them for gadgets from a special growth. This stuff is so cool.With most new Sims 4 expansions, I normally hone in on the one or two points I like probably the most and do not sweat the remaining an excessive amount of. But with its enjoyable new occult kind, a beautiful new world, and distinctive construct and CAS gadgets, Enchanted by Nature is a uncommon Sims 4 pack that appears like an entire expertise in itself. I can admire that gamers preferring the dollhouse aspect of The Sims 4 could discover the quantity of CAS and construct mode gadgets missing, however Enchanted by Nature is a lot enjoyable as an entire that I can stay with that.
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