What do the worlds of The Sims 4 and Star Wars have in common? Certainly not much at first glance – apart from the fact that both are more or less directly related to Electronic Arts. The publisher makes use of the popularity of both brands and throws both into the same pot in order to create an add-on for life simulation that is at least theoretically very promising. But is the result actually fun, or is it just a clever marketing idea? We’ll tell you.
When Electronic Arts or EA Maxis launches a new add-on for the life simulation The Sims 4, the reactions of fans often fluctuate between the joy of additional content and the annoyance of having to pay a lot of money for relatively little value. The anticipation within the community before the release of the latest expansion called Star Wars – Reise nach Batuu was correspondingly restrained. Quite a few skeptics only suspected a clever marketing move, with the help of which Electronic Arts intends to pull even more money out of its pockets for fans for little content. But without wanting to anticipate too much at this point: The purchase is worth it!
Off to Batuu
The most important decision is on the agenda in the first few minutes of the add-on. Before you or your Sim ends up in the new Star Wars themed world Batuu, you have to choose one of the three available factions. Do you want to join the resistance and fight against oppression by the dark forces? Or how about a career as a privateer who makes his way through life with all sorts of shady machinations? The dark side is also available, so that there should be something for every taste. This decision not only has effects of a cosmetic nature, but also affects the further course of the game. For each faction there are different missions and tasks that have to be completed.
That leads us straight to one of the most important and interesting points of The Sims 4 Star Wars: the missions. There is a pleasingly large number of them that should keep you busy for a few hours. Of course, no rambling tasks in the style of a classic role-playing game are to be expected. Some of the challenges are even repeated a tad too often in their structure, for example if you have to hack a computer or procure certain items repeatedly. But overall the tasks are relatively simple, but still incredibly motivating. This is mainly due to the fact that they are integrated very harmoniously into the game world. So you have to infiltrate a rebel base, explore certain locations (all of which you know from the film templates) or interact with special personalities.
These include iconic heroes such as Rey from the latest film trilogy. As a reward for your efforts, your Sims character will gradually rise in level, which in turn unlocks additional items, costumes and in-game credits. It is even possible to make the dream of every true Star Wars fan come true by making your very own lightsaber. Buying droids and pretty Star Wars-themed decorations for the home are also on the list.
where is everyone?
These few examples already make it clear what characterizes The Sims 4: Star Wars at its core: the unmistakable Star Wars feeling as a welcome fan service. Thanks to the detailed graphics, you will recognize all the characters, locations and even spaceships (yes, the Millennium Falcon is there) immediately and you will immediately feel drawn into the world of the famous film saga. Despite the typical Sims babbling, the atmosphere comes across very well even during the “dialogues”. It’s just a bit of a shame that the story known from the films is hardly mentioned in the course of the game. There are some allusions and several smaller Easter eggs. But if you hope to be able to re-enact the plot of the trilogies, you will definitely not get your money’s worth.
Die Sims 4 – Star Wars: Journey to Batuu Gameplay Trailer
The video contains features and game scenes from the Star Wars add-on for The Sims 4 for you.
Also somewhat regrettable is the fact that the Batuu theme world looks incredibly good and is staged with great attention to detail, but only very few residents cavort on its streets. As a result, the city looks more or less like a more or less static backdrop than a lively game world that lacks a little bit of esprit and charm. However, this is ultimately complaining on a relatively high level, since the rest of the atmosphere is very coherent. Incidentally, we also praise the many overlaps or connections between the actual home of your Sims and Batuu. The latter does not form a completely independent theme world that is isolated from the rest, but allows you, among other things, to transfer unlocked objects into the house of the Sims. This even applies to recipes for Star Wars dishes that can be cooked in the comfort of your own home.