Alright, it’s the middle of the week and that means it’s time for some observations! Yes, in lieu of new reveals from Adventure Awaits (considering it all got revealed recently) we’re going to dig into the meat of the expansion.
Specifically, I’m going to explain why I think the new ‘Love Island’-type mechanic is a genius addition.
Love is in the air
Now, for those of you who don’t know what Love Island is, it’s a popular reality television show that sees 12 single ‘celebrities’ (maybe more like influencers) compete to be the last couple standing for a cash prize. It’s melodramatic, trashy TV at its utmost, and it’s also amazingly popular because of it.
I’m not about to pretend to be better than this, considering that virtually any romantic series nowadays has similar sort of setups. Classic romance just doesn’t fill the void we all have for drama and messy arguments, which is why The Sims 4’s Elimination rules mechanic arriving in Adventure Awaits is such an ingenious idea.
Handbags at dawn
Ultimately, what people want from Love Island is to be invested in numerous microdrama storylines. Be it the ones you really want to get together, or those you want to break up, all interspersed with the occasional challenges to spice things up.
I think even the most proud amongst us can see the parallels to the appeal of The Sims. And the Elimination Rules play into that. The Love Island comparison may be a blunt one, but for those of us who want to bring together various Sims and see them interacting in a more high-stakes environment, it encourages that level of drama.
One of the strengths, and drawbacks, of The Sims has after all always been the natural relationships and interactions. Which is great for long-term play, but sometimes you want to throw Sims together and see the sparks fly, which is precisely what this new mechanic seeks to encourage.
The shape of things to come
I’d argue that the Elimination Rules mechanic could be an interesting example of how EA and Maxis might institute ‘challenge’-style options for players. We’ve all played either self-imposed challenges or those with explicit guidelines, but the ability to drop in something akin to that in a regular game of The Sims 4 is an ingenious one.
Of course there’s no guarantee they’ll stick with it. But I can see it being expanded on in future, or at the very least symbolising an increased focus on player choice and options that you can drop in to shake up your favourite Sims in new and interesting ways.
A lifelong Maxis fan who grew up with SimCity 3000 and the lesser-known DS titles in the Sims catalogue, Iwan brings the obscure knowledge of things that have been and will be when it comes to The Sims.
