The Sims 4: Life and Death Shows A Darker Side to the Game

The Sims 4 is the latest release in Maxis and EA’s ongoing life simulation series. Since 2014, through expansion packs players have been able to have their characters live in tropical paradise, go to university and run their own restaurants. Now, Sims will have to tackle death itself.

The Sims 4: Life and Death is an expansion pack set to release on the 31st of October. It will expand the goals your sims have in their lives as well as what happens after their deaths.

A core feature in this pack is funerals. The events themselves can be held in the styles of several cultures and mourning sims can go through different stages of grief. 

Over the last few years, expansion packs such as High School Years, and Growing Together have added depth to every life stage from infants to elders. So, gaining  the ability to give your sims a well deserved send off seems like a fitting end. 

Just like in real life sims will also be able to write wills so if the funeral isn’t dramatic enough the dividing of the estate will be.

Ghosts will also have more abilities as they will now be able to help or harm the living with their supernatural powers. Considering they weren’t even a feature when the game first released, it’ll be interesting to see what you can do with them.

A common critique of the Sims 4 is that compared to its predecessors, it’s much too tame. While morbid, many players love darker themes and stories in their games. It’s great to see the developers embrace this.

Life and Death is definitely intriguing. The blend of down to earth and mystical elements shows that this pack could mesh well with many styles of play.