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Sims enter the supernatural
The ‘Life & Death’ expansion pack introduces features centred on life, death, and the afterlife.
The new expansion pack Life & Death for The Sims 4 allows players to explore a supernatural side of the game, including a new realm called Ravenwood and several distinct gameplay features centred on life, death, and the afterlife.
Ravenwood introduces three distinct neighbourhoods, each with its own connection to the paranormal. Players can guide their Sims through the eerie streets of Crow’s Crossing, the peaceful countryside of Whispering Glen, or the haunting Mourningvale. These neighbourhoods offer various activities, such as exploring crypts, participating in local festivals, and interacting with both living and Ghost Sims.
Crow’s Crossing is home to mysterious merchants and haunted graveyards, while Whispering Glen features a relaxed atmosphere with moonlit gatherings and the Moon Revelry festival. Mourningvale, with its creepy ambience, is where Sims can encounter the Grim Reaper or participate in the local Afterlife Anonymous meetup.
New gameplay
The expansion introduces the Soul’s Journey reward system, uniting Aspirations and Wants to help Sims achieve their goals. The system allows players to track their Sims’ accomplishments and rewards them with special traits like Burning Soul, enabling them to undergo a Rebirth. Sims who are reborn retain their past-life skills, traits, and milestones.
The ability to create and complete Bucket Lists has also been added. These lists generate goals based on a Sim’s traits, and completing them unlocks powerful rewards, including Rebirth.
Ghost Sims get to work
For Sims that have crossed into the afterlife, the expansion offers the option to continue their journey as Ghost Sims. These Sims can interact with the living, earning simoleons through special interactions and developing Ghost Powers. They can also form relationships with other Ghost Sims.
Two new careers are included: the Reaper Profession and the Undertaker Career. Sims can work their way up in the Netherworld Department of Death, reaping souls, maintaining scythes, and determining causes of death. The Undertaker Career allows Sims to specialise in mortuary services, helping the living and the dead move on peacefully.
New traits, aspirations, and skills
There are new traits such as Macabre, Chased by Death, and Skeptic. Sims can now pursue the Ghost Historian Aspiration or develop the Thanatology Skill.
A new Grief system is introduced, which affects Sims after the loss of a loved one. Grief types include Denial, Holding It Together, Anger, and Blues, with each type triggering specific behaviours. Sims can cope with their grief through creative or productive activities, or by attending Grief Counselling.
Funerals can now be planned as formal events, with players choosing the attendees, dress code, and activities. These events allow Sims to honour the deceased with eulogies, lighting candles, or planting something in their memory.
Availability
The Sims 4 Life & Death expansion pack will be available on PC, Mac, PlayStation, and Xbox platforms from 31 October 2024.
Players who purchase the Life & Death expansion before 12 December 2024 will receive exclusive content, including the Lasting Legacy Family Portrait, Mournful Melodies Music Box, and Plumed Elegance Mask.
* Visit ‘The Sims 4’ website here.