Sims

Tropical Paradise and Also I Hate My Life

May 21, 2019
A stock image of where the tide meets a sandy beach.

So not one, but two key selling sites have new listings for “The Sims 4 Tropical Paradise, and at least one of them prices it as an expansion pack. Lot’s of interesting things to discuss here, the first of which being the supposed release date of June 28th, to which I can only say, “why, oh why, god?”.

If this turns out to be accurate this pack will also be getting a rather late review, as Shadowbringers early access starts the same day.

I don’t doubt the leak is at least partially accurate, as City Living was revealed the same way, shortly before the official announcement, and we’re due for some kind of new Sims 4 content soon. I cannot help but wonder, however, what would separate this pack from Outdoor Retreat and Jungle Adventure, to warrant it being double the price.

The vacation and rental systems are already in place from those packs, so I expect it’s more than just another holiday world. Perhaps they’re patching old neighborhoods to allow for swimming in bodies of water. Maybe this pack will reintroduce hotels, boating and other beach-based activities. I’m not quite sure if I’d rather another vacation pack or just another expansion centered around a new home world (a la City Living). The Sims 4 allows sims to freely move and travel between home worlds, so I’m a lot more forgiving of packs where most content is confined to a single world than I was during The Sims 3 era. But as much as I’d like the option for sims to permanently live in a tropical locale, I also would like to send them on the occasional beach holiday without moving them.

Perhaps it’s time to revisit the same concepts used in Makin’ Magic, where sims could grind out enough MagiCoins to permanently move to Magic Town. Or the visa system in World Adventures, where Sims with a high enough visa level could purchase a vacation home and stay for longer periods.

Whatever this mystery pack is, I’ll probably be preoccupied with XIV for the first few days after its release and won’t be able to play it because video game release dates have to gravitate together for some reason.

Photo by Fezbot2000 on Unsplash