We have had the pleasure of playing the newest game pack from EA, The Sims 4: Parenthood. For players this is going to be a really challenging and fun addition to the game. Basically it is what it says. It’s all about parenting and bringing some realistic parenting skills to the game. A word of warning here, as it will take a whole lot of gameplay to reach the higher levels of the parenting threshold. I played for a long time (the weekend since I got the press preview) and barely scratched the surface. (I can’t wait to finish this The Sims 4: Parenthood review to get back and see how far I can go with this.)
That said, the interactions are stupendous! They really immerse you into being a parent from discipline to curfews to teaching them how to behave.
Along with this expansion are some cool new items for your Sims homes and wardrobe! But I get ahead of myself. So let’s start off by introducing the new trait “BEST New Parent Ever!” It is what it says, and that is to be the best parent you can possibly be.
You will be able to buy parenting books like any other skill book if you want to “parent up” a bit faster, but I really enjoyed trying to do it the hard way—learning from experience. I mean that’s what parents do, right? Going through the terrible twos and then the teenagers and their moods!
Speaking of which, teens now have mood swings that can be very trying for the parent. You can buy them a journal to keep their thoughts in and the teens can hide it like a diary. If they get really upset you can send them to write in the journal to alleviate their stress levels. And Lord help the sibling that tries to get a peek at that journal.
Which brings me to sibling rivalry. There are new interactions between family members that had me laughing, literally, out loud the whole time. Below is a picture of the new interactions you can see with the interactions icons.
Basically, the teens can lash out at their parents and cause a fuss (LOVE the forbidden words one). It is up to the parent to discipline their behaviors. All of this actually shapes the adult they will turn out to be, and parenting starts as soon as they are a toddler. You have several options under parenting that include disciplines that are soft, firm and strict. You can enforce curfew, although the teen now has the option on the phone of breaking curfew to do something that they want to do. The parent better have consequences when they get home!
There is a new board in buy mode you get so you can set curfews. I have screen printed some interactions with the board. The clock at the top will set itself to the curfew time you set for your children.
You can leave notes for family members here as well and it seems to fill with school projects and drawings when they are getting good grades.
As you level up in parenting skills, you get new interactions with the kids. So the higher your parenting level, the more interactions appear. I only got to level 5 and that was as of this morning.
Children can really try their parent’s patience. Mom here was really angry about some “forbidden words” her teen shouted at her. She gave out the appropriate discipline and grounded her. Still didn’t take away the anger though (or my laughter).
Children to teen now have something under the traits called character values:
These values are shaped by the parent’s interactions with the child (only children through teens have this). Parents have the option to teach their kids manners, to say please and thank you, and the discipline stuffs. There are also pop ups—not unlike the ones that pop up for job choices (should your Sims do this thing or that thing)—where you make a choice on how you want the children to make a decision. These choices can also pop up when the children ask parents for advice. The choices give you the positive and negative consequences of your answer in the trait values. ALL of this will determine which character traits the parents are forming for their children. The character points will shape what traits will be available to the child as the child grows.
Children have a fun option to “make a mess,” and let’s face it, children are messy. The parent can then discipline them accordingly.
Oh no, looks like Kevin got into trouble….AGAIN!
There is a new thing called school projects, and while they are available in buy mode, the kids brought them home from school fairly quickly into gameplay. They complete the projects and gain extra credit at school.
As you can see here, it also helps with the responsibility trait.
And with that I am going to come to the new stuffs in the pack. They have added new hairstyles, clothing (including toddler clothing), and other miscellaneous CAS stuff, including new objects and a couple new build items. I’ll leave this with some in game screens of the cool new stuff.
Bathroom
Bedroom
LOVE this new night light! It rotates the stars.
Kids new interactive things and deco
New Desks (single Tile) and bookcase
Dining Room and misc. wall items
Kitchen Stuff. Love the mason jar lights! And some new curtains. One sheer one. Kids Door front and back.
Living Room. Notice the new walls. No new floors this time, I’m afraid.
New Hair for children
There are a lot of new CAS items for all ages. I don’t want to ruin it by posting all the new CAS styles here. Need to leave some surprises for the simmers!
I’ll leave you with this thought. Every action you create as a parent will shape your child. As said I barely scratched the potential of this Game Pack, and had loads of fun and laughs watching the new interactions. Discipline and learning skills for your children will be the most important thing you can do to shape the adults they become.
All in all, The Sims 4: Parenthood is an excellent game pack that immerses Sims into some really interesting interactions to play. There are many choices for you to make, because it’s your game YOUR way! I’m going back in to see if I can get to level 6. Yell at the kids and maybe ground my teen. Because I can…
