Summary
The Sims 4: Lovestruckrevamps the game’s approach to dating and relationships in an undeniably exciting way, but despite the strength of the concept behind one of its big new systems, the implementation just isn’t all the way there. Romance has always been a huge part of theSimsexperience, and the lack of particular depth in that aspect has always been a sticking point forThe Sims 4.Going back to the drawing board allowsLovestruckto make things a lot more interesting, even if accessing the best changes does require investing in an expansion pack.
One hugeselling point forLovestruckis the Attraction system, which takes inspiration fromThe Sims 2to rework how Sims feel about each other romantically.Attraction is guided by Turn-Ons and Turn-Offs, various aspects of everything from dress to behavior that might intrigue or repel other Sims. Although it’s obviously somewhat reductive, it’s a theoretically good way to represent the way that actual human feelings develop or burn out within the ambitious but limited life simulation thatThe Sims4provides.
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Some Of The Sims 4’s Turn-Ons & Turn-Offs Are Odd
Outfit Color Should Be All That Important
Some Turn-Ons and Turn-Offs inThe Sims 4make a lot of sense, but that’s just not the case across the board. It’s no surprise that Sims might be attracted to others that are healthy, wealthy, or wise, and there’s no denying that things like hair color can make a big difference. As far as other cosmetic Turn-Ons and Turn-Offs go, however,Lovestruckmakes some weird choicesthat don’t feel particularly representative of any real common tendencies.
One major category for Turn-Ons and Turn-Offs is Outfit Color, which simply divides fashion into an array of eleven different colors that a Sim might like or dislike. It’s certainly true that someone might think people tend to look good in red, for example, but making it such a big part of the Attraction system raises some questions. Although terrible fashion can be a legitimate turn-off, the average person isn’t going to get the ick because their date decided to wear a blue shirt.
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This isn’t really a problem itself, but it feels like the wrong direction for Attraction to have taken when some other key components are missing. Eye color, for example, doesn’t make the cut, despite the fact that it has significantly more lasting relevance in a relationship than the color of an outfit. Getting too deep in the weeds on physical traits could be distasteful, but other options like body hair and tattoos would be straightforward inclusions that might better represent the spectrum of attraction.
Lovestruck Is Missing Some Obvious Sims 2 Inclusions
Two Steps Forward & One Step Back
Although Attraction inThe Sims 4: Lovestruckexpands on the system fromThe Sims 2in some regards, that original implementation did cover some relevant ground that this one doesn’t. Facial hair and makeup made a lot of sense, and there isn’t any particularly clear reason why they wouldn’t make it into theromance changes inLovestruck. Moving away from emphasizing completely shallow elements of physical attraction is for the best, but a Sim loving or hating beards just wouldn’t lean into that in a bad way.
The popular “WickedWhims” mod forThe Sims 4focuses more on physical traits with its Attractiveness system, covering some ground thatLovestruckdoesn’t.
There’s still a lot of fun to be found inLovestruck’s Attraction, and it can make the process of finding the perfect partner a lot more interesting than before. Whether searching for a Sim that’s a Goofball or having a strange obsession with Nosy partners, there are plenty of interesting places to take the concept. The ability to make traits traditionally deemed attractive Turn-Offs or commonly unappealing ones Turn-Ons adds a lot of personalization in a way that’s definitely memorable.
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At the end of the day, though, including outfit color and not eye color really does just feel bizarre.The Sims 4is no stranger to odd design choices, and this is just the newest in a long line of baffling decisions mixed into clever additions.Lovestruckis an overall improvement toThe Sims 4, but like a lot of its predecessors, it’s missing a few small tweaks that seem so obvious.
