The Sims 4The next expansion will be released on Halloween and, as befits such a spooky season, the entire expansion focuses on the specter of death. On Thursday, Electronic Arts released more information what players can expect Life and deatha fresh expansion featuring the town of Ravenwood, fresh gameplay objectives related to mortality, and a chance to become the Grim Reaper.
Sims could always die – usually in absurd ways, such as being chewed by a cow or crushed by a Murphy bed – but Life and death adds much more content about this tragic event. Sims can now write wish lists and participate in Soul Journeys, a series of rewards that can be earned by living the most fulfilling life possible. The biggest reward is being reborn and returning to the world as a child with milestones already unlocked.
Some Sims prefer ghost life and Life and death allows Sims to remain playable after death, as ghosts. A ghost Sim might want to ghostly Woohoo with their living spouse, while a dumber Sim might become more of a playful poltergeist.
There are also two fresh careers that Sims can pursue. The Undertaker’s career involves digging graves, embalming bodies, and helping families mourn their Sims’ past. Funeral directors may ultimately transition to one of two branches: an undertaker or a funeral director. The second fresh career allows Sims to don the iconic mantle of the Grim Reaper. First, they start out as Grimterns (a portmanteau of Grim and an intern) in the Netherworld Department of Death. Longtime Sims players have probably had an argument with the Grim Reaper while trying to save their beloved Sim. As the Grim Reaper, the player can choose who will come back to life and who will be transported to the afterlife.
The supplement is also full of smaller, minor elements related to life and death: horror stories, ghost historians, thanatological skills, wills, funeral events and deaths due to the murder of crows. More details can be found in the Electronic Arts blog post, but overall, it looks like the next Sims 4 expansion will fulfill players’ long-held fantasies about death, rebirth, and soul collecting.
