The latest Expansion Pack for Life & Death Expansion Pack - which received the highest rating I’ve ever given any DLC for the game - it also lacks much of a compelling hook in and of itself. It instead heavily relies on the player to create fun for themselves, and while this in many ways is the essence of the franchise to a point, it still left me hungry for more in many ways.

The DLC isn’t without its charms - the new system for mixed lot type allocation and the flexibility of what a business can be offers up a lot of room for creativity, the Nordic-inspired Nordhaven has a lovely aesthetic, and some of the business skill tree and related interactions are incredibly amusing. For a Pack with “hobbies” in its name, though, it’s odd it only contains two new skills. Overall, it doesn’t quite feel as much like an EP that could’ve been a Game Pack in the way releases like Horse Ranch have, but more depth would still greatly behoove it.

Create A Sim & Build/Buy Mode

Custom Tattooing & Versatile Minimalism

Create-A-Sim comes with two new Aspirations this time around: Master Mentor, in which Sims wish to first learn as an apprentice and then go on to teach other Sims their skills, and Esteemed Entrepreneur, which focuses on running a successful small business. There are two new Traits as well, Idealist and Shady, two fairly self-explanatory ones that largely - though not exclusively - affect their preferences on how to run a business. The fashion isn’t as aesthetically distinct as some recent releases, but this does make it more versatile; however, there are very few options for children and toddlers.

The biggest new CAS addition is the tattooing system, which offers a huge amount of potential creative expression. Players can utilize stencils of tattoos to be colored in however they’d like, stamps which can have their size and opacity adjusted, or free draw on a Sim to create designs. This feature is reminiscent of the customization features for horses and werewolves in previous Sims DLC, though this iteration feels the most engaging of any CAS painting iteration so far, I think because it’s for a more often seen in-game aspect than previous ones.

Much of Build and Buy is centered around small businesses, like several display cases and shelves for sellable items, and the rest is dominated by two new brands: QWIRL, an IKEA-like minimalist line, and Jazzy J, a bit more boldy-stylish one that draws a from some light jazz inspirations. These pieces are simple, but in a way that makes them versatile, and there are some art pieces with varied swatches that also have a lot of adaptability. A fun new candy maker is included as well that comes with several new recipes, though not a new skill.

The Flexibility Of A Small Business

Endless Possibilities For Entrepreneurial Ventures

The biggest mechanic introduced in Businesses & Hobbies is the ability to have lots function as both a business and residential at the same time. The separation of the two functions the same way as it did in the For Rent EP, where each section of a lot can be selected as Public, Residential, or Employees Only. Unlike the aforementioned EP, there are no loading screens when going between the two, which is a huge improvement. The way small businesses are run contain a large amount of flexibility in every way, from hours to employees to what they offer.

There are two basic forms of businesses: ones where customers buy a ticket for entry, which can either include an hourly rate or a one-time fee, and more retail-centric ones that are centered around customers purchasing stocked items. When setting up a business, players can choose what activities are meant to be done by attendees. With just the base game and EP, there are 76 of these, which range from things like being friendly to tattooing, and with other DLC these options expand - with the Vampires Pack, for example, things like drinking plasma are available.

Players can also select a target customer base, picking things like ages and income. During my playthrough, I crafted several different unique businesses. I had Nordhaven’s musician NPC teach music lessons in his home in his off hours, another Sim set up an in-home daycare, and another with a shady tattooing business in her garage. They aren’t limited to in-home, either; they can also be set up on fully business-oriented lots if players are looking to make something on a larger scale.

There’s a 3-section skill tree for small business owners, which also affects its overall alignment. There are neutral options, like adding tipping, more moral ones like employee appreciation day, and shadier ones like pickpocketing and setting “accidental” fires for insurance money. These choices, alongside how well owners and employees perform their duties, will affect overall clientele and the public’s general opinion of the business.

Tattooing, Pottery, & Expanding What Skills Mean

Mentorship, Mastery, & Making Special Recipes

The EP comes with two new skills: Tattooing and Pottery. Both are fairly comprehensive - Tattooing has the aforementioned in-depth CAS options, and when giving them to customers players will unlock more tattoos as they build their skills, and can also do fun things like give Sims dedication tattoos to other Sims. Pottery consists of two steps, initial crafting and glazing, and many of the options unlocked over time, like planters and a tea set, are usable.

The concept of skills in general has also expanded, particularly through mentoring, a new mechanic in which more skilled Sims can take others interested in their chosen hobby under their wing. This can help them raise their skills faster, and seasoned Sims - mostly elders - can acquire Skill Mastery Perks, which can then be bestowed on to others. These include simpler things like a special aura that helps nearby Sims build skills faster, to wilder perks like Skillful Sleep, where Sims can astral project and build skills while sleeping, and unlocking Spacebending, aka teleportation.

Another new, skill-related feature is family recipes. Using a recipe book, Sims can create special variations on cooking recipes by adding a chosen extra ingredient, and then can select a special effect to coincide with consuming the dish. These effects are unlocked by the Sim experiencing certain things - a fertility boost, for example, can be acquired as a perk by Sims having raised a newborn. These recipes can then be ed down to Sims’ children, which makes it feel a bit like something that should’ve been included in Generations, but it’s still a nice touch.

The World Of Nordhaven

A Pleasant, Peaceful World That Could Use More Depth

The new world of Nordhaven is aesthetically beautiful, but in of actual interactivity, somewhat lacking. There are two neighborhoods, the more industrial Iverstad and Gammelvik, which has more of a small village feel. There are 12 lots, three of which contain hybrid residential businesses, and four of them are empty lots. I know this is partially to let players have many spots to build businesses, but a third of the overall lots being empty just feels sparse to me.

Nordhaven isn’t devoid of fun touches - there’s a train station where Sims can train watch or take the train to other lots, and a nice canal to sit along and fish bike parts out of. There are also rotating daily meetups for seven different hobby types, from music to cooking to exercise. A personal favorite addition of mine is Trashley, an alley-loitering NPC who is literally raccoons in a trenchcoat that sell dubious goods like art, business documents, and rummaged food.

Final Thoughts & Review Score: 7/10

A Lot Of Creative Foundation That's Lacking In Other Areas

As strong as some of the DLC’s ideas are, there are areas that feel like they could’ve used more attention. The world of Nordhaven has some beautiful areas like a lighthouse, which I’d hoped - like the one in Brindleton Bay - would be accessible, but they aren’t. Tattoo animations aren’t really that specific to location - an arm tattoo will still have an animation like it’s on a Sim’s stomach, and having such limited attention to detail for a new skill is disappointing. I also had some employee issues, with one instance of the Sim I’d hired entirely changing between days.

Despite this, the bountiful foundations laid by the new Expansion can’t be ignored. The ability to split lots into part residential and part business without loading screens, custom tattooing, and the huge possibilities for the form that a business can take offer a slew of opportunities for storytelling and creativity. Though it feels lacking in some areas, and is very much a release that’s dependent on players making their own fun, The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies still offers a lot of potential.

ScreenRant received an early access build and PC code for the purpose of this review.