Update: Read our review of The Sims 4 Eco Lifestyle Expansion Pack!
The EA, the new expansion, released on June 5, is called Eco Living and it gives players the opportunity to turn a polluted town into an eco-friendly paradise.
Letting players loose in the world of Evergreen Harbour, there are all kinds of ways to start cleaning up any of three towns. These towns are introduced as murky neighborhoods with smoggy skies for players to clean up. The most emphasized way of a player's Sim doing their part is by a futuristic recycling system, where Sims put their used or unwanted items into a Fabricator - a kind of sci-fi machine that spits out a newly crafted item for them to use or sell. This encourages players to recycle as part of a daily routine, and there's even an option to go dumpster diving.
According to Polygon, this is where things get interesting. Although the game has removed some dependable methods of killing other Sims, like being able to remove the ladder from the swimming pool, there are still many creative ways to be a villain. Dead Sims leave behind either an urn or a gravestone, which players can helpfully pick up and recycle. Putting it through the Fabricator can make a delicious meal, like a tasty green salad, for player's Sims to munch on.
With all the extra environmentally friendly finds present in The Sims 4: Eco Living, one can live completely off the grid. There are also a few new traits and aspirations players can give their Sim to imbue them with a sense of purpose in these polluted towns. These changes from Eco Living will integrate with other expansions and the base game without throwing off the balance of a challenging but fun world to live in.
Of course players can choose whether or not they want to stay woke and keep green, but it's hard to watch a Sim coughing their guts out in a hazy fog of pollution and not at least try and do something about it. While some reviews say that The Sims 4: Eco Living adds some great new features and challenges in changing a Sim's way of living, Island Living introduced a world that changes based on Sim's actions, so in a way EA has already given players a taste of the new gameplay. This may be true, but Eco Living adds a full new set of activities to pursue, and if one of those is the ability to eat other Sims then it definitely adds some fun to be had.
Source: Polygon
