The Sims 4 Lovestruck Expansion Pack aims to bring romance to new heights for Simmers, though its drastic variances in depth make for DLC that's difficult to recommend at full price. Much like Growing Together, this new release puts a large focus on interpersonal dynamics, though to less success than the aforementioned EP. Lovestruck brings back some beloved concepts from past games like The Sims 2: Nightlife and The Sims: Hot Date alongside a few new ideas that make for entertaining drama, but it overall feels stretched too thin, and would've been much better suited to a Game Pack.

It's not to say that there aren't elements of this new release that are enjoyable - the new ways Sims can form relationships and feel satisfied within them, build Romance skill, and participate in both silly and salacious new activities are legitimately enjoyable and offer great foundation for storytelling. However, the game's world is the sparsest in recent memory, and there are many additions that could've been much more fun with just a bit more time in the oven. It's not awful, nor is it buggy, but it's also incredibly hard to justify a $40 price tag for such limited scope.

Aesthetics That Lack Cohesion But Can Still Appeal

Much of the overall aesthetics in Lovestruck feel like they lack a grand sense of cohesion, and that is certainly true for its wardrobe, though not necessarily to its detriment. The biggest overall theme seems to just be flirty clothing, which consists of everything from heart patterns and deep v-necks to fishnet tops and costumes that vary in their silly-to-sexy ratio. There are 12 feminine adult hairstyles and nine masculine, as well as eight and seven for female and male children respectively, which show a pretty solid amount of variance.

There are some cute love-themed, maximalist accessories, and the makeup takes a similar slant, introducing some bold, colorful looks, highlighter, eyelashes, and a small collection of romantic tattoos, including a hilarious list of crossed-out former loves written in Simlish. There are undoubtedly some cute looks to be found, though it doesn't bring as strong a showing as an EP like High School Years. Some CAS shortcomings make more sense than others - a lack of toddler hair tracks for a largely adult-focused EP, for example, but a complete absence of new swimwear does not.

How Big An Addition Turn-ons & Turn-offs Are

One of the biggest additions in Lovestruck is the Turn-ons and Turn-offs system, which long-time players will be familiar with already, but it's grown since its last appearance. These fall into six separate categories based around a combination of surface level and deeper traits: Way of Life, which is things like being broke or a good cook, personality-based Characteristics, Romance Styles, which are essentially love languages, Hair Color, Outfit Color, and Fashion Type. This is the basis of the new in-game Attraction system, which works alongside other factors like Romantic Satisfaction to determine overall compatibility.

Lovestruck comes with two new Traits: Lovebug and Romantically Reserved. Lovebug feels quite similar in many ways to the existing Romantic, though these Sims experience more pain from failed romantic endeavors as well, while Romantically Reserved places higher requirements on relationship levels before Sims can open up; however, in my playthrough it was an overall disappointingly small hurdle for my Sim to overcome. I'd hoped it would be more similar to a Trait like For Rent's Cringe, providing more of an active detriment to romantic endeavors, but for the most part, it just makes unlocking interactions take a bit longer.

There are also two new Aspirations, Romantic Explorer and Paragon Partner, both of which are fun enough, but not particularly impressive. The former is essentially a more lovey-dovey Serial Romantic centering around things like successful dates and increasing Romance skill, while the latter is more akin to the existing Soulmate Aspiration, and is drastically lackluster compared to its cohort. While Romantic Explorer has three tiers of goals for Sims to complete, Paragon Partner only has one, and feels like a rushed concept solely created so that the Expansion would come with multiple new Aspirations.

Build & Buy Mode Works Well For Specific Design Ideas

Build and Buy Mode continues this similar, somewhat disted aesthetic theme, simultaneously drawing inspiration from hispanic cultures, sleek modernism, and the Goth family, and there's a great emphasis placed on color palettes being available in either dark or pastel. Highlights include a few stylish bars, a fun blend of grafitti and classically-inspired art, and a handful of romantic objects like a costume trunk and a salacious party game. Though they don't feel entirely cohesive, these objects work well for cultivating amorous locales, which the pre-built lots - particularly the nightclub - exemplify well.

There are also two new Woohoo locations that can be purchased: special blankets that allow for the deed to be done essentially anywhere, and supply closets. I'm unsure whether a chunk of furniture being based around objects that could be found in the Goth household is romantically fitting or lazy, as the game already includes ample furniture within said household that can be placed elsewhere. However, an undeniably disappointing shortcoming is that the long-awaited vibrating heart bed has returned to The Sims, but falls short after all this time, offering cute swatches but not even a single specialized moodlet.

Build and Buy as a whole feels like it has some missed opportunities for new romantic items - in particular, the fact that there's no new hot tub is very surprising. The additions do serve the overall theme of the Pack well, and are great for romantic builds that can skew either seedy or classy. While some objects are more universally applicable, it's hard to say just how much potential they have as a whole to be useful in typical building scenarios that aren't a dimly-lit club or 70s-style love shack, but it's a fairly fun selection nonetheless.

Lovestruck's Romantic Gameplay: Hit & Miss

Much of what Lovestruck adds to the game is similar to last year's Growing Together Expansion Pack, which introduced Family Dynamics, though this new release features an even wider breadth of relationship-altering features. Lovers can have one of four dynamics: Wholesome, Steamy, Strained, or Unpredictable, and each member of a relationship will have their own independent levels of both Attraction and Romantic Satisfaction. The former is determined by Turn-ons and Turn-offs, and the latter is based on things like successful interactions and respecting boundaries - which is a new system for determining jealousy - alongside how well Sims maintain Attraction.

Both relationship elements are constantly in flux - a Sim changing hair color or learning a new personality facet about another can make Attraction rise or fall, and misplaced romantic gestures that aren't to a Sim's preferences can do the same for Satisfaction. With boundaries, players can adjust how open Sims' relationships are, though there's no outright polyamory, and there are many conversational options to help couples determine these. The new Romance skill can unlock interactions like sensual neck kisses and the ability to recount Woohoo stories, along with making the overall success rate for romantic actions higher.

Players can customize dates through Create A Date with activities that will determine its goals, like cloud gazing or intimacy - however, there are only three date types: Get To Know You, Romantic, or Romantic Repair, which feels low for a love-themed EP. There are a few DLC date activities too, like playing with animals via releases like Pets - though they appear even when the DLC isn't owned, which feels like a not-so-subtle hint to purchase them. The new system does sway the goals presented on each date somewhat, but the overall impact of a date remains about the same.

Creating The Worst Date Possible Doesn't Seem To Matter - Until You Die Of A Broken Heart

I purposefully took a Sim out on the worst date imaginable, hoping for some kind of consequences. Disappointingly, outside a Tense moodlet and Bad Date Sentiment - which didn't lower the overall relationship - it didn't feel that impactful or dramatic, which is a downgrade from earlier games where Sims would leave flaming feces on the doorstep of bad dates. Cupid's Corner is an amusingly stereotypical dating app filled with fish-wielding potential paramours, where Sims can create a profile showcasing their Traits and organize dates. Though simple, it does just what it needs to, and makes diving into romance much easier.

It should be mentioned that there are technically two consequences that can come from romantic fumbles, in the form of two new deaths. The first is death by a broken heart, which can happen to Sims repeatedly exposed to tumultuous romantic events, but it won't happen after a single rejection. The second is rarer, to the point where I couldn't actually witness it during my own playthrough: a choking-related death from eating chocolates while very sad. As odd as the sentence sounds, new deaths are always welcome in The Sims 4, though some may wish these triggered easier.

The Romance Consultant career branch is one of the most robust DLC jobs in The Sims in several releases, and is one of the features I by far had the most fun with. It has two secondary branches, Matchmaker and Counselor, several reward objects, and new career-specific interactions like giving unsolicited love advice. Some of these conversation topics can even impact other Sims, like raising their Charisma skill after some professional love tips. While it's not technically an active career, it is one that lets Sims work from home, so it still feels more involved and engaging.

The World Of Ciudad Enamorada & Why It Reaches A New Low

The new world consists of 12 total lots, split up across three neighborhoods: seven residential, one vacation rental, a park, gym, lounge, and nightclub. It almost feels like tradition at this point for me to say the same complaint in nearly every Sims 4 DLC review: that worlds are filled with too many useless set pieces - but Ciudad Enamorada actually reaches a new low in this regard. The streets have a few scattered food vendors with small menus, and a shop in which Sims can buy romantic gifts like bouquets and shareable candies, but it's overall extremely barren.

The only rabbit hole is a motel - which, at least to its credit, is amusingly called the Beso Rápido - and it in general feels more closed off than other recent worlds. The park is pretty, but in previous DLC they usually offered activities like hiking, while there's nothing of the sort here. There's a cute wall where Sims can write romantic declarations, and they can now collect axolotls scattered about the world - though they can't be interacted with when placed - but as a whole it's an embarrassingly sparse new area.

Lovestruck continues the trend of EPs that add one solid foundational element, like last year's For Rent landlord mechanic, but has trouble being well-rounded enough to justify Expansion Pack price.

Where Ciudad Enamorada does shine is in some of its lots that really harken back to the themes of the Downtown areas added in Nightlife and Hot Date. Dark, neon-drenched locales are great at setting the mood for love, as is the Singles Hangout Lot Trait - which is applied to both the nightclub and gym. The three households included also have fun, pre-made drama ready to be explored, like questionable age gaps and struggling high school sweethearts, and for the most part the new NPCs feel well-thought-out, with existing skills, Attraction preferences, and even Milestones if players have Growing Together.

Final Thoughts & Review Score

3/5 - "Good" By Screen Rant's Review Metric

Despite its shortcomings, The Sims 4 Lovestruck does do a great job of cultivating an overall more romantic vibe. Smaller additions like more affectionate interactions for sitting Sims - which was one of the best things to come from Nightlife - and the lovey-dovey aura that permeates Ciudad Enamorada, with couples everywhere cuddling on benches and stargazing, really sows the seeds for more meaningful relationships. This paired with things like Romantic Satisfaction makes a stronger foundation for player storytelling, both for existing NPCs and original Sims.

The biography for one of the new in-game families states, "It's all for the plot, okay?" which feels like an apt descriptor for the DLC as a whole - it's absolutely great at creating drama, but falls short to varying degrees elsewhere. Lovestruck continues the trend of EPs that add one solid foundational element, like last year's For Rent landlord mechanic, but has trouble being well-rounded enough to justify Expansion Pack price. It's much more suited to Game Pack classification, with many aspects like the world, Paragon Partner Aspiration, and Create A Date feeling like half measures.

The best elements of the EP are its new interpersonal dynamics - Turn-ons and offs in particular have been requested for almost a decade - the Romance skill, and Romantic Consultant career. The debate over how much of this should have been included in free updates is a different discussion, but it does feel like DLC that would've felt much more complete paired with the elements of something like My Wedding Stories. For big fans of drama and romance, The Sims 4 Lovestruck is worth looking into, but is likely something to wait for a sale to actually purchase.

Screen Rant was given a special early access build of Lovestruck and a PC code for the purpose of this review.