It is no secret that the new Strangerville expansion pack for the fourth installment of the Sims series has revolutionized gameplay. In a similar fashion to the Sims Medieval expansion, players who chose to move to the small and peculiar town of Strangerville will be given a quest and a set number/sequence of tasks needed to be carried out in order to solve said mystery and complete the quest in question. Previous installments of the series emphasized a more user generated plot structure and merely provided a framework for players to unleash their every whim upon. But this new structure requires new actions, new interactions, and new ways of interacting with the world around each and every Sim. In this article, some of these new interactions and actions will be explored.
8 Become An Investigator
Though the investigator career path was added to the game several game packs ago, the ability to investigate mysteries was limited to those who pursued such a career. But the Strangerville mystery is available to all those with the “Strangerville Mystery” aspiration that move into the small desert town.
Regardless of career, skill level, or traits, Sims will be able to investigate the mystery. They can explore the abandoned Science lab, examine the archives at the local library, interrogate military personnel, bug their friends in order to record their conversations, and more.
7 Attack The Mystery From a Different Angle
With the aid of the new military career, mystery loving Sims can solve the mystery from an entirely different angle. High ranking military officials will be able to unlock certain areas and given access to mission-relevant tools that civilians would not be able to obtain easily. These tools will aid one greatly in the trials to come and can make solving the mystery a much smoother experience. The two different branches in the military career allow players to come at the mystery from a number of different directions and may even find themselves having to play double agent against their superiors.
6 Customize the Town
Let’s be honest, the lots that typically come with each world in the Sims 4 usually require a makeover in order to be playable/aesthetically pleasing. Using the gallery feature, players can access user created versions of the two public lots in the Strangerville neigbourhood and implement them in their own game.
Old fashioned gamers will be pleased to know that they can also rebuilt the lots themselves through build mode. It is important to note that the bar must remain a bar and the library must remain a library in order to ensure smooth gameplay. But other than that, feel free to customize the lots to one’s personal style.
5 Bribery and Seduction
In order to gather information about the Strangerville mystery, Sims now have the ability to seduce others for information, befriend them and convince them that they are trustworthy enough to be given the classified information, blackmail them into giving them the information they need, or even bribe high ranking military officials into giving them access to restricted areas, specialized equipment, and secret information. Players have the ability to choose which route they will go about in order to get the information they need out of those around them.
4 Eavesdrop With Style
Eavesdropping was first brought to the Sims series via the Spy career in the Sims Medieval; however, it was not as sophisticated as the Sims 4 version of the same interaction. In Sims Medieval, the spy Sim would simply stand close by the target Sim and listen in on their conversations.
In Strangerville, Sims are able to implant listening devices on citizens around them and listen to their conversations via the listening device in the comfort of their own homes. They can use the information they compile as evidence for the case or even blackmail the bugged Sim.
3 Slap Them Sober
Slapping another Sim is no longer an action reserved for rude Sims and enemies! Now it can be used to help Sims afflicted by the strange plague that has infected the citizens of Strangerville snap out of their hypnotic and dazed state. If a player notices that a Sim is walking in a bizarre fashion (as if a small creature or plant is controlling their movements and the Sim in question is merely a flesh puppet,) speaking in nonsensical and bizarre ways, and staring into space slack jawed and wide-eyed, Sims can now try to snap them out of it by slapping them until they come to.
2 Interrogate Your Friends
Sims have been given a new trait and, in a game with such limited traits, all new traits are welcomed with open arms. This new trait is the “paranoid” trait which allows players to exhibit classic behavioral signs associated with high levels of paranoia.
These behaviors include being able to accuse those around them of spying, becoming tense when people are talking near the paranoid sim, and discussing conspiracy theories with friends and loved ones. Combined with the “erratic” (previously known as the “insane” trait) and the Sim will spend their days screaming at the sky, talking to inanimate objects, and accusing everyone around them of talking behind their back and spying on them.
1 Grow Your Own Alien Fruit
If one allows the welcoming party to enter the active house to explore, interact, and greet the new neighbours, they will plant a bizarre fruit in the garden of the homeowner. If allowed to take root, this fruit will grow into one of the bizarre, purple, alien plants that can be seen around the world. These plants will continue to grow and, if the active player chooses to explore the mystery, will grow spores and release them into the air. Players can interact with these plants in both kind and cruel ways, both which will influence the effect that the plant has on the Sim.
NEXT: “STRANGERVILLE” REVIEW
