The Sims 4: Life and Death Overview

It's my first day in a new job and I don't know what to expect. It all came about after a call from the Grim Reaper who told me he was looking for interns, or Grimterns as he calls them. As a morbid “The Sims” player, I was naturally intrigued and accepted the position. The next day I was taken to the Headlessquarters – yes, that’s what they’re actually called – where my day began.

I never thought Grim's headquarters would be an office, but somehow it fits. Nothing screams dark and ominous like an office decorated in black and gray tones where you have to analyze statistics and are forced to make small talk with colleagues. Still, this was just the beginning of my journey through The Sims 4: Life & Death.

The expansion pack is one of the most comprehensive I can remember. It's packed with two new professions, one of which is an active reaper profession, a skill tree for Ghost Sims, and a world full of secrets, quest chains, and lore. There are also new game mechanics surrounding death, funerals, bucket lists, ghosts and reincarnation. I've been exploring Ravenwood for about two weeks and I'm still discovering new secrets. So many secrets.

The Sims has never approached death this way. Funerals are a whole new thing and have been designed to feel meaningful. There's the ability to change the characteristics of a service, choose graves or urns, display a casket, give a thoughtful or sad eulogy, and Sims can even sit down for the occasion. Wills also mean a Sim can pass on their wishes to the next generation, adding even more realism and depth to the experience.

The cemetery plot and new grief reactions provide deeper consequences related to the loss of Sims. You'll see them react to death autonomously and in different ways, something that's also made its way into the base game with this expansion's update, but the additional addition of cemeteries and funerals here expands this by including church services and memorials offers a concrete outlet for grief.

Death is a big part of life and a difficult thing to deal with. Grief is a very strong negative emotion, and it's difficult to incorporate into a game that tends to lean toward the mundane, lighthearted, chaotic, and supernatural. The Sims have always been known for their over-the-top approach to death. While some deaths are quite harrowing, Sims can be killed by things like comets, chickens, a guinea pig infestation, poor cooking skills, and the lack of pool ladders. Death is fun in The Sims so far.

During a recent interview with TheGamer, production manager Dave Miotke told me how the team really wanted to pack this world full of mystery, and they absolutely delivered on that promise. The three neighborhoods all have very different atmospheres and each has its own Sims, items, quests and lore.

The humor is still there if you wish, and services for the departed can be conducted with a happy, thoughtful tone rather than a morbid one. They can even be excluded entirely. The key here is that you can choose. Those who have been playing Sims all their lives can now live off their losses, and for those who enjoy playing as black widow brides and killing their spouses for the Simoleons, Crocodile Tears is an available option. Sims who want a unique memory can even hire mourners to add a sense of mystery to the proceedings. This is where choice matters, and this has clearly been taken into account across all of the package's features. Grief is unique and the system for dealing with death is anchored in its core.

It's fascinating to see how Life & Death feels like so many parts of The Sims are reaching their full potential for the first time. Funerals use the same system as weddings and other social events, the reaper career is a welcome return to active careers, collecting tarot cards uses the errand system, and ghosts have similar skill trees to vampires and werewolves. These are all new, creative ways to use features from previous packages. Over the years, the development team has sown many seeds that are now bearing fruit.

I've always loved active careers and the Reaper career works really well. While there will always be repetition in jobs like this, having a good core selection of different types of tasks to travel to makes a big difference to the longevity of Grim. Most importantly, I maxed out my level without encountering any bugs or problems. In fact, the whole experience went very smoothly. The worst thing I've ever encountered is the static channel on my Sim's TV, which provides a sweaty experience on hallowed ground.

I just harvested the plant soul of a cow plant after it ate me while I was trying to dispose of the bodies left behind. Revenge is sweet. 10/10 no notes.

If you play with seasons enabled, you'll notice that weather and season effects aren't as obvious in Life & Death. Even if the snow covered such a heavenly landscape it would have been great, I didn't feel shortchanged by its absence. Not every world has snow, thunder, and blizzards, so it's certainly not the first world to go without them.

Ravenwood is unique in many ways and its weather system adds to this appeal. In winter it won't snow, but there will be rolling clouds of mist in the style of Silent Hill. Sometimes compromises have to be made, and for me the world is atmospheric enough. It's a relief to be able to explore without fear of my Sim freezing to death in a swimsuit while trying to read an epitaph on a grave across the river.

The Sims 4 life and death whispering mountain peaks.

Life & Death offers a good balance of new outfits for all ages and genders, a solid selection of build and purchase items, and a phenomenal amount of gameplay additions. The Soul's Journey bucket list system, which even extends to death with playable spirits, adds goals into everyday life like The Sims has never done before.

It combines goals, skill building, career advancement and more in one system that offers flexible goal setting. It adds more direction to your Sim's life and also some much-needed structure, like a virtual jungle gym for The Sims 4's sandbox. If you want to explore, it's there and you can climb to the top, but if you'd rather If you just want to play in the sand, that's okay too.

Everywhere I looked there was something unexpected and unique that built on my love for this game while challenging me to expand my gameplay horizons. I hope all future expansions are as subversive and scary.

We've been playing with life for ten years, now we can finally play with death, and it was worth the wait.