The newest game pack to grace the Sims 4 franchise is Werewolves, a highly-anticipated expansion that features a fresh occult - Werewolves. Players with this pack can have a howling good time as their Sim befriends, researches, explores, and becomes the elusive supernatural phenomenon that is werewolves.

When a Sim becomes a werewolf, whether through gameplay or directly through Create-a-Sim, the player can change the Sims’s wolf appearance in CAS. The game creates a werewolf form based loosely on the Sim’s human form. For example, if the Sim in question has a large, bulbous nose, the player can expect the corresponding wolf-form will have a similarly large snout.

However, by unlinking the wolf-form from the Sim-form in Create-a-Sim, the player can customize their ferocious fursona any way that pleases them.

There are three ways to become a werewolf: asking to be bitten in game, accidentally being bitten and contracting werebies, and directly becoming a werewolf in CAS.

After befriending a wolf in-game, the player can choose the dialogue “As for Cursed Bite.” The target wolf will more than likely oblige, and the Sim will be on his way to becoming a werewolf.

The first moodlet a player’s freshly bitten Sim will display is an uncomfortable one, labeled “Painful Bite.” From here, the Sim’s hunger bar will begin deteriorating rapidly as the Sim slowly begins the transformation process.

After several hours, the Sim will finally reach peak hunger, realizing that they are indeed transforming into an insatiable beast.

Following transformation, the Simwolf will have a new needs interface sporting a a clawed hand holding a crystal ball. When the ball is filled with red, that indicates that the player’s wolf is filled with Fury.

Fury acts as a spectrum in the game, a barometer that measures the balance between a given wolf’s humanity and more beastly instincts. An empty crystal means peak humanity; a full crystal means the Sim has gone full beast.

When full beast, the Sim will “rampage,” wanting to do little more than roar and destroy things.

Because a rampaging, full-fury wolf cannot use facilities the way a normal Sim would, they instead urinate outside, sleep on the floor, lick themselves clean, and run on all fours. Because the fury crystal is a spectrum, however, Sims who are still in human form will show beast like behavior as the orb fills. They might stalk around their homes angrily or curl up on the floor to nap like a pup.

How does the fury orb fill? A given Sim gains fury when practicing certain werewolf abilities, during the full moon, according to Sim preferences and according to the wolf’s temperament.

Temperaments are random but loosely based on Sim personality. A werewolf who is “prideful” will gain fury when embarrassed or uncomfortable. Flirty Sims will
gain fury when frisky; “wracked with guilt” Sims when gain fury when sad.

As one might expect, werewolves often travel, live in, and commune in packs.

In Werewolves, the player can choose from two different packs that tout wildly different philosophies: The Wild Fangs and the Moonwood Collective.

Those in the Moonwood Collective value tradition, communing with nature, and controlling the inner beast for the greater good.By contrast, the Wildfangs believe that wolves should embrace the beast, explore the world, play hard, and work harder.

To join either pack, the player must, as a werewolf, befriend the Alpha and ask for their blessing. After this, the Alpha will direct the Sim to complete a series of trials. They may have to howl, give food or a similar high-quality gift, werewolf spar, or discuss other werewolf business. Some of these tasks are only able to be completed once the werewolf has gained certain skills, so this task may take time.

Once the Sim has joined either pack, they can view the standing pack expectations. The Wild Fangs, as pictured below, believe encourage member participation, exploring, and self-improvement. Players can do this by contributing to the pack’s resources, exploring the world and meeting other wolves, and increasing their wolf abilities.

Simwolves can practice these requirements to rank up from an Omega wolf to a Beta wolf. At any point, however, a given wolf can challenge the Alpha, the leader of the pack, for supreme leadership.

Just like many other occults, werewolves have received a full skill tree in this pack. Through practice, werewolves can gain a many helpful skills like learning to control themselves during a rampage, digging up precious artifacts, turning other werewolves, and much more.

If this were not enough, werewolves can earn other abilities through gameplay. For example, if a wolf manages to remain away from innocent bystanders while rampaging, they will earn “Transformation Mastery, allowing them to change into beast-form at will and while maintaining their humanity.

There are many abilities like this, including the ability to read ancient wolf writings, win over werewolf allies, mentor other wolves.

There are many things to love about being a werewolf. What’s your favorite part? Tell us on Twitter or Instagram!

Sims 4: Werewolves launches June 16 to millions of hungry Simmers. This game pack ships with a whole host of changes to Sims 4, not the least of which is the folding of werewolves into standing Sims 4 lore.

Accompanying the introduction of this fresh occult to Sims 4 is the revelation of a new world, too: Moonwood Mill.

Formerly a lumber mill town, the abandoned Moonwood is a thickly forested world littered with the the remnants of industry: looming metal cranes, crusty sewage waterways, busted pipes and barrels, and roughly hewn libraries held together by crumbling brick and beams. According to the world's lore, after a massive conflict between vampires and werewolves, the werewolves took over the town as their own.  

While it only boasts five livable lots, Moonwood Mill attempts the feeling of “open-world”ness, so players can run and roam the punk-inspired paradise unencumbered by pesky loading screens.

Indeed, Simmers will need all the time they can manage to fully explore Moonwood, which houses a host of well-connected, hidden secrets and lore that players can unravel through gameplay.

Naturally, a game pack which features werewolves must orient itself around the moon. Werewolves are famously, physically connected to the moon; a full moon is said to transform affected humans into half-beasts.

The Sims 4 team has deeply integrated the moon and its various phases into every day game play. Simmers will be able to check the current moon phase using new in-game UI and in the game’s calendar.

There are now eight phases of the moon:

• ​New Moon
• Waxing Crescent Moon
• First Quarter Moon
• Waxing Gibbous Moon
• Full Moon
• Waning Gibbous Moon
• Third Quarter Moon
• Waning Crescent Moon

Players can toggle how long the lunar cycle is, stick with their favorite phase in perpetuity, or even disable the lunar cycle all together in the gameplay options menu.

Certain phases of the moon will affect werewolf Sims in different ways. As in the picture above, the selected werewolf will experience a buff to their fitness under the “waxing crescent moon.” Other phases will have other effects on werewolves.  According to the developers, the full moon makes werewolves feel a "little more wild." 

But werewolves are not the only Sims whom the moon affects! Various occults will react to the changing moon phases. During certain phases:

• ​Spellcasters can perform spells more easily
• Mermaids will lose hydration more slowly
• ​Vampires recharge their powers slower
• Aliens will receive special moodlet buffs when “Moon bathing”

If that were not all, children will also now ask about the moon, can say goodnight to the moon, and have moon dreams!
​
Players can easily track the lunar cycle using the in-game calendar, a change which has come to base game.

In Moonwood Mill, the current phase of the moon affects how easily a player can collect certain fish, plants, or spot a certain infamous werewolf who may or may not be named Greg.

Running beneath Moonwood's surface is a complex network of Underground Tunnels. These tunnels were "created by and for" werewolves, according to game developers.  They allow swift travel between key points in the world if discerning denizens take the time to learn the twists and turns of its dark pathways. 

Players can enter the tunnels through an entrance within derelict porta potties, a tree-choked bunker entrance, or the thoroughly slimy sewage drain. 

While the underground tunnel network essentially works like a "rabbit-hole," an area of the game that the player does not get to see, the game offers players several pop-up prompts to respond to in order to navigate through the tunnels.  There are a plethora of secrets and treasures to uncover in the tunnels, some of which are only unavailable to werewolves of a certain skill level. 

While non-were humans can also explore these tunnels, they will find it nearly impossible to uncover all of its secrets. 

In the above dialogue box sequence, the Sim has successfully navigated from one point of entry (the porta potty) to a separate point of entrance (the bunker.) Once a Sim has successfully done such a thing, they can easily navigate between these two points without a loading screen. 

Another facet of what makes Moonwood special is the number of special collectibles that players can gather.  During the full moon, players can travel to "Howling Point" the huge cliffside that dominates Moonwood's horizon and overlooks Lake Ludvick, to collect the elusive Moonpetal. This plant only ever sprouts during a full moon, so the discerning Sim must time their visits accordingly.

Similarly, Lake Ludvick dazzles beneath the moonlight, yielding the new Luna Fish.  This special fish will be incredibly difficult to catch; only the full moon will properly assist the wishful fisherman's desires.

Moonwood Mill is full of mushrooms, berries, and other collectible plants for harvesting.  A new plant - Wolfsbane - can be found here. 

While Werewolves offers a whole host of delightful new characters with whom to woo and make nice, Greg is the barrel-chested, broad-shouldered, misunderstood hermit-wolf who has captured Simmer imaginations. 

Greg is an ornery werewolf that lives in Moonwood Mills.  He is often found skulking around a squat shack in the middle of the forest, baying at the full moon or snacking on large slices of meat.  Hopeful travelers can interact with the homespun caution sign to encourage his appearance. 

Once he appears, Simmers can try to get to know him through a variety of available socials, but this is no easy task.  Greg harbors a dark past that must be unraveled over time, and he is more likely to acknowledge a Sim who shares his beastly form.  

Otherwise, curious Simmers should be prepared to shiver at the very sound of Greg's voice, which often elicits a fear moodlet from unlucky travelers. But persistent players can rest assured that Greg will eventually open up and relay his story to those he deems worthy. 

What are you most excited about in Werewolves? ​Tell us on Twitter or Instagram! ​

Werewolves, the latest addition to the Sims 4 Game Pack repertoire, is due to drop into Origin and Steam on June 16th, and its Create-a-Sim options promise to be a howling good time. 

Sims developers showed off the pack's assets on June 10th to thousands of squealing fans.  Brimming with the punk-inspired, homegrown alternative fashion that permeated the late-90's and early 2000's, Werewolves's style options will titillate grunge-loving players everywhere. Many of the looks sport patches, holes, rips, and rough ends to suggest a Sim's frequent, violent transformations into a beast form.  This beast form is fairly androgynous and, thusly, the Sims team has crafted a line of clothing that suits both feminine and masculine frames. Indeed, Create-a-Sim offers new functions for a Sim's wolf-form, too, allowing players to modify muzzles and paint the perfect puppy pattern.  (However, these changes will be covered in a separate article.)

The result is a spread of threads that are universally appealing, flattering Sims of many shapes and sizes. The choices are worn but creative, magical but versatile.  

The many of the masculine looks in the game pack are also offered for feminine frames.  For male Sims, there appear to be:

• 10 masculine tops
• 4 bottoms
• 3 pairs of shoes
• 8 body accessories
• 5 facial accessories
• 2 full-body looks. 

The half-tucked sweater comes in a variety of puppy-prints with comfortable cuffs and an easy collar. 

The jackets come with a variety of patchwork patterns, rolled up sleeves, metal zippers, and fine accents that suggest the moon and other natural phenomena.  

Perhaps one of the most winning looks is the t-shirt with torn hemming.  This item is perhaps the one best suited for the wolf who is constantly bursting into his beast form despite himself. It comes in a variety of swatches, a few with fun prints, others in plain but earthy colors, and still others worthy of any band-loving beast. 

There are two full-body looks for masculine Sims. The first is a long, patchwork coat with a half-tucked in shirt and comfortable slacks . 

The other full body outfit is another loosely tucked in knit with a belt and comfortable slacks. The slacks come in tartan, earthy tones, and a few even have moon-decorations on them! 

There are four masculine bottoms in the pack.  Again, all four sport the torn, patchy work that suggest beast battles and sudden, violent transformations.  The fit of each pant differs from the next, which is deeply refreshing for those familiar with masculine CAS. 

There are three shoe options, a Converse-inspired high-top sneaker, a torn-toeless sneaker, and tried and true punk boots available in a variety of colors. 

There are three masculine hairstyles available in Werewolves: two mullets with braided, banded details: one available in the standard Sim hair colors, and another that boasts a host of punky, ombre colors; and a long wavy style. 

The accessories that come shipped with this game pack are many.  Simmers can expect to enjoy tribal-like nose piercings, coin-shaped earrings, crescent-moon necklaces, and rings, hand bandages, bracelets, and more! 

The included feminine fashion follows the same punk, homegrown inspirations as the menswear. Feminine-framed Sims can enjoy flowing dresses in earthy patterns, layered knit looks, essential punky stockings, torn band tees, relaxed jackets, and more. 

This ankle length dress feels but fantastic and versatile. The leather belt befit with a handcrafted satchel would suit any self-respecting spell or mooncaster. 

The layered look comes in many attractive plain and plaid patterns. The thigh-level patch at is a great touch. 

The new stockings, torn and ripped in all the right ways, are available in both neutral tones, funky shades, and two-toned patterns. 

This attractive knit manages a high-fashion off the shoulder look while maintaining the torn, alternative aesthetic. 

The button up is available in denim, patchy cloth, and plaid.  It is layered with both band tees, neutral tees, and werewolf-worthy prints. 

The torn tee is, again, an easy winner. It comes available in camouflage patterns, artsy pop prints, and neutral tones. 

Amongst the new feminine hairs are a braided mullet, a simple but shaggy shoulder-length style, an undercut up-do available with and without a crescent moon.   

Werewolves offers a plethora of not only cheek and eye scarring but also body scarring for maximum storytelling options.  Any werewolf Sim can appear properly scratched, clawed, and even bitten on their arms, legs, and torso.  There are even special patterns that make the hands appear dirty, as if the werewolf has been digging tunnels for too long.  

These detailed scars and marks can be layered with each other and even tattoos! 

Speaking of new tattoos, Werewolves boasts a new lunar moth tattoo and, of course, a wolf back tattoo.  Again, scars can be layered on top of these tattoos for a realistic effect. 

Thankfully, even children get new items in this game pack: a puppy-eared cap, a wolf-patterned suspender set, an adorable wolfy onesie. 

What look are you looking the most forward to? Tell us on Twitter or Instagram! 

The Sims team kicked off their freshest season of summer content with the announcement of two new kits: Moonlight Chic, a Create-a-Sim kit, and Little Campers, a Build/Buy kit.  Both kits, released May 26th, harnessed the "embrace the night" theme curated by Sims developers. Moonlight Chic, in particular, is a kit that aims to represent the sleek, romantic fashion of Parisian nightlife. Does this 32-piece clothing kit meet the mark? Is it worth the 4.99 USD cost? Let's get into it. 

Inspired by the effortless style of French fashion influencer Paola Locatelli, the feminine pieces included in the Moonlight Chic Kit are easy winners. The salmon-pink sweater crop is flirty and fashion-forward.  The texture appears soft and simple, with a cute turtleneck neckline.

Also, the knitted thigh-length jacket with a tube top comes with beautiful braided detailing and little buttons along the sleeves.

The button up top with an almost applique collar finish is also a show-stopper.  The long, loose sleeves end in romantic flower petal like way.  All three tops pair well with high-waisted bottoms which, admittedly, are few and far between in the Sims 4.  It can also be said that, despite the beauty of each piece, that there is no dearth of crop-tops which already exist in the game.  These beautiful additions to Create-a-Sim simply add to the mounting supply of tummy-bearing tops already vastly abundant in Sims 4. 

Luckily, this is not the end of Moonlight Chic's feminine offerings. A long-sleeved, disco ball like top offers the kind of curve-hugging glitter that I love seeing in my Create-a-Sim options. When paired with high-waisted bottoms, this top literally shines as a stand-out piece. Similarly, the V-neck soft sweater comes in head-turning colors such as lemonade yellow. It ends in a figure-complimenting cinch, and looks good on many bodies. 

Perhaps the two stars of this kit are the slinky silk dress with spaghetti strap shoulders and the snappy trenchcoat-like short jacket. Both are eye-catching and available in pleasing colors. In fact, the silk dress comes in several ombre swatches that make it an interesting addition to any discerning Sim's closet. 

The feminine bottoms leave a little to be desired.  The kit boasts a pair of shorts that are acceptably suitable. The looped belting appears painted on and thus flatter than what I'd like.  Similarly, the sequined skirt, also appears a little flatter than what I'd expect, but it still manages to be a pretty piece, perhaps a relic of the past Carnaval Kit. 

There is another piece included in the feminine CAS selection, a suit jacket with a crop top blouse, which is a stunning addition to this kit but... more on that later. 

Personally, Create-a-Sim kits live and die for me according to their masculine offerings. I almost exclusively create masculine Sims with traditionally masculine frames, so any and all additions to their admittedly slim Sim wardrobe is always welcome for me. Eager to slide my men into fresh threads, I jumped immediately into CAS on May 26th. 

The masculine tops offer the same sort of ease and simple sensuousness that characterizes this kit as a whole. A crisp, color-blocked racing jacket, a loose-fitting and half-tucked in button up, and a daring denim jacket in a variety of colors are stars of the pack. They are joined by a simple sweater with three-quarter sleeves, which comes with a long, nearly bohemian hemp necklace. 

The flowery button up was a real winner for me: its straight-lined, traditionally masculine silhouette paired with the traditionally feminine floral print is really appealing.  When worn with bottoms from the Modern Menswear kit, this shirt is a must-have.  

​Speaking of bottoms... 

The kit has five bottoms for masculine Sims, and they all offer the same loose, cargo-like fit and texture. While they may vary according to number of pockets, the bottoms are all lackluster.  None of them particularly push the fashionable envelope, and I daresay that the Sims already enjoys a near endless supply of cargo pants, especially for men. Beyond being fashionably backward, the inclusion of so many items of the same design is just plain disappointing.

This is not to say that the trousers look badly in-game. They are simple additions, particularly the shorts and slacks, that are well-rendered. The belt and seams on the long shorts look nice. The slacks are available in a variety of interesting colors and sit comfortably on the masculine frame. There are beautiful folds in all trouser selections, a definite plus in the texture department. They are good pants. Acceptable. But a bit boring.

But perhaps I'm overly salty about the menswear. After all, when I saw the initial advertisements for Moonlight Chic, I was over-the-moon excited to slip my men into what I believed was a boundary-pushing masculine suit. In fact, it appeared that this suit - the full-body option with a cropped blouse and high neckline - was indeed for masculine Sims.

In official game renders, the suit boasted broad shoulders that tapered into a narrow waist, a fashionably baggy fit reminiscent of the late 80's, a high neckline, deep pockets, and large lapel that reminded me a little of Yusuke's fits from Yu Yu Hakusho, one of the my favorite animes of all time. (Yeah, I am unfortunately that old.)

But when I entered the game and frantically searched the masculine wear for this top, I was sorely disappointed. 

Despite its branding, the top was unavailable for masculine Sims, even when I removed the "masculine" tag.  To find it for my men, I had to completely change their "fashion choice" to "feminine." 

Naturally, when I placed the desired top on my masculine framed Sim, the game distorted his body. The trench coat top gave Julian sizable breasts, while the famed crop-top suit gave him fuller hips. In fact, I found that the suit that I'd wanted so badly did not have a tapered waist as was advertised. Instead, it made Julian look larger than he actually was.  I was thoroughly disappointed. 

Moonlight Chic has some wonderful pieces for which Create-a-Sim fanatics will find some semblance of use. The feminine CAS pieces are beautiful and flirty; the masculine CAS is acceptable, but limited.  This pack will in no way challenge you or make you rethink fashion; it will not offer many additions that are unlike anything your Sim already owns. The mis-marketing of the suit jacket also, personally, left me with a sour taste in my mouth. 

Is this pack a must-have? Absolutely not. Is it worth 4.99 if you have it to spare? Perhaps. But maybe wait to win it in a giveaway or something. 

What do you think of Moonlight Chic? Tell us on Twitter! 

Today, the Sims 4 developer team unveiled the newest game pack addition to their steadily swelling pack ranks.  Simply titled "Werewolves," this highly-anticipated game pack will drop June 16th.  Thanks to a heart-stopping trailer and a plethora of eye-popping leaks, Simmers everywhere are salivating for the pack's contents. 

In addition to satisfying the long-held wishes of occult-lovers, Sims 4: Werewolves finally delivers what many Sims 4 players have longed for - alternative clothing, grunge furniture, a new world, and fresh gameplay mechanics. 

There is much to look forward to concerning this pack, but there may be a few details even the most discerning of Simmers may have missed. 

Sims 4: Werewolves comes with a brand new, forested world for Simmers to enjoy: Moonwood Mill.  The little town boasts just five buildable lots, but it offers the rundown, forgotten industrial aesthetic that many Simmers have expressed was missing from the game.  That is, much of Sims 4 is perfectly pixeled and pristine.  Available clothing and build swatches are usually brightly colored, unblemished, and undoubtedly beautiful - as one might, perhaps, expect from a children's cartoon or a similarly cheerful animated series.  Even previous occult packs - Realm of Magic or Vampires for example - offered assets that were darkly ornate and pleasing to the eye.  Builders or Sim creators had little to choose from if they wanted to create a world that felt truly forgotten, dirty, apocalyptic, or simply alternative. 

Moonwood Mill breaks this unblemished mold in several ways, though the world is lovely in its own right.  A forested world wrapped around an abandoned lumber mill, Moonwood Mill offers the rusted shells and monstrous iron relics of a forgotten industry suited for packs of misfits. The Werewolves trailer showed cranes and steel bridges alongside jutting cliffsides and thick woodland. 

The new world offers a variety of additions to existing gameplay.  Here, Players will be able to observe phases of the moon, most notably, the full moon.  In addition, Moonwood Mill boasts the incredible Lake Lunvik, a swimmable lake that offers a new fish to catch: the Luna fish.  Adventurous Sims can even explore the enormous maw that is Howling Point to pluck the elusive Moonpetal Flower. 

But even this is not all that Moonwood Mill has to offer! The bravest of Sims can explore the intricate network of underground tunnels- "The Underground" - that run under town and house some of its deepest secrets.  

Of course, the new world enjoys its fair share of shady locals, unique activities (many werewolves enjoy pit fighting), makeshift bars, and rundown community venues. 

But all is not always well in Moonwood Mills, for it is home to two sometimes competing werewolf packs: the Moonwood Collective and the Wildfangs. 

Sims 4: Werewolves is brimming with the alternative punk styles that many millennials will instantly recognize.  The pack is filled with the ragged band t-shirts, punk hair, metallic accessories, razor sharp nails, thick leather boots, twisted scars, grunge plaid, and dark outfits that we all wore at our Panic! At the Disco pinnacles. 

Even more notably, Sims 4: Werewolves allows Simmers to edit their werewolf form in many ways.  Players will be able to customize the very face structure of their wolf forms, changing body shape, clothes, ears, eyes, tufts, scars, and more! Sim werewolves are a more fully integrated human-wolf form than in previous Sims iterations, with smaller heads and lanky, human-like legs.  This allows the player to fully dress their wolf form, outfit them with piercings or jewelry, while bestowing them with floppier ears, a more substantial muzzle, or unique tattoo-like markings. 

After the Werewolves official trailer dropped, SimGurus quickly donned new profile pictures on Twitter, each sporting a fresh, furry face unique to each guru's Simself.  After all, The Sims is a game committed to allowing players free self-expression, even when the situation gets a little... hairy. 

The build/buy options in Sims 4: Werewolves are unlike any that have graced the game before.  Granting many players the grimy grunge often missing from the game as a whole, this pack offers patchy sofas, sagging punching bags, worn arches, peeling artwork, floor cracks, creaking bookshelves and makeshift bars, masculine leathers and heavy woods, faded carpet, piles of garbage, smelly clutter, broken barrels, and other frightening accoutrements required for an unsettling hide-out.  

Players quickly pointed out a new bassinet ​and a fair host of other clutter items for builders to enjoy. 

Naturally, Moonwood Mill serves as home to werewolves, howling beasts that change from man to wolf under the full moon. The addition of this highly-anticipated and widely-requested occult will change gameplay in the Sims 4 in many ways.  

Werewolves, like Vampires, come bursting with original, though-provoking lore, a set of fresh occult powers, unique need meters, and presumably a skill-tree. But unlike vampires, werewolves offer players a new facet of gameplay: pack play, during which Simmers can swear their furry fealty to the Moonwood Collective - peace-loving and tree-hugging werewolves who place a premium on self-control - or the Wildfangs - rebellious wolves in plaid and asymmetrical haircuts who fully embrace their inner beast. 

But it is not so simple as choosing a side.  Indeed, players will be encouraged to learn the do's and don'ts of either pack, becoming acquainted with their careful hierarchy.  Learning alongside their beastly brethren, new wolves will gain a variety of new powers including: 

• Running on all fours
• Remaining in Beast Form
• Territory Marking
• Lunar Resistance
• Immortality

Using any of these powers increases the werewolf's power, called Fury. Once this fury meter has maxed, the werewolf must prepare themselves for a wild transformation. 

In addition, the Sims team has revealed that, alongside the pack's release, it will also introduce body hair to base game.

​Are you ready to get wild?

After what felt like an agonizing wait for many Sims 4 players, the Sims developer team finally dropped news of two upcoming kits: Moonlight Chic and Little Campers. The kits will both be available for purchase May 26th, but what can players expect from these kits? After perusing the official images, have eagle-eyed players cracked the code of what is to come in an upcoming game pack?

The Moonlight Chic Kit is a Create-a-Sim kit inspired by effortlessly fashionable Parisian night-life wear. In fact, the packs’s developers worked with French social media fashion influencer and YouTuber Paola Locatelli to develop the crisp digital line of nighttime threads.

Paola, a teenage Influencer of color with over 1.8 million followers on Instagram, has worked with Dior, the Cannes Festival, Gucci, Vanity, and Vogue. She often wears chic silks in jewel tones, dazzling dresses, sharply tailored, head turning suits, and eye-pleasing athletics.

What does this mean for Sims 4? Players can expect such lovely looks from the Moonlight Chic kit. Official screens offer us similar jewel tones, comfortable cuts, loose suits, and form-fitting night wear for which Paola is known.

As many Simmers were quick to point out, some of the official screens featured a large full moon hanging in the night sky:

Simmers quickly speculated that the full moon could indicate the possible theme of the next game pack: werewolves.

By contrast, Little Campers Kit is a Build/Buy kit designed to light up the nighttime lives of Sim Littles every where. The pack boasts s’more cooking clutter, a fancy new fire pit, a cute cat-eared new radio, a fresh swing decorated in fairy lights, makeshift tent decor, a cloth screen projector set-up, more fairy lights, fabric-draped boxes, a light-up Tonka truck, new comfy pillows and rugs, an adorable rocket of blocks, spare wood, and cardboard, a Sasquatch plush, new animal-shaped lawn chairs, and much more.

Devs quickly confirmed the kit as a build/buy kit and not a game play kit as some recently speculated.

Yet again, a large full moon looming in the render’s night sky, the Sims’s full moon thought bubble, and the image on the huge projected screen of a Sims 3 Werewolf animation all seem to suggest an impending werewolf game pack update. The clues have Simmers everywhere howling for more news.

What are you most excited about? Tell us on Twitter or Instagram!

The Sims 4 team dropped the heavily-anticipated trailer for its latest game pack - My Wedding Stories - mid-morning at 11AM EST. The tear-jerking, heartfelt trailer showed off many of the assets and game play features that Simmers, thanks to a leak, had expected from the wedding-themed pack.

Filled with floral finery in build-buy, slews of formal wear in CAS, beachy environs by the boatload, lots hand-built by incredible EA Creators like HeyHarrie, CatherinegYT, Icemunmun, and Simlicy, and robust wedding game play, My Wedding Stories is already pleasing Simmers everywhere.

This is what you can expect based on what we’ve learned from the trailer.

Eagle-eyed Twitter users like @JackofallGames7 quickly confirmed that not only does the game pack come with a new, Mediterranean-inspired world named Tartosa but also that the world seems divided into three distinct neighborhoods: a beachfront neighborhood, a waterfall neighborhood, and a mountainous neighborhood that looks remarkably set upon white Grecian cliffs.

The trailer confirmed a barrage of expected, more robust wedding game play. All of what was leaked earlier last week was observed in the vivid video.

In addition to the sometimes buggily frustrating wedding event in Sims 4, players will now be able to:

• ​Hold engagement dinners
• Recruit the best man and maid of honor
• Select wedding wear at a dress fitting
• Shop for flower decor
• Go cake shopping/cake tasting
• Hold a rehearsal dinner
• Choose the exact desired wedding traditions
• Walk down the aisle/Be walked down the aisle
• Include Flower Girls and Ring Bearers
• Slow dance at the reception with spouse
• Dance at the reception with family and friends, including kids
• Make speeches
• ​Cut the cake
• INVITE GUESTS TO SIT DOWN:

Perhaps even go on honeymoon with nudist joggers.

Some Simmers noted that some of the shopping features - cake tasting, flower purchasing, etc - seem to take place only at stalls , as opposed to brick-and-mortar bridal shops or bakeries.
​
Most notably, perhaps, the Game Pack not only honors Western
wedding traditions but also pays homage to the rich cultures of India and China. The newly engaged can choose from a variety of wonderful wedding wear - from intricate red Sarees to Mandarin collared jackets. It even appears that players will get to mix and match the traditions they want to include! For example, players can choose to hold a “Family Gathering” a Chinese tea ceremony before the wedding ceremony.

The build buy options are what might expect for a wedding pack. It appears to come stuffed with new floral pergolas, soft sphere floor lighting, new buffet tables, new lounge chairs, sheer curtains, stained glass windows, wall decor, wall lighting, functional tea sets, and much more as demonstrated by sharp-eyed Twitter user @SimmerWill:

The new wedding cakes, as demonstrated by Sim Guru Ninja, also come with fresh wedding toppers. LilSimsie must be over the mooooooo-oooon.

​Sorry.

What are you most excited for? Talk to us on Twitter!

When I first heard that the Sims 4 developers planned to release a Carnaval-themed kit, I was overjoyed.  After all, Carnaval is the caliber of world-wide party that encompasses nearly every aspect of my unique Simming style: it celebrates and centers people of color, often highlights the exuberance of queer culture, and embraces all that is over-the-top and breathtakingly indulgent.  The unapologetic debauchery of Carnaval is a luscious luxury-experience of the senses, and I am here for every inch of it.  Dubbed “Carne Vale” or “farewell meat” by the ancient Romans, Carnaval actually originated in ancient Egypt as a ceremony that ushered in the spring season and bid the winter months goodbye.  It is the period of absolute jubilation and feasting that comes before the season of Lent, when many Christians abstain, or fast, from meat, a favored food, or a vice.
 
Sims 4’s Carnaval Streetwear Kit is a Create-a-Sim kit that toes the line between classic Sims ready-to-wear styles and the unapologetic neons, sequins, feathers, and cut-outs of Carnaval.  The kit boasts stunning party pieces in eye-pleasing ice-cream colors and knock-out neons.  It offers tight skirts, glimmering tops, quaint overalls, floral rompers, and feathered accessories all unabashedly inspired by the colors of various queer pride flags.  LGBTQ+ people and their allies will quickly recognize not only the quintessential rainbow flag but also the flags for lesbian pride, demi pride, pansexual pride, and many more. 
 
The kit comes stocked with one new nail set, two new makeups, three accessories, twelve feminine pieces, and six “masculine” pieces.  I aim to review my favorite pieces, but not all of them.  For example, I left off the watermelon shirt because, well, it’s dorky. Deal with it.
 
It should be noted that although I have divided this review into “masculine” and “feminine,” a major selling point of this kit is that each piece is designed to suit all body types.  This is a necessary and highly-requested change that the Sims team appears to whole-heartedly embrace.  By challenging the very idea of “masculinity” with their recent “Modern Menswear Kit” and creating new looks that are designed to fit all body types, the Sims looks to stay on the cutting edge of culture, fashion, and the arc of history that bends toward justice. 

​I’ll be honest. Most of the Sims in my save are masculine. I enjoy making male Sims more than perhaps any other gender, so I am always incredibly excited to get new menswear.  But, perhaps more specifically, I love menswear that retains the hyper-masculine silhouette – broad shoulders, clean lines, narrow waist  – while challenging the hyper-masculine stereotypes with flashy colors and head-turning textures. Before Carnaval Streetwear Kit (and Modern Menswear) I was beginning to grow tired of the scores of boring button-ups and formal suits. Custom content became my saving grace when I dressed my men, though I did also find immense joy in the Fashion Street Kit as well. 
 
I realize, too, that I am perhaps in the minority when it comes to my enjoyment of kits in general, but listen, I’m just that dedicated to my Black masculine Sims.  I am, ahem, perhaps part of the problem.
 
But let’s get to the meat of what I must say about the masculine looks.
 

A close second for me is the colorful mesh top.  This top, available in the many colors of the queer flag rainbow, is exactly what any self-respecting man in a pride parade should strive to wear.  It does also come in plain white and black swatches, which somehow manage to feel even sexier than the other variants, and that is saying something. Alaeryn, my main Sim, with his long and narrow torso and broad chest looks smoking in this top. 
 
There is a sequined top for men as well, and it comes in several cute colors. As much as I live for sequins, this top is just okay for me.  The sequins are certainly shiny, but the texture of the top leaves much to be desired.  Upon closer examination, the sequins appear flat and a little boring, though the shine is almost distracting enough to warrant forgiveness. Almost.
 
Another absolute winner is the half-sleeve tied-off top that comes in twelve stunning swatches.  Although this is far from a traditional masculine silhouette, it pleases me to no end. Alaeryn can’t say no to a gorgeous midriff moment, and he never will, I dare say. The top is, again, floral without being too sickeningly sweet.  Its vivid palm frond patterns and peacock adjacent feather prints are so abundantly lovely that they pair perfectly with island jewelry.  Alaeryn looks ready to sip a colorful beach drink and soak in some sun.
 
​

The last two looks I'll cover – a pair of denim overalls and some floral swimming trunks – are also very cute.  The overalls slip down the SIm’s left shoulder to offer a peek of, again, a variety of queer flag-inspired tanks. The shorts stop just above the knee and would work acceptably, if not a little unremarkably, as swimming trunks.  We got plenty of colorful swimming trunks from Island Living, and there is nothing -outside of the pretty print - that is showstopping about these shorts. These two options are adorable but not Alaeryn’s style. He prefers a swimming outfit that allows him to show off more of his juicy – er– you know what? Let’s just move on. ​

​In true Sims fashion, the women get the lion’s share of the fresh looks in Carnaval Streetwear Kit, and nearly all of them are knockouts.
 
Perhaps the winner of the entire repertoire is a sunny, beaded top, again available in many shades of the queer rainbow. It is a beautiful, skin-baring, jewel-toned work of art that is shiny and colorful and absolutely delicious to behold.
 
But the fun does not even begin to stop there. Another favorite of mine is the pride-flag crop top, a quaint little thing that thrives on bold colors.  Its form-fitting fit and pleasing design is an easy win, though I’m sure many Simmers feel more than inundated with wave upon wave of crop-tops for women.  I am inclined to agree.  It is pretty difficult to dress a more a feminine Sim more conservatively in this game, which can be frustrating, particularly when dressing elder Sims. That being said, this kit is for Carnaval, a world-wide party known for the sexy and indulgent, so I’ll let it slide this time. 

​The tight seductive skirt of the pack comes in ten different swatches.  Hip-hugging and sporting a strappy slit along the sides, the skirt is another gorgeous addition to the Sims 4 catalog, though there is nothing extraordinary about it. It’s a lovely skirt sure to inspire many a woohoo session.
 
The incredible feminine looks continue in this pack with a tutu like rainbow skirt that comes in twelve vivid swatches, a pair of very short denim shorts in ten different colors, a plain pair of shorts with an accompanying fanny pack, a head to toe elegant dress with tempting cut-outs at the waist, a beachwear outfit with vibrant peacock patterns and a long, loose cover up, and a sequined halter-top with an A-line skirt and gold, criss-crossed belts. All of these looks are good, a welcome addition to any feminine closet, and it would be difficult to pick a clear winner if not for the amazing crop-top and suspenders combo. 

​This lovely look continues the tradition of finding inspiration in the many flags of queer culture, but it adds a dreamy, almost celestial star-studded quality to the shorts, which I just love.  It is flirty, with an off-the shoulder lace up top, bright suspenders, and somewhat modest shorts in several appealing colors. 

All right, fine - here is a montage of items also included in the pack which I find - uninspiring at best: 

For me, there is not much to hate when it comes to this pack. It is bold, sexy, and just plain fun.  With its constant nod to queer culture, it is a must-have for any self-respecting, parade-loving, over-the-top Simmer. 
 
That said, I wish the Sims team would have pushed the envelope even further.  I wanted the massive, full-bodied feather costumes that I associate so closely with Carnaval. I wanted the shining beads and body paints of Mardi Gras. I wanted thigh-high strappy boots, impossibly steep heels, body glitter, and just more.
 
This pack gives me glitter and shine, but falls surprisingly short in the texture department.  As many Simmers have already noted, the fanny-pack which comes with the shorts looks flat and painted on, lacking believable dimension. The sequins are shiny but in no way 3-D, and if I’m honest, when putting a feminine Sim in the masculine clothing, the clothes changed her body composition jarringly.  Her torso became longer, her shoulders broader, as if to accommodate the masculine mesh, which, you know, isn’t really the point of unisex clothing, is it?
 
All in all, the pack is a keeper if you’re an extravagant Simmer like me. Grab it now for $4.99 on Origin.
 
Bottom line: Hot or Flop?
 
HOT
​

On January 25th, thousands of notoriously insatiable Simmers awaited word from Maxis on high.  An earlier teaser image, a splash page of colorful confetti, saturated purple, and enthused Sims, promised the Simming audience not only two new vibrant kits but also a game pack that would enhance "romantic parties."  Eagle-eyed Simmers noted quickly the wedding cakes, entwined rings, elaborate masks, and tiger imprints hidden in the confetti, and the cycle of Simming speculation began anew. 

While many Simmers clamored to uncover what romance game pack could be coming, Maxis whetted the appetites of their salivating Simmer audience with news of a fresh new kit: Carnaval Streetwear Kit. 

This Create-a-Sim kit, which will be available February 3rd, is an homage to all things glitter, sequins, neon, and fabulous. The kit not only offers apparel that one might don for the world's biggest party, but it also fits feminine and masculine frames with equal ease. Maxis collaborated with Pabllo Vittar, fresh-faced, enormously talented musician and Drag superstar, to bring this colorful kit to fruition. Each look is inspired by Pabllo herself; they are skin-baring works of mesh, sequins, and glitter. There are fun watermelon imprinted tops, bejeweled crops, rainbow blouses, gold chain belts, hip-hugging purple skirts, sky-colored lowcut halter tops, and more. In a world when we are all redefining norms and encouraging ourselves to be the most authentic we can muster, it is the right kit at the right time. 

But what even is Carnaval? Why should Simmers care about it? Why did Maxis choose this celebration to represent now and why?

Though Carnaval is most closely associated with Brazil, it is actually a world-wide event celebrated in 50 countries all over the world.  In Brazil, two million people of all shapes and sizes dress in feathers and sequins, glitter and gold, and strut down the Sambadrom alongside enormous floats.  These gigantic block parties are an experience of sound, color, and absolute joy.  In Italy, people attend masked balls and dress in decadent masquerade costumes. Carnaval is known as Mardi Gras in the United States, is celebrated with fierce abandon in Trinidad, and has become one of Quebec's largest festivals of the year too. 

Carnaval began as a pagan festival in ancient Egypt. The Egyptians feasted and made merry in order to usher out winter and celebrate the beginning of spring.  Naturally, Alexander the Great  adopted the festival for the Greeks, who passed it to Rome, who eventually infused the festival with Christian meaning. "Carne Vale" means "farewell meat" in Latin; that is, the festival became the grand party of indulgence, of meat-eating and wine-drinking, before the fastidious austerity of Lent.   This practice spread across Europe and then eventually throughout the world through colonization.  In places like Brazil, Salvador, and Trinidad, these European traditions fused with African ones to become the week-long, Afro-Latinx Carnaval we know now. 

The Carnaval Streetwear kit finds inspiration in the eye-popping fashions of Pabllo Vittar. In fact, the update that prepared players for the incoming kit folded a new radio station into base game, which features Pabllo's hit "Buzina," in Simlish.

But who is Pabllo?

Pabllo is a singing, dancing modeling drag sensation from Brazil. Effortlessly stunning, with chiseled bronzed features, a pouty mouth, and a dancer's curvaceous build, Pabllo is sweeping the world by storm with her heart-pumping Brazilian-infused dance music. Featured by both Vogue and Time Magazine as a future industry leader, Pabllo remains the sort of entertainer one can only call "authentic." Her affect is like that of a comforting sister who, before hitting the clubs for the evening, meticulously applies your concealer for you while singing your gorgeous praises.

"Do you want to show up beautiful, or do you want to be on time?" she often jokes.

This is to say nothing of Pabllo's actual singing ability, which is bursting with full-throated range. Pabllo's music captures the joy and sensuality of being uniquely authentic, a trait she espouses and exudes endlessly. She sometimes recalls growing up in Brazil as an effeminate boy who loved to sing and wear dresses. Pabllo recalls many complicated difficulties that accompanied being so deeply different, describing her experience as hard but transformative. Now, Pabllo performs before enormous crowds, belting out her infectious musical repertoire with undeniable verve.

Why should Simmers care about Carnaval or Pabllo Vittar?

The world is changing. The arc of history is bending toward justice, toward authenticity, toward self-acceptance. People, particularly young people, are questioning the restrictive roles and shame heaped upon them in the past to forge ahead, to live their lives in ways that feel good to them. 

The Sims team, through kits like Modern Menswear and Carnaval Streetwear, reflect the changing sensibilities that is their core audience.  "You make the Sims," they insist, and they mean this literally.  The Sims, almost by definition, strives to reflect what is real, what is inclusive, to represent all people. What can be more inclusive than a world-wide party? What can be more inclusive than a singing session with a drag queen pop-star? The Sims must represent all people, who, collectively, have begun to step more fully into their own authenticity. 

While glitz and glam has always been the currency of drag queens, the rest of the world has only just begun to follow their illustrious lead. 

Check out the kit February 3rd. 

On the afternoon of November 16th, Sims 4 developers revealed what would become their latest kit - Modern Menswear - to the world. The kit, slated to release December 2nd, quickly became a trending topic on Twitter while catching the eyes of such high fashion publication and pop culture staples like Vogue and Vice.

​Why all the to-do about a small, 23-piece fashion kit? By teaming up with fashion icon Stefan Cooke to bring his show-stopping, gender norm-upending knitwear to the Sims, developers are fully engaging with the freshest trend in both gaming, fashion, and beyond - creating the metaverse.

The “metaverse” is a term that easily sounds like parody or even post-apocalyptic, but it loosely refers to the growing blend of what is virtual to what is reality. As the Sims partners with Stefan Cooke, Gucci partners with Xbox, and Balenciaga partners with Fortnite, what is “real” is quickly overlapping into what is “virtual” in our increasingly online and global economy.

Modern Menswear features the iconic knits and playful ready-to-wear fashions that often define Stefan Cooke’s signature style. Through 23 fashion pieces, this pack offers players stylish fashions that defy traditionally masculine silhouettes and gender norms. Players can expect bold printed patterns, knitwear with “skirting,” and blouse-like tops.

Why infuse the feminine with the masculine in a modern menswear pack?

What is cutting edge and modern in fashion loudly reflects changing ideas about gender. As the world grapples with what gender means, as people young and old begin questioning and defying gender as a binary, as many people explore the pronouns that most please them and find comfort in the space between gender expectations, as a growing audience begins to upend and break down the patriarchal expectations that are toxic masculinity, fashion responds by offering clothes that live outside of the binary.

What is gender? Why are any of us committed to binding certain silhouettes to a certain group of people in the first place. Stefan Cooke is one of those many designers that throw out tradition and challenge gender expectations in his designs.

Stefan Cooke is a British fashion designer who is committed to uprooting gender expectations in clothing. Alongside his partner and boyfriend Jake Burt, Cooke creates the high-fashion styles that he was often inspired to make through necessity as a young person. Cooke often waxes about his younger years as a designer. While he longed for luxury looks and textiles, he often had to make do with the looks he found in thrift shops or cobbled from scraps of non-standard materials.

The result was a deconstructed look that often parodied what was deemed “high-fashion” and “masculine.” Cooke created knits entirely from buttons for example. He placed woolen knit patterns on polyester and created boldly printed trousers for men.

When Cooke initially came to the table with The Sims producers, he was, according to Vogue, ready to provide radical high-fashion for the iconic game brand. However, when he realized that Simmers really only want ready-to-wear items, he quickly generated ideas that challenged traditional ideas of “masculinity” while remaining palatable to the larger Sims audience.

Community reaction to this kit was mixed. A growing distaste for kits has boiled in the bellies of dedicated players for many months; the “snackable” downloadable content concept feels dangerously close to the widely-loathed but massively profitable microtransaction of mobile games.

Some Simmers, particularly those who have advocated for more menswear from the Sims team, balked at the idea of marrying what is feminine with what is masculine in a pack for men.

Still others believe that such gender-defying fashions should not be hidden behind a paywall. These Simmers point to some of the most recent packs— Incheon Arrivals and Fashion Street— as evidence that Sims developers are asking their players to pay out for cultural representation. Clothes that allow people outside of the White, cis-gendered crowd to represent themselves better in-game, should be offered to everyone, according to such Simmers like Emma Hart:

What do you think of the next Sims kit? Let us know on Twitter! Happy Simming!