REVIEW: The Sims Medieval 0
I think we all played the Sims back in the day. I’ve played the hell out of the original Sims but skipped out on The Sims 2 & 3. No real reason why I did, I guess because it just looked like more of the same, but with nicer graphics. So I haven’t played a Sims game since Sims Vacation and Hot Date so excuse me if the following review addresses issues that had been resolved in previous titles, but they managed to take out everything that gamers disliked about the Sims and added new progressive gameplay features that any Sims fan, new or old, should be excited to embrace.
The focus on what you had to keep an eye on for your Sim’s mental stability has changed. You no longer have to worry about tedious skill building or having to socialize with others or making sure your Sim makes it to the bathroom before their bladder explodes, no none of that. This time you only have three bars to keep an eye on, Hunger, Energy, and your Focus Meter. And that’s pretty much it, just those three gauges. Your Sim’s Focus Meter can be effected negatively by eating a bland meal, or getting your ass kicked in a sword fight, but the meter can also be effected positively if you land that first kiss or successfully forge a weapon. Your Focus Meter’s status determines how successful your Sim will be at an exciting new feature, Quests.
The new Quest system is the key feature that makes Sims medieval really stand out on its own. Quests come in two different forms, the first is the overarching main storyline for your kingdom, and the other quest type are the daily quests, which are given to you in the morning and must be finished before sun down. By completing the main quests for your kingdom, you earn points that allow you to build buildings such as a workshop or a church. Each new building comes with a new hero, and a new profession to play around with. The main quests can either be really simple or a little bit involving requiring you to control two or more heroes at a time which may seem kind of annoying but because you only have those three bars to worry about, Hunger, Energy, Focus Meter, it makes controlling multiple Sims a breeze.
A good example of a quest would be while I was using my Knight a few people claimed they were attacked by goblins, I investigated their claims, created magical armor that would be impenetrable for the goblins, trained a little mob of people, and annihilated the goblins terrorizing our citizens. The daily quests are a little simpler and are basically a one task sort of deal, like go hunt for food or discuss kingdom affairs with 3 people. These are fast little quests that are different each day so it never becomes a choir and it keeps the game from getting stale. The quests give this game a light RPG feel, that gels nicely with the socializing aspects of the game.
The thing that brings Sims Medieval down is its overall outlook on why a user plays. While playing, a gamer is going to be thinking about how can I complete this quest, or how can I get my Hero Sim to be better at their profession, which is different from past Sims games that focused on buying that expensive item that you’ve worked so hard for, and expanding your house into a ridiculous mansion. In past Sims games you can customize your house ANYWAY you wanted it, in Sims medieval when you build a new structure in your kingdom all necessary items appear in it automatically and the only thing worth upgrading is your bed. You can still upgrade furniture, wall paper, and flooring, but there is no building creator. You cant build your manor’s floor layout to your liking, all the buildings are preset sizes and are in preset locations.
Also because this is the medieval times, there really isn’t anything fun to buy. Lots of furniture but if you go to the entertainment category, your gonna see a handful of items that are probably not gonna peak your interest. I realize that this game isn’t about living large, but more about the time period and how all the professions work off each other, but it still kind of bothered me.
There is alot to talk about when it comes to Sims Medieval but I think the biggest features were worth mentioning. There is something around 10 professions to master, numerous Quests to venture off on, and not to mention all the comical scenarios that your Sims are bound to have(throwing eggs at prisoners is always fun). This is a must play for any Sims fan, and if your not a Sims fan but are just into medieval times you may want to give it a shot as well because it certainly showcases the era perfectly.
