Here we go again for the two hundredth time, another Sims 4 expansion pack now exists.
This time it’s The Sims 4: “Japan, But Not Really” Pack, known as Snowy Escape. It’s the game’s tenth
full expansion and the latest to offer a vacation destination for your sims to visit, or move to,
in order to switch up the status quo on a largely aesthetic level. And that aesthetic is distinctly
“Japanese” while almost never explicitly saying so, because that’s just kinda how they handle real
world locations in The Sims 4. The new world, Mount Komorebi, is a fantasy Sims version of
Hokkaido that invokes snippets of Japanese culture without completely committing to it.
At least Komorebi is an actual Japanese word, one that refers to the effect of sunlight shining
through the trees. How pleasant. And The Sims 4 Snowy Escape certainly brings about some of that,
along with a number of lovely-looking locations to explore, both snowy and sunlit. And it
doesn’t matter if you have the Seasons expansion installed either, the new world receives its own
snow-covered situations regardless. It contains three neighborhoods, each with the expected
handful of residential and community lots, along with a few rental lots if you’re only interested
in a quick visit. And each building has been put together using elements lifted from Japanese
architecture and design, lending the whole environment a rather fresh look compared to
the rest of the game so far. This works especially well with the recent addition of platforms from
the latest free patch, allowing for split-level homes and more interesting rooms all-around.
Toss in things like lanterns, shoji partitions, tatami mats and all that,
and you’ve got a respectable amount of visual variety going on. So if you’re the kind of simmer
that values new build mode items above all else, you’re probably gonna get the most from pack. But
if you’re into actual new gameplay that isn’t just reskinning and remixing what’s already available,
then maybe not so much. As mentioned already, the main philosophy behind Snowy Escape is providing a
vacation destination, “escape from reality” type thing. Quite similar to the existing Outdoor
Retreat and Jungle Adventure packs, really. We’ll begin our escape with Create A Sim, bringing
with it a whole poofy pile of new clothing items, hairstyles, and accessories for sims of all ages.
Most of it being pertinent to colder, wintry activities as you’d expect for a
pack with the word “snow” in the title. And the rest harkening to more Japan-inspired apparel,
both modern and traditional. Along with two new traits: Adventurous and Proper, which affect
sims’ gut reactions to the new activities within Snowy Escape and elsewhere in the game. Plus,
two new aspirations: Mt. Komorebi Sightseer and Extreme Sports Enthusiast, each one giving
incentives to sims that explore the new world and take part in its snowy enthusiast activities.
Once your sims are dressed for their mountainous getaway, they’ll need to prepare to enter the
homes themselves, which may now require the removing of shoes before going inside. Placing
a shoe-removal sign somewhere on the lot enables this, compelling all but the most unruly of sims
to discard their footwear at the door. Unless they’re already wearing indoor slippers outside,
and in that case they just keep them on no matter what. Which kinda defeats the purpose but eh,
they tried I guess. Another bit of added regional flair are the kotatsu tables, which have sims
sitting on the floor and getting all warm and cozy while enjoying a meal minus chairs. Heh, yeah,
Sims add-on content that removes chairs instead of providing them, imagine that. There are new chairs
still, of course, they couldn’t completely resist the call of the butt-resters. With six chairs,
stools, and an ottoman being added in Snowy Escape. But yeah, floor seating,
that’s the good stuff. Especially since it also comes with hot pot meals! Ahh, some of the single
best dining experiences of my life have been hot pot related, and now I’m just hungry for sukiyaki.
Though it’s a little weird that sims can’t set the table with proper utensils, just forks and knives
like any other table. You can at least give each individual sim a chopsticks preference beforehand,
with multiple stick materials to choose from, so I suppose it works out in the end.
The impeccable edibles don’t stop there either, with a selection of food stalls, dine-in spots,
and home cooking options offering up plenty of noodles, sushi, seaweed, tamago, lychee soda, maki
rolls, taiyaki, and more delectable dishes. Good grief if I wasn’t hungry before then I am now,
hold on I gotta fix that with an order... -- ahh there we go, much better. Now that we’ve got a
belly full of food, why not unwind with a visit to the onsen bath house. It’s a soothing hot springs
venue that’s effectively a twist on the spas from Spa Day, but with fewer massages and more
pre-soak showers. Drop in, rinse off, and let your worries waft away in the naturally warm waters
while the Japanese Folk radio station plays in the background. Or dare to get naughty since
it’s a new woohoo location, because of course it is, gotta re-use that hot tub animation somewhere.
And on the opposite end of the woohoo temperature spectrum, you’ve got ice caves. So if you’re less
hot and bothered and more comfortable cold then perhaps a romp in a bat cave is more your style.
[icy woohoo commences]
On the topic of risky frozen activities, Snowy Escape introduces a few notable hobbies of a
snowy, haphazard nature. Like sledding, which is unlikely to result in death, but still able
to dole out a few bad moodlets and injuries, with sims able to fly down Dismemberment Gorge,
Mount Vertigo, and Pallbearer's Peak while discussing existential philosophy. Heh I wish,
need a stuffed tiger for that. In reality it’s just a quick slide down a lumpy slope. Skiing,
by comparison, is somewhat more engaging. Although not the ride up the slope unfortunately,
as those impressive-looking ski lifts can’t actually be ridden by sims. Sure, you can click on
and use them, but it’s a straight teleport from one part of the hill to the other. Dumb.
Once they’re up top with a set of skis though, sims can slalom down one of the three available hills
at one of three difficulty levels. Not that it matters that much to you as the player,
since no matter what it’s just a canned animation that plays out roughly the same way each time.
It changes up a bit after sims increase their skiing skill and intensity, and pull off a few
jumps and stunts and whatnot, but it’s still a thing happening on autopilot. Same goes for
snowboarding, which is one of the other new skills for sims to level up for no real reason other than
to chase a quick high and tempt death by falling from a great height. Snowboarding works the same
exact way as skiing, in that it’s a “click and do nothing” skill that doesn’t allow you to engage
with much. So hopefully you enjoy watching sims perform the same handful of animations
over and over down the same three hills. SSX Tricky? More like SS-SUX Underwhelming.
Then there’s rock climbing, which we already got in The Sims 4 Fitness Stuff, but now functions
as a full 10-level skillset. It’s also more dangerous, with icy conditions and notably higher
walls of stone that can be attempted in multiple ways depending on your skill and confidence level.
Climbing gear is also available and helps a lot, but for some reason it’s ordered
from a home computer and is unavailable for purchase at the nearby gear vendor where you
buy skis and snowboards. That’s a choice but whatever, moving on. Because rock climbing is
also a must-have skill for the most strenuous new activity: Mountain Excursions. These are planned
social events that’ll take a full day to complete, assuming your sims are equipped and prepared for
the journey to the summit. Completion depends on when they depart, how skilled they are, what gear
they brought along, and sheer random luck around storms, ice hazards, and bothersome critters
that can get in the way. It’s a fun distraction though, and the views from up top are worth the
trip. But even if your sims can conquer a mountain like it’s nothing, they may still travel back to
town only to die by a stuck vending machine. Because it’s The Sims and that’s how it goes.
[vending machine death]
And yep, vending machines are back and properly so too, not just in the form of glorified
refrigerators. Snowy Escape brings at least half a dozen vending machines to the chair-less table,
giving sims instant access to hot and cold food and drinks, supplies for winter activities,
exclusive items from festivals, and little toys called Simmies. These are basically gachapon
capsules that contain random collectible doohickies inside, some more rare and more
valuable than others. It’s effectively gambling but who cares, it’s addictive and I can’t stop.
And many of the best collectibles only show up during festivals, making their remixed return
from the City Living pack in the form of the Festival of Lights, of Snow, and of Youth. And
they’re fine. Offering little more than extra food vendors, visits from Yamachan the local mascot,
and a nighttime fireworks display. I suppose they’re worth a single attendance, but there’s
little need to do so religiously. I find myself more inclined to ignore the festivities altogether
and go on one of the new nature walks, accessed by clicking a trail sign. These can be done solo
or in groups and introduce preset paths for sims to wander around and take in the sights, while
chatting, taking photos, and possibly running across glowing forest spirits. And shrines, it’s
got ‘em! Shrines are quiet, solemn spots to visit, pay respects, and offer gifts for good fortune.
They also make a fine place to engage in a little meditation and mindfulness, because hey, Spa Day
did it so why not expand on it here too. Certainly wouldn’t hurt to have some inner peace before
jumping into the new Salaryperson career, a nod to the stereotypically overworked class in Japan
that show an unwavering and even self-destructive loyalty to a boring corporation. It’s not quite
so dire in Snowy Escape though. Really it’s an offshoot of the existing business career,
with largely normal 9-5 hours and decent pay. And halfway through you’ll choose whether to become an
expert or a supervisor, with both requiring high logic, the expert needing high programming, and a
supervisor with charisma. Predictable, unexciting stuff, which I guess is just what you’d expect
for the routine of a lifelong corporate drone. And finally, affecting everything in the pack,
and really the game in general now, are sentiments and lifestyles. With the former launching in the
latest free patch and the latter being exclusive to Snowy Escape. Sentiments tie into the Sim
Profiles menu, accessed from the relationship panel. And these arise whenever sims share in
certain experiences together, both good and bad. These memories can last for a while and affect
their overall view of other sims and how they might interact in the future. So a sim may slump
into a foul mood when around someone due to an awful memory cropping up, or they might grow extra
inspired around them because of something they accomplished as a team. Lifestyles, on the other
hand, manifest themselves in response to habitual actions, with 16 of them introduced in this pack.
So if a sim is constantly exercising or playing sports they'll attain the Energetic lifestyle,
if they avoid healthy foods and overindulge on sweets they'll earn Junk Food Fiend, or
if they're out woohooing the town then they'll get Hungry for Love. Each one comes with their own set
of constantly activated pros and cons, similar to the attributes gained by vampires and celebrities,
and have a notable background effect on how sims prefer to go about their daily routine.
And that’s the gist of The Sims 4 Snowy Escape experience. Is it an experience worth paying $40
for though, that is the question. Cuz after all, at its core Snowy Escape is just another vacation
destination pack along the lines of Outdoor Retreat and Jungle Adventure -- heck, even
Journey to Disney World. But those were all less expensive Game Packs, not $40 capital-E Expansions
like Snowy Escape. And seeing as the latest free patch also introduced the ability for sims to go
on holiday anywhere with rental lots, regardless of whether it’s a dedicated vacation area? Yeah,
you’d expect Snowy Escape to take up the slack by being noticeably deeper and feature-rich.
But it isn’t, it’s just kinda coasting along as a visually pretty but technically basic add-on.
There’s no big mystery to solve, no culture skills to learn, no active careers to get invested in,
and few new gameplay options that we haven’t seen before in another skin. In other words, there’s
not enough here that’s very “expansion-tier”. And that's my main qualm: a GP level of content
at an EP price and the expectations that come with it. The Lifestyles feature is perhaps the
most conceptually substantial thing it introduces, and it's worth adding to your fame, but it's also
frustrating to have it locked behind a $40 price tag. So yeah, depending on your own priorities and
how willing you are to justify the cost, I’d say skip Snowy Escape or simply wait to grab it on
sale. I appreciate the Japan-inspired building stuff and cultural nods that help make general
simming more varied, but I can’t say that alone is worth the price EA demands for the pleasure.
And if you found this review useful or entertaining or something, then feel free
to check out the ones I’ve done in the past. Or stick around for whatever else I happen to post
going forward, with new videos each week here on LGR. And as always, thank you for watching!