The Sims 4 Outdoor Retreat Review

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Introduction

After the release of The Sims 4 four months ago, we’ve received a dozen of free new features such as Ghosts, Pools, New Careers and a free Holiday Pack, but we all knew it was time for paid DLCs to start rolling in.

The Sims 4 is introducing a brand new type of Packs called Game Packs. These Packs are a mixture of Stuff Packs which contain around 60 items that don’t include any new gameplay and Expansion Packs that come with many more new items that do contain new gameplay and new major features.

What’s interesting is that Outdoor Retreat, which costs $20 contains so much content unlike Stuff Packs for The Sims 2 and The Sims 3 which also cost $20. This clearly confirms that previous Stuff Packs for previous Base Games were overpriced, but enough about that – let’s see what The Sims 4’s first Game Pack has to offer!

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Create A Sim

Outdoor Retreat brings new clothing for all ages, although as per usual Young Adults and Adults get the biggest fashion treatment. Each piece of clothing is meant for spending time relaxing in Granite Falls. What I especially like are the new male and female Hairstyles that go great with new hats. (Click Here to see the full gallery of new CAS items!)

There is also one Styled Look for each Sim of every gender and age!

Don’t worry, when it comes to CAS, Children are not left behind. Cute outfits for both genders and an adorable Bear Costume will make you go awww while dressing up your Child Sims!

This Pack also lets you customize your Sim’s personality with a new Squeamish Trait and an Outdoor Enthusiast Aspiration. What’s more, after completing this Aspiration, your Sim will get a brand new Survivalist Trait which will give your Sim special benefits and buffs when spending time Outdoors.

Over 90 CAS items will ensure that Sims don’t look the same in Granite Falls as almost every Sim there is dressed for camping in the great Outdoors.

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Build Mode

Although Outdoor Retreat brings no new Build Mode features, the amount of new Objects totally makes up for it! From decorative objects to objects with brand new gameplay, there’s something for every Sim to keep them busy! (Click Here to see the full gallery of new objects!)

Below are 6 Pre-Made rooms that come with this pack:

And down below are all new Items, Trees, Wallpapers, Floor Tiles and Floor Paints:

I’m generally surprised by the amount of items they have added in this Pack, considering it costs 20$. A lot of objects such as the Tent, Fireplace, Horseshoe Court (and my favorite – the Mini-Fridge) have their own individual purpose and unique, fun gameplay.

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Live Mode

This Game Pack comes with a brand new World called Granite Falls, but you won’t be able to move in or immediately start playing in this world without booking a vacation first.

To do so, click on the phone icon, choose the Travel Category and select ”Go On Vacation” if you want to go to Granite Falls alone or ”Go On Vacation With…” if you want to bring you and your Household or Sims nearby to Granite Falls.

A Map of Granite Falls will then pop up letting you choose between 5 Pre-Made lots where you can stay in up to 7 days. Each Lot costs an individual amount of Simoleons so check your Household budget first before booking a vacation. I recommend that you choose a small Lodge over a Campground as Sims won’t have a regular toilet or shower. There is a public bathroom where you can so-so take care of your Bladder and Hygiene needs, but there is a huge risk of getting a negative buff as that bathroom is filled with all sorts of Bugs! However, for extra challenge, I’ve decided to send my Sims to a campground..

After a 10-second Loading Screen, my Family was ready for some camping action!

Day 1

I decided to send my Sims to go hiking around the Neighborhood and see what it had to offer. I have to admit that I wasn’t disappointed; there were a lot of Sims being active all the time! Some were playing the guitar, some were fishing, some of the Sims could be found around the fireplace chatting and roasting Marshmallows, but what really surprised me was seeing one or two Sims dressed up in a bear costume. The interesting thing was that regular Sims found those dressed-up Sims a bit annoying which gave them a Tense Unbearable Buff when those ”Bears” are nearby.

I made my Household’s Autonomy full so I could see what they would decide to do after Hiking. Monica Sherman, Joey’s husband and a mother of two, met a Forest Ranger who gave her a helpful tip. They later went cloudgazing. Meanwhile, Joey went fishing and the kids decided to play at the Horseshoe Court. All in all, it was a really fun day for my Sims Family.

The sun was setting down and it was time to collect the entire Family at the Campground. Monica went to the public Bathroom to take care of her Bladder need but the Bugs attacked her in the end.

The whole family was really hungry so I gathered them around the Campfire, lighted it and made them eat Marshmallows (except Joey, he roasted some fish he had caught earlier that day).

To wrap things up, I made Joey tell a Group Story at the Campfire. Since it was night I thought it was appropriate to tell a Ghost story. While he was spooking his Family with his imagination, an actual ghost spawned behind him trying to haunt a Trash Can. This is beyond cool as Sims would eventually notice the ghost during his Story Telling. Some might become Happy about finding a Ghost and some might become Startled, giving your Sim a Tense Buff.

It was time for sleep, but they had no Tents! I sent Joey over to the Ranger Station Hut to buy one. As you can’t enter Build Mode during vacation, this is the only way to purchase stuff.

Kids went to sleep while the lovely couple stayed for a little while to observe the beautiful night sky which is a lot more different than the sky in Willow Creek or Oasis Springs.

Day 2

First sun rays shed their light on Pine Trees! It was time to get moving and explore Granite Falls more deeply. I sent my Sims to the Granite Falls Forest National Park to check out its potential and beauty.

The National Park lot has a lot of new rare collectibles that you can View such as the Stink Bug, Mantis, Rainbow Firefly etc.

The woods seemed to have a lot of hidden collectibles so my Sims went hiking to explore this Neighborhood, except for the kids who stayed at the National Park Lot and took some food and drinks from the Mini-Fridge. As my Sim Joey was walking down the woods, I noticed a squirrel running around. They’re not the only animals in Granite Falls I’ve encountered though: there are birds that you can find flying around, on the trees and even on boulders. There are also a lot of new collectible animals such as the Mantis, Fireflies, Ants, Rainbow Fireflies, Dragonflies and many more!

  

The Sims Team didn’t just make a simple forest with some new trees and rocks – they brought life to it with new forest critters! The visuals in this game pack are not the only thing that stands out – if you’re using headphones, zooming out of the forest will give you a sweet forest melody that simply cannot be heard in Willow Creek or Oasis Springs.

Monica focused on finding a secret entrance to the secret Neighborhood where a Hermit can be found. She wouldn’t have known this if a forest ranger hadn’t told her a fun fact about it! She stumbled upon this Bramble Bush that had an Explore interaction on it. A few brave decisions later, she found herself in this gorgeous neighborhood full of rare new plants that the Hermit was taking good care of. She decided to meet the hermit and befriend her. During the communication with the Hermit, Monica’s Herbalism Skill (a brand new skill with this Game Pack) was levelling up. Monica put her skills to the test and Brew up a Herbal Remedy. Each Herbal Remedy requires different plants or insects and each of them serves a different purpose.

The Sun was setting down and it was time to say goodbye to this friendly Hermit.

My family gathered around the Picnic Table and Monica grilled some Hot Dogs. At that point I realized that this Game Pack really suits for larger Households. The more Sims you send on Vacation the more fun you’ll have!

Although it seems like I’ve discovered most of the features in this Game Pack, there’s one more thing I definitely have to do before my Family leaves Granite Falls…

Day 3

My Sims already got used to living in the great Outdoors and they met some really good Sims there. Their relationships with new acquintances are about to get stronger as the new party type ”Weenie Roast” was about to commence.

This Party Type functions similarly to The Sims 4 Base Game Parties. You first select a party of your choice (Weenie Roast in this case), choose Guests, a Host and a person who will take care of the Grill. Then, pick a Lot of your choice. Since the National Park has a lot of Outdoor Retreat objects that could help me win a better party reward, I’ve chosen it.

Almost every guest showed up at the party (including the bear – which gave some Tense buffs to my Sims once again). I was doing my best to win the golden party achievement but sadly I’ve only got the bronze one. However, if you’re better at throwing parties, Silver and Golden party achievement will unlock 2 new objects for you!

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The Verdict

The Sims 4 Outdoor Retreat Game Pack is filled with new clothing items, interactions, collectibles and environments. If this is just a Game Pack, just imagine the amount of new things we’ll get in a Sims 4 Expansion Pack!

I absolutely enjoyed playing this new Pack and seeing the way my Sims responded to different environments and surroundings of Granite Falls was just so realistic!

As I’m a person who lives in a nature-friendly environment, this Pack was made just right for my taste and that’s why I’m giving it a 10/10 score! The good thing about this Game Pack is the amount of new content, a gorgeous new World, the way emotions and multitasking works with brand new Group Activities and, of course, the 20$ price. What’s not so great about it is that this pack may not appeal to every Simmer since not everyone has the Loves the Outdoor trait.

Thank you for reading this Review and we hope it’ll help you make a decision that will be best for you!

The Sims 4 Outdoor Retreat Game Pack is available on Origin for $19,99!

Check out our The sims 4 Tutorials page if you need any help related to this Game Pack.