A new Gameplay Test for Project Rene has leaked the internet.
A couple of weeks ago EA and Maxis clearly took their stance on making a difference between the upcoming Project Rene release and that it won’t replace the current Sims experience with a sequel. Or in this case, won’t bring The Sims 5 into motion anytime soon.
Instead, The Sims Project Rene is explained as a companion game that will support all platforms, including HD (PC, Mac, Consoles) and Mobile (iOS, Android, Tablets). The goal of Project Rene is to introduce new customizable tools and have other players join you in building the world around them. Whether it’s through new Sims, Builds or unique gameplay interactions.
It was advertised a couple of weeks ago that Project Rene will go in Playtest through The Sims Labs. Plus, it seems The Sims Hub is getting ready to launch in different iterations soon on Mobile stores!
Table of Contents
Project Rene – 2024 Leak
Now, the leak that we’re going to discuss below has been first reported by DzXAant22 on Reddit. We want to clarify that all of these images are reported by them, and do not fall under our ownership.
It’s fair to note that The Sims Project Rene is still in playtesting stage through various game aspects, and the graphics and features are expected to evolve and get improved during the development line. Hopefully.
The details that you’re about to see below are only from the Mobile port of The Sims Project Rene, and do not contain details or information about the HD release or what it could be different.
Project Rene – Official Google Store Description
Explore a Parisian neighborhood full of unique activities and stylish rewards!
Welcome to The Sims Labs: The Hub! Pick your Sim – each a unique character with their own story – and join friends & other players to explore a vibrant Parisian neighborhood together. Claim new outfits from the Thrift Shop by working at the local café or by completing quests. Make your wishes come true at the plaza fountain, discover hidden collectibles, meet the locals, and more.
The Sims Labs games are prototype experiences focused on testing small chunks of larger game concepts. The features in this app do not necessarily represent the direction or content of any upcoming Sims game.
Official Screenshots
All of the information above about Project Rene has been captured through The Sims Labs: The Hub Google Play listing.
Project Rene: In-Game Experience
The player who reported about Project Rene and The Sims Hub’s first listing has also shared some first impressions and screenshots. Featuring details about what was allowed in the playtest, how focused it was on Live Mode and first gameplay experiences and more.
Take a look at the first preview below:
First Experience
The gameplay from this playtest is focused solely on a VERY small portion of the whole game. The elements such as build mode and owning your own apartments from the first playtest is completely absent from this build.
In this build, there is no Create a Sim. It was confirmed from a developer that it is coming in a future playtest. You are able to pick from 4 preset Sims (Shown below in the screenshots section). There are also no preset names for these Sims. There was one Sim I managed to glitch into that DID have a preset name “Rory”. This character is not obtainable legitimately.
Once your Sim is picked, the game will immediately display some initial quests to get you started. These quests change daily. The main gameplay of this build has you working at a cafe with other players. Once you start working, NPC sims will start coming in and sitting down. Somebody has to take their order and it will display a bubble above their heads showing what item they want. Then, you or another player has to go and collect those items. They can choose from Coffee, Espresso, or Croissant. They cannot choose more than one item at this time (eg. Croissant + Coffee). This is the main way to earn money in this build, and it can get very repetitive and grindy after a while. Especially since the jobs don’t give you that much simoleons. The other way to make simoleons is just by levelling up. You can earn XP from wishing at the fountain, talking to sims, or completing quests, or working at the cafe. There were only 5 levels to obtain during this test, each one giving Simoleons or a new name badge.
You can spend those hard earned simoleons at the Clothing shop. You cannot customize your outfit, and are forced to choose between 5 preset outfits (Shown in better detail in the screenshots section). I am NOT sure at the moment if these outfits are different depending on which character you chose during the introduction, and there is no way to reset your Sim at the moment to choose a different character, so this is all I can show at the moment.
Sims Preview
Outfits Preview
Gameplay Preview
Settings Preview
Extra Project Rene Findings
Another image from Project Rene has surfaced the web, this time in high quality. From the looks of Shadows and Lighting this could be an in-game screenshot from the PC prototype, although we can’t confirm anything definitely yet.
Since the Project Rene Sims Spin-Off is still in early development, it’s worth noting that these images definitely do not represent the final gameplay or what the bigger picture of this game could be.
There’s even a report on Twitter in regards to the playtest game files, claiming that there are references to Height Sliders, Base Game Pets and more.
the files of the new playtest also mention height slider, advanced cas, and base game pets. ill make a full scale datamine post soon.
My Opinon
There’s obviously a lot of areas where The Sims: Project Rene could improve upon by looking at these screens. However, it might be too early to critic something that’s still in its prototype development phase.
Still, I think that it’s fair to share that I really hope this doesn’t turn into another The Sims Mobile experience. Sure, the previews we’ve gotten here are exclusively from the Mobile playtest of Project Rene, but still there are some worrysome details if you look closer in the interface. That seem to be affected across all potential release platforms.
The whole quest system, XP points and “virtual currency” bring more speculation about The Sims approaching a Fortnite model of video games with this spin-off. We’ve already gotten a confirmation that The Sims Project Rene will be a free-to-play game. Looking at the images from this gameplay test it seems that they’re already integrating this freemium approach into core aspects of the game’s identity. And I don’t like it that much.
The Sims 4 is getting its full attention with the announcement of a new DLC Type called Creator Kits. Plus, the reveal of The Sims 4 Life and Death Expansion Pack is just around the corner!
There’s more releases for The Sims Franchise down the line along with Project Rene, including MySims for Nintendo Switch and The Sims: Project Stories. Which seems to be another Mobile release, focusing to “be a platform for creating and sharing stories in The Sims Universe”.
What are your thoughts on the latest wave of The Sims Project Rene screenshots and features? Would you like to participate in any of these gameplay features yourself or is it a skip for you?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and stay tuned on the latest The Sims Project Rene coverage!
