Movies News Talk
Inspired by The Sims 2, The Sims 4: Lovestruck seeks to completely rethink the dating and relationship system in The Sims 4 with a fresh attraction system. This system adds "Turn-Ons" and "Turn-Offs," which are traits either attracting or repulsive for other Sims. Although the idea is promising, in some cases the execution falls short, which results in less-than-ideal attraction portrayal.
Lovestruck's attraction system combines several facets of Sims' appearances and personalities—including their health, wealth, and even wardrobe color. While some of these elements make sense, others seem strange and out of line for actual attraction. For instance, the eleven colors in the "Outfit Colour" category seem to have an arbitrary and unreal influence on Sims' sentiments of one another. Someone wouldn't likely reject a possible mate based just on the color of their shirt. This system begs questions on the focus on outward appearances.
Although Lovestruck's attraction system grows upon The Sims 2's system, it leaves out some very important components. Though they might offer a more complex and realistic portrayal of attraction, facial hair and makeup—which were included in The Sims 2—are conspicuously absent from Lovestruck. These elements would have given the system more complexity and a larger spectrum of choices for Sim relationships. It's shocking that such important elements of appearance were omitted, especially when other traits like body hair and tattoos could provide a more balanced portrayal of attractiveness are not included.
Popular "WickedWhims" in The Sims 4 already solve the shortcomings of the in-game attraction system by offering a more solid and thorough depiction of physical beauty. Lovestruck, though, essentially ignores a community-driven approach to representation by missing the chance to combine elements from popular mods. This is a lost chance to improve the player experience by including a wider spectrum of preferences and features.
Though it has flaws, Lovestruck's attractiveness system is better than the last one since it gives players a more interesting and dynamic approach to experience love. It can be rather interesting to be able to personalize Sims' tastes and design original romantic situations. But an uneven experience results from the inclusion of illogical and shallow categories as well as from the absence of important elements present in The Sims 2. Lovestruck could have been a very significant addition to The Sims 4, thus it's unfortunate that it doesn't live up to its promise.