The Bunker of a Post-Apocalyptic Prepper with the New Paranoid Trait

I'm creating this bunker of a post-apocalyptic prepper with the new paranoid trait. The lot is eccentric, non-mobile mobile home. It's like something out of a sci-fi movie, but I'm not sure what to make of it yet. There's also a crashed cargo plane just outside of town, which opens up to an underground bunker filled with survivalist storage and excess army surplus. The atmosphere inside the bunker is tense, with only one new chair as a nod to normalcy in this desperate situation.

The Sims 4 StrangerVille

I'm playing The Sims 4 StrangerVille, a pack that costs twenty dollars. The majority of its content consists of a linear storyline, which is quite a departure from the usual fare. Some will dig it, while others may not care much for it. Especially since the entire mystery can be solved in like an hour and a half if you focus on that exclusively. So, if you're looking for something completely new and completely weird, it's a welcome addition! However, if you prefer a more open-ended experience filled with tons of objects and activities to be played with however you want? This is probably not the pack for you.

The best parts of StrangerVille, where you're sneaking around cracking open conspiracies, are only experienced once and then all you're left with is the usual Sims stuff. It's fun while it lasts, but is it twenty dollars' worth of fun? Perhaps, but it really depends on what you value in a Sims pack.

Spoiler Territory

I'm now entering spoiler territory if you don't wanna know StrangerVille's secrets, turn away now. I have a sneaking suspicion that the pack is titled StrangerVille as a small nod towards the Netflix show Stranger Things, more than it is a reference to The Sims 2's Strangetown. Both Stranger Things and StrangerVille have communities with weird crap happening to its citizens, both have a shady government facility just outside the city limits, there are people in hazmat suits that have to wander the depths of a secret lab with lots of floaty things in the air, there are these weird vines that pop up in bathrooms and sinks. Eventually, there's crazy clouds forming in the sky complete with colorful lightning strikes, and there's a big bad monster with a big mouth that opens up like a flower.

Millie Bobby Brown's Involvement

Top it off with the fact that Millie Bobby Brown herself is officially in the game as a sim, and eh you get my point. I mean, it's obviously drawing from a bunch of sci-fi source material, there are no shortage of stories about remote towns hiding a dark secret. The mystery of StrangerVille is closer to Stranger Things than Strangetown. Meaning that you won't be diving into the details of Bella Goth's famous abduction or learning more about the Pollination Technicians.

The Storyline

Sure, Bella's still prone to showing up as a townie and there are some neat little references to Strangetown here and there, but for the most part, you're playing a totally different story. One that revolves around a giant plant monster known as The Mother. Her spores are popping up everywhere and making sims go nuts, so it's your job to concoct a vaccine. Then once you've cured enough sims, you form a ragtag group of PlantBusters to take out The Mother once and for all.

The Final Battle

This is accomplished by way of a boss battle against The Mother, which is pretty straightforward. All you need to do is outlast her and her possessed minions by tossing vaccine containers and dousing her in overpowered Roundup. Once she's down, that's it! The town returns to normal, you're a hero. That is, unless you decide to revive The Mother. And I guess she's your ally now? You can talk to her and use her as a kind of chlorophyllic genie.

The Aftermath

Ask for riches, success, energy, or a longer life and she'll grant those wishes. Or you can request that the town return to a weird infected state once again. Yeah, I dunno, it's The Sims, these things happen. And yep, once again, that is The Sims 4 StrangerVille.

Fun While It Lasted

I had a couple hours of fun while it lasted, but beyond that? I can't imagine I'll be revisiting it anytime soon now that I know precisely what happens in the linear storyline, but I'm certain I'll be using some of the new items it came with in other scenarios. One thing's for sure though – I am now very much in the mood to watch another season of Stranger Things.

The Video Coverage

If you enjoyed this Sims coverage, then sweet! I've covered each pack here on LGR, and there are new videos on all kinds of gaming and tech topics.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enYou ready for the twenty-seventh pack forThe Sims 4?Well here it is!The Sims 4: StrangerVille, which seriouslyis addon pack number twenty-seven.As far as game packs go though, it’s only“only”the seventh one of those thus far, so y’know.Could be worse.And personally, as a concept I find StrangerVilleimmediately compelling.“Solve the mystery of a desert town thatholds a deep, dark secret” is the headliningteaser for this one, inviting comparisonsto the vast number of conspiracy-laden TVshows and movies that revolve around strangelittle towns.But another reason for its initial appealis that it brings to mind Strangetown, a neighborhoodfirst seen in The Sims 2 for PC in 2004.Strangetown was a remote desert locale prominentlyfeaturing a crashed UFO and a variety of quirkycitizens, most notably a memory-wiped BellaGoth.Of course, with a name so similar to Strangetownand the odd occurrences shown off in the trailers,I was eager to see the sights of StrangerVille.So let’s get right to it!It all begins with the town of StrangerVilleitself, a small desert community with a clearmilitary presence and shady goings on.There’s an airstrip just outside of townand a not-so-secret secret lab tucked awayinside a large crater.And while it’s a weird enough spot to visiton its own, to really get the most out ofStrangerVille you’ll want to equip yourselfwith the new StrangerVille Mystery aspiration.This enables a special set of interactionsand activities throughout town, with an endgoal of uncovering the local secrets thatthe authorities are clearly hiding.And unlike most Sims 4 things, this is a ratherlinear storyline with a defined beginning,middle, and end.So lemme go ahead and say that I won’t bespoiling the story in this review, at least not yet.I’ll have a section at the very end wherewe’ll bust the mystery wide open, but I’llwarn you before we get there.For now though, what I’ll say is that theStrangerVille aspiration takes you on a 12-stepjourney to enlightenment, a sort of rehabilitationprogram for the paranoid conspiracist.When you begin your journey it’s simplyabout talking to local sims, getting theirtake on the town and hoping that someone,anyone shares some sliver of information.Whether it be military personnel, scientificresearchers, or full-blown conspiracy theorists,nearly everyone will have something to sayregarding the town’s weirdness.And well, it won’t be long until you’regreeted by some of the more... affected inhabitants.Or rather, infected, because these folks ain’t right.Try to talk witha possessed sim and their response comes inthe form of bizarre movements and barely coherent statementsmany of which refer to a “mother” of some kind.You can also try slapping them out of it toactually talk to them for a bit, but theysoon turn back and you’re not gonna getmuch of these folks regardless.Same goes for the Sims In Black that tendto show up once you start poking your nosein places it doesn’t need to be, respondingonly that “there’s nothing to see here, move along.”And of course, it’s an open secret thatthe town is littered with these bizarre glowingpurple plants, all of which appear to be growingat an alarming rate.Another early clue to the strangeness of StrangerVilleis the Curio Shop: a small shack run by alocal weirdo, dedicated to cataloguing theunexplained activity of not only StrangerVille,but the world of The Sims at large.Heh, and you know, of all the game universesthat would have dedicated conspiracists, TheSims is an obvious pick.It’s a series full of aliens, ghosts, lakemonsters, fairies, zombies, time travel, vampires,werewolves, and magic garden gnomes.A world like The Sims should be full of folksJonesing for a chance to rant about massivegovernment cover-ups and secret societies.Anyway, it won’t be long till you’re directedtowards The Lab north of the military base,which appears to have been hastily evacuated.Files, boxes of paperwork, and computers arestrewn all over the place,filled with top secret information.Naturally, the first step is to scrounge upenough of it to form a dossier of evidence.You’ll likely need to look beyond the facilitythough, because there’s a large sealed doorblocking your path and not enough evidencewas left out in the open.So it’s back to StrangerVille to bug simsuntil they give up something juicy.And also to bug sims until they give up somethingjuicy, using electronic bugs surreptitiouslyplaced onto the backs of key citizens.Using the new listening station you can eavesdropon their conversations to record evidenceboth meaningful and mundane.You can also hit up the local library andsift through the archives of books dedicatedto the history of StrangerVille.Eventually, you’ll accumulate the evidencerequired to win over access to a key card.And that card can be used to waltz deep intothe bowels of The Lab, the answers you seeksurely just within reach.What lies beyond that door?RALPH!He’s back, baby, and ready for action!Yeah okay maybe not, almost forgot Ralph diedin a fire.But yeah, if I say anything more about TheLab it gets into spoiler territory so I’llleave it there for now.However, we can still talk about StrangerVille’snew career: the military, returning from TheSims 3, now in a semi-active form.By that I mean, it’s one of those whereyou can send your sim off to work as usualto disappear for the day, but they also have the optionto work from home and perform activities directly.Things like working out, marching around,and sparring with both fellow recruits andsparring robots alike.And halfway through the career you’ll beprovided a choice between two paths: Officerand Covert Operator, with the former leadingup to your sim becoming a grand marshall,and the latter setting you on the path tobecoming a Sim In Black.And despite the top secret silliness you’llbe dealing with, the military career can beplayed in any neighborhood in the game, it’snot limited to StrangerVille.Though it certainly fits in the most withthe theme of StrangerVille.As do the new build mode items, includingthe long-awaited return of laptops.Yeah, it took nearly five years for laptopsto officially be added to The Sims 4 for some reason.Anyway they’re here now, along with abouta hundred other items.Lots of laboratory and military equipment,plenty of sci-fi strangeness and bizarre tech,and a nice assortment of grungy DIY itemsbefitting the bunker of a post-apocalypticprepper with the new paranoid trait.Also fits with the unique lots, like thiseccentric non-mobile mobile home.And the crashed cargo plane just outside oftown, which opens up to an underground bunkerfilled with survivalist storage and excessarmy surplus.And I am shocked to say there is only onenew chair.Dang.And that’s The Sims 4 StrangerVille!It costs twenty dollars and the majority ofits content consists of a linear storyline,quite a departure from the usual fare.Some will dig it, others may not care muchfor it.Especially since the entire mystery can besolved in like an hour and half if you focuson that exclusively.So if you’re looking for something completelynew and completely weird, it’s a welcome addition!But if you prefer a more open-ended experiencefilled with tons of objects and activitiesto be played with however you want?This is probably not the pack for you.The best parts of StrangerVille, where you’resneaking around cracking open conspiracies,is only experienced once and then all you’releft with is the usual Sims stuff.Again, fun while it lasts, but is it twentydollars fun?Perhaps, but it really depends on what youvalue in a Sims pack.And that’s my overall take on the pack,but now it’s about time to jump into spoiler territory.If you don’t wanna know StrangerVille’ssecrets, turn away now.Cool, you still here?Nice.So yeah, y’know how the pack is titled StrangerVille?I have a sneaking suspicion that it’s asmall nod towards the Netflix show StrangerThings, more than it is a reference to TheSims 2’s Strangetown.Both Stranger Things and StrangerVille havecommunities with weird crap happening to itscitizens, both have a shady government facilityjust outside the city limits, there are peoplein hazmat suits that have to wander the depthsof a secret lab with lots of floaty thingsin the air, there are these weird vines thatpop up in bathrooms and sinks, eventuallythere’s crazy clouds forming in the skycomplete with colorful lightning strikes,and there’s a big bad monster with a bigmouth that opens up like a flower.Top it off with thefact that Millie Bobby Brown herself is officiallyin the game as a sim, and eh you get my point.I mean, it’s obviously drawing from a bunchof sci-fi source material, there are no shortageof stories about remote towns hiding a darksecret.But my point is that the mystery of StrangerVilleis closer to Stranger Things than Strangetown.Meaning that you won’t be diving into thedetails of Bella Goth’s famous abduction,or learning more about the Pollination Technicians.Sure, Bella’s still prone to showing upas a townie and there are some neat littlereferences to Strangetown here and there,but for the most part you’re playing a totally different story.One that revolves around a giant plant monsterknown as The Mother.Her spores are popping up everywhere and making sims go nutsso it’s your job to concoct a vaccine.Then once you’ve cured enough sims, youform a ragtag group of PlantBusters to takeout The Mother once and for all.This is accomplished by way of a boss battleagainst The Mother, which is pretty straightforward.All you need to do is outlast her and herpossessed minions by tossing vaccine containersand dousing her in overpowered Roundup.Once she’s down, that’s it!The town returns to normal, you’re a hero.That is, unless you decide to revive The Mother.And I guess she’s your ally now?I dunno, but you can talk to her and use heras a kind of chlorophyllic genie.Ask for riches, success, energy, or a longerlife and she’ll grant those wishes.Or you can request that the town return toa weird infected state once again.Yeah I dunno, it’s The Sims, these thingshappen.And yep, once again that is The Sims 4 StrangerVille.I had a couple hours of fun while it lasted,but beyond that?I can’t imagine I’ll be revisiting itanytime soon now that I know precisely whathappens in the linear storyline, but I’mcertain I’ll be using some of the new itemsit came with in other scenarios.One thing’s for sure though...I am now verymuch in the mood to watch another season of Stranger Things.And if you enjoyed this Sims coverage, thensweet!I’ve covered each pack here on LGR, andthere are new videos on all kinds of gamingand tech topics every week otherwise.And as always, thank you very much for watching!\n"