Here’s why The Sims 4’s basement and greenhouse kits are another massive disappointment

Another day, another Sims 4 set of kits. I was really excited for this pair of Sims 4 kits since the teasers – basement and greenhouse are wise choices that expand the pool of build and buy beyond what we have in the way that the previous bathroom clutter kits did not, it just added to clutter we already had and felt inessential. The promo for this era of DLC was strong, the aesthetic nice – it all felt promising. But The Sims 4 basement and greenhouse kits are just another hollow flop – here’s why.

Let me use the items!

So many items in these kits are just for aesthetic and decoration purposes, which is fine when it’s a clutter kit but with this you want basement stuff to interact with. There are a few useable things, like the busted TV and the actually pretty amazing freestanding mirror, and of course the sofas. But a load of cardboard boxes? Like, we already have enough of that in the game to dabble with and recreate that. Where is the creativity?

The lack of flooring – at least ONE new flooring – is a nightmare in my opinion. Out of the two new Sims 4 kits, basement is so much better than greenhouse but still somehow always emerges feeling a bit half baked.

Greenhouse is not a greenhouse, sorry

The entire kit is themed around greenhouses, of course – and yet there is not a greenhouse item or a new way of building. You just build normal walls and shove windows all over it. Could I not just do that anyway off my own accord? It looks gorgeous, it feels empty. You barely get anything with it. I am so sick of Sims 4 kits doing the bare minimum. I know they’re not expensive, but I would happily pay more for a more game enriching experience and a well rounded pack that feels like wow, I really spent my money on something that’s making my Sims playtime even better.

Instead, we get what The Sims 4 does best – looking nice and just being there. In the words of Aretha Franklin, “great gowns, beautiful gowns”. It’s another entry into surface level, shallow Sims 4 culture that lures you in with its beauty and leaves you with an emptiness that’s hard to shrug off. Perhaps one day we’ll sit back thrilled with the updates we get, but until that day let’s just twiddle our thumbs and hope and pray for the arrival of The Sims 5.

@harrisonjbrock

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