The Sims 4: Life & Death Expansion Pack is arguably one of the most ambitious and engaging DLC releases from the franchise in years. The EP’s broad title encompasses a very grand concept, adding a myriad of aspects to both the life and afterlife of Sims, and I was skeptical that the game would live up to such a lofty idea. However, Life & Death exceeded my expectations in almost every way, with only a few minor shortcomings.
It almost feels more like an Expansion and Game Pack combined, blending elements that would normally come with Sims occult-centric DLC like Vampires with the general gameplay expanding concepts of releases like Growing Together. The EP is delightfully macabre and wonderfully creative, and everything from its Build and Buy item descriptions to added lore embody a Pack that really feels like it was made with a lot of love. Though the more fantastical elements of the release may not appeal to players who prefer more down-to-earth gameplay, it’s some of the most fun I’ve had with a DLC in ages.
Create A Sim & Build/Buy Mode
Afterlife-Inspired Aesthetics, Pet Ravens, & A Treasure Trove Of Build/Buy Lore
Create A Sim’s clothing showing is quite strong, with a blend of gothic, dark academia aesthetics. and some more lighthearted afterlife-inspired pieces, like a raven costume for children and a ghost outfit that’s a simple sheet draped over the Sim with sunglasses on. It includes at least a few options for all ages, even including a handful of infant outfits. Ghosts can now be created from within CAS, including selecting the Sim’s cause of death, which is a great feature that makes beginning the afterlife much easier.
Life & Death comes with three new Traits: Macabre, Skeptic, and Chased By Death, and the amount these actually affected gameplay was quite impressive. Chased By Death makes Sims at a much higher risk of dying, for example, adding a fun risk, and giving the Skeptic trait to my ghost Sim gave him frequent identity crises. There’s one new Knowledge Aspiration, Ghost Historian, that tasks Sims with a fun blend of learning the new Thanatology skill, interacting with ghosts, and writing about their experiences.
Build and Buy Mode’s new additions follow suit with the same sort of gothic look, offering both more antique-style pieces alongside sleeker, more modern – but still dark – pieces. There’s also a host of funeral-specific objects like coffins and memorial displays, an impressive amount of wallpapers, beautiful Tarot-inspired art, and even a purchasable pet raven that Sims can bond with, after which it will bring them gifts. Players who read through the item descriptions will be rewarded with a delightful amount of new lore, including new information about a Goth ancestor.
Death Is No Longer The End In The Sims
Ghosts Are Powerful Playable Additions
One of the biggest features of Life & Death is the introduction of playable ghosts, a new occult type that has the same style of skill tree seen in Game Packs like Werewolves. Sims gain experience through using their ghostly powers, which will allow them to unlock more, and players will have the ability to take ghosts down either a good or evil path. Both come with some impressive powers, especially at the top of the skill tree – bad ghosts can do things like spawn garbage and scary illusions, shake living Sims down poltergeist-style for Simoleons, and even shorten their lifespan.
On the other side of the spectrum, good ghosts have powers like dispelling messes, restoring freshness to food, and improving crafted items, and extending others’ lifespans. Evil ghosts can cultivate Fear Essence through their actions, while good ones create Goodwill Essence, both of which can be sold to a mysterious merchant in town for high prices. There are also a few neutral abilities, the funniest of which is Transcendent Woohoo, which allows ghosts to temporarily transport themselves and a living partner into an inanimate object to get intimate despite their usual corporeal differences.
Making The Most Out Of Life (& The Afterlife)
Life’s Journey Goals, Funerals, Reaping, & More
Though ghosts are a big part of Life & Death, they aren’t the only big addition. All Sims now have more goals in life outside their normal Whims and Aspiration-related wants in the form of a Soul’s Journey – or, for ghosts Sims, Unfinished Business. This is a bucket list of sorts that Sims write themselves: goals can appear naturally or be purposefully written, with the option to choose from different categories of desire, like wanting adventure, success, or travel. There are over 150 goals total, including some that become available with certain DLC, many of which are quite funny.
A ghost Sim I created, for example, immediately decided his first goal would be fighting the Grim Reaper as revenge for being dead. As Sims complete these goals, they’ll earn boons that apply to their overall quality of life, like gaining skills faster, better career gains, and even the ability to reincarnate. Reincarnation itself is an extremely interesting feature, allowing Sims to be reborn into a family of their choice at any age. It’s quite fun to have a new driving force behind in-game goals, and it’s great being able to somewhat customize the list.
Funerals are the new event added to the game, utilizing the same calendar planning features as others do. After the disaster that some previous events like those from My Wedding Stories have been, I was so pleasantly surprised to see that funerals work quite well. They allow for a myriad of customizable activities like toasting the dead, giving different styles of eulogies, and holding moments of silence. One of the very best features is the ability to call the attention of all guests using a special podium, which solves the frequent issue of distracted Sims derailing events.
One of my favorite additions is the new Reaper career – one of the first new active Sims 4 careers in ages – where Sims can work side-by-side with Grim himself to reap souls. It’s very well-thought-out – some active careers like Scientist can begin to feel repetitive easily, with the same small cycle of activities, but each day as a Reaper can be drastically different. Some are normal reaping assignments, but other Sims may be dealing with otherworldly issues like opened portals or emotional reapings where Sims will plead for the dead’s soul, giving players the choice to spare them.
The World Of Ravenwood
A Gorgeous, Gothic World With Lots Of Lore
Life & Death’s Ravenwood is absolutely beautiful, combining some of the more rural village elements seen in Cottage Living’s Henford-on-Bagley with the spooky, lore-heavy bits of Werewolves’ Moonwood Mill. There are 13 lots, with eight residentials, a nightclub, a bar, a cemetery – a new lot type that can be placed in any world – and two empty lots. The three neighborhoods, Crow’s Crossing, Whispering Glen, and Mourningvale, are all distinct while having throughlines of narrative that connect them, like the Order of Lenore, a secret society based around Tarot, and a grieving ghost named Alice players can help bring peace.
Longtime fans of the series will see a very familiar face in the neighborhood, Olive Specter, as well as her son Nyon – formerly known as Nervous Subject, which I personally found to be an incredibly exciting reintroduction. Much like the secret cave in Horse Ranch, Sims can explore a mysterious crypt system with a sort of choose-your-own-adventure-esque minigame and discover bountiful rewards. There’s also a new collectible, Tarot Cards, which can be acquired in a myriad of ways, and a full deck can be used for readings and daily pulls.
There’s also a huge array of events that happen around Ravenwood, like a nightly Moon Revelry, Thinned Festviel, Ravenwood Family Day, and Afterlife Anonymous. These all have their own activities, like a booth where Sims can set up a will – another new feature that allows for inheritances – moonlit swims, or ghosts airing their problems at the podium during an AA meeting. These events surprised me multiple times with their small details, like a Bonehilda impersonator showing up on Family Day, or a potluck dish that temporarily turned my Sim into a ghost.
Final Thoughts On The Sims 4: Life & Death
A Must-Play By Screen Rant Standards
Most of my gripes with Life & Death are incredibly nitpicky. Olive’s son Nyon, for example, doesn’t have the Grimborn trait, which feels like an oversight based on his background, and the crypt gameplay became somewhat repetitive in its events fairly quickly. I also once encountered a bug where, after sending both my Sims home, I was still stuck on a lot until I restarted the game, but this may have only been an issue with the early access build version I initially played.
However, as a whole, Life & Death feels like it has more love and attention to detail than any DLC in recent memory. For those who are fans of occult gameplay, the breadth of afterlife features is spectacular, and even for those who aren’t huge fans of occult DLC, the additions regarding things like funerals and inheritances are very versatile. Arguably one of the very best Expansion Packs the current iteration of the franchise has ever seen, The Sims 4 Life & Death is so good it’s scary.