In the event you’re in search of dragons in The Sims, you’ll should look previous the meager choice in The Sims 4 and head again into The Sims 3. Launched in 2013, Dragon Valley provides a brand new fantasy world to the life simulation recreation. It’s a medieval-inspired neighborhood with lore and legacy, the place dragons abound. There have been dragons in most Sims video games besides The Sims 2, however The Sims 3’s Dragon Valley world constructed off the parable of the creatures in a approach that previous and current video games haven’t.
Dragon Valley has a backstory: Although the dragons are actually little pets you may put on in your arm, their bigger counterparts have been as soon as a menace to the land. The city remains to be recovering from the bloodbath, however grownup dragons haven’t been seen in years. Due to a scientific discovery by a brand new household, the O’Connells, the dragons of Dragon Valley keep small — and are actually simply mildly mischievous as an alternative of outright harmful. The elven households that decision Dragon Valley residence are cautious of the dragons, inflicting a dispute between new and previous: “Don’t allow them to pull the wool over your eyes,” the elven character Mithrilen says in a chunk of lore revealed on the Dragon Valley retailer web page. “Simply have a look at the dragons. They’re alleged to be ‘infants’ however each does one thing extra dastardly than the final.”
There’s a stark distinction between The Sims 3’s dragon world and The Sims 4’s Realm of Magic enlargement, which lets gamers have just a little purple dragon as their companion. Even The Sims and its Makin’ Magic enlargement had iconic dragons you would take care of as in the event that they have been infants. The dragons hatch from eggs that, too, should be cared for and soothed by speaking to them via the shell. And from that, they turn out to be candy infants who can begin fires and torch Sims to ashes.
To that, I say: Carry Dragon Valley to The Sims 4. The proper dragon enlargement for The Sims 4 could be a combination of the pet dragons from The Sims: Makin’ Magic and the world-building of The Sims 3’s Dragon Valley.
Although Dragon Valley added deep lore, its dragons didn’t really do a lot; after caring for an egg, they hatched and simply hung round. The dragons didn’t must be cared for, like in The Sims: Makin’ Magic. However they have been useful: In the event you had a pink dragon, you didn’t have to sleep. With a inexperienced dragon, there was no have to eat. Every of the dragons had skills to foster (by speaking to them about topics), like setting individuals on hearth or giving their proprietor charisma. The dragons in Makin’ Magic had must be met and would go away for those who didn’t handle them, making it a extra fascinating system. In The Sims 4, the dragons do basically nothing besides add some visible aptitude.
Digital Arts, although, has solely dipped its metaphorical toe into fantasy: There are solely seven small packs in comparison with the handfuls constructed round household, mates, careers, design, and trend. The Sims 4’s fantasy choices give gamers ghosts, aliens, magic, and werewolves — however not sturdy, significant dragons, because the franchise has prior to now.
The Sims 4’s Cottage Residing enlargement felt like a turning level for the sport, a minimum of from a storytelling perspective; it gave me a motive to drag my Sims out of their homes and into the world to do small favors and storylines constructed into the sport. I see the return of dragons in The Sims 4 as a approach to construct on that progress — a approach for developer Maxis to flex its narrative instruments whereas offering a wildly completely different fantasy playground for individuals to iterate on. Till then, you’ll discover me again in The Sims: Makin’ Magic speaking to my dragon eggs.
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