Occults have always been a part ofThe Sims, andThe Sims 4is no different. While many of the occults inThe Sims 4are drawn from fairy tales, such as vampires and werewolves, others are original to previous games in The Sims, such as Servos and PlantSims. The quality of occults inThe Sims 4varies greatly, with occults that got dedicated game packs getting far more gameplay and features than occults like aliens or mermaids, which arrived in expansion packs.
It appears that fairies will break this pattern with the new expansion,The Sims 4: Enchanted by Nature. However, another occult type has been spotted in thetrailers forThe Sims 4: Enchanted by Nature, and its presence may change some lore for the better. PlantSims have been a popular occult type in pastThe Simsgames, but the occult is a shadow of its former self inThe Sims 4.Enchanted by Nature’s Mother Nature isn’t a fairy, with some speculating that she and some other NPCs could be PlantSims. This would be a great opportunity forThe Sims 4to retcon the lore around PlantSims and give the occult the refresh that it sorely needs, but it also can’t walk this back later after committing now.
The Sims 4’s PlantSims are in a Weird Place
PlantSims are perhaps the strangest occult inThe Sims 4for several reasons. According toThe Simslore, PlantSims are only a recent phenomenon thanks either to pesticides or breakthroughs in science.Becoming a PlantSim inThe Sims 4can be achieved in one of two ways, by playing a scenario, or by purchasing the Magic PlantSim Stump in Buy Mode, leveling a Sim’s gardening skill to ten, and purchasing packets of rare seeds until they obtain a collection of magic beans. Once all the beans are collected and placed in the Stump, the Sim needs to water it to grow a tree with a magic portal that they enter. Upon returning, the Sim will have a Forbidden Fruit, and will become a PlantSim if they eat it.
In both cases, being a PlantSim is only temporary, grants very minor abilities, and only changes the names of certain needs, essentially making PlantSims normal Sims with green skin and hair. Another major issue with PlantSims is that they revert to human in just 20 days. This is very different from the PlantSims ofThe Sims 2andThe Sims 3, where PlantSims have magical abilities, can self-propagate, have a special connection to plants, and have different needs. While it’s not possible to create PlantSims in Create-a-Sim, their gameplay and appearance made PlantSims one of the most unique occults inThe Sims.
The Sims 4 Has a Unique Opportunity
The Sims 4: Enchanted by Naturefeatures two new special NPCs, Mother Nature and Spruce Almighty. Both Mother Nature and Spruce Almighty are not fairies, but instead appear to be PlantSims. This introduces some lore discrepancies, as PlantSims are supposed to be a recent development inThe Simslore, yet Mother Nature and Spruce Almighty are ancient beings. Another hope is thatPlantSims may get a refresh with the release ofEnchanted by Nature, with at least better gameplay that makes them worth playing.
If Mother Nature and Spruce Almighty are PlantSims,The Sims 4needs to stick with this new lore, and provide an explanation for other PlantSims. While the pair are both powerful beings closely connected to nature, and could just be powerful PlantSims,The Sims 4should still take the opportunity to refresh PlantSims as many consider them to be theworst occult inThe Sims 4. Walking back new PlantSim lore would be a big misstep forThe Sims 4, especially as PlantSims are the only occult in the base game and desperately need better gameplay, or at least the opportunity to be a permanent state.
One reason PlantSim lore could have been retconned fromThe Sims 2andThe Sims 3is becauseThe Sims 4takes place in a parallel world, with different events and rules. Regardless of whether this theory is correct,The Sims 4hasn’t done much to establish PlantSim lore, and it needs to use the opportunity provided byEnchanted by Natureto do so.
