Sims Mobile is a pocket life simulation game that attempts to create the joy of the Sims games on your mobile devices. Following the typical Sims formula, a character is created, sent to complete tasks, and eventually raise a family, build a large house, have a career, and hopefully live an enjoyable life.
The character creation in Sims Mobile includes an incredible amount of options to choose from the beginning, with more being added as you level up. Early on you meet a man with fabulous hair named Izzy who can make you custom clothes with power ups included. This seems great, but ultimately does not assist your level increasing all that much.
Like any of the Sims games, the desire to create a family is presented as an important task. The daily To Do list as well as the quest bar both prompt you to begin a romantic relationship, get married, and have children. There is the option to buy new furniture to allow new actions for your Sim to interact with others as well.
This exact same process can also be viewed for your career choices, hobbies, and your friendships. Interact w
ith someone until you have amassed enough points, buy some items, interact with them more, and complete goals that reset with each success. It seems that the ultimate goal in the Sims Mobile is to finish your To Do list and quests as frequently as possible. And that’s about it.
Each relationship, career choice, and hobby includes a plot that is meant to hook you into finishing that set of actions to completion. There are plenty of options to expand your relationships, through romance, the love of art or music, hatred of each other, frenemies, and many more. Your have many career options too, including doctor, lawyer, barista, DJ, as well as the hobbies of cooking, playing guitar, writing, and more to pursue. Absolutely none of these various paths is worth the effort you need to put into them. The dialogue is cheesy, the humor is absent, and for some reason the plot of the barista learning llama latte art for two days or the doctor discovering the cure for the llama flu does not pull the heartstrings or pique one’s curiosity.
Sure, there is the option to buy items for your career, but after you level up enough you have to start a new career, so why bother buying items for the coffee shop you work in when it really won’t help you all that much. And wouldn’t you rather buy another overpriced carpet for your house instead? Most of the items in the game cannot be used, or if they can they only provide a few extra options to interact with other Sims.
In addition to these choices, there is an option to host or attend parties. This becomes another way to grind random points or interact with other Sims, which doesn’t provide much for you other than another way to level up. There is an option everyday to give other players’ Sims stickers based on how hot, cool, hipster, fabulous, or classy you think they look. But again, the only reason to do this is to check off a portion of your To Do list. The player whose Sims are given stickers receives a bonus, but it really doesn’t do anything.
Overall, there is a lack of creativity in Sims mobile. The game is not addicting and can be easily put down and forgotten about. It does not even leave one wanting to play another Sims game on the PC. Every great part of the Sims games is taken out to allow a watered down version. Our frenemies at EA have monetized the game through micro-transactions, which is understandable for a free to play game. But by adding it as a reminder to every single portion of this game, it makes it next to impossible to enjoy any aspect of Sims Mobile. There isn’t even anything worthwhile that can tempt you to spend money on.
Recommendation: Don’t waste your time. Really. This game is incredibly boring, has no internal motivators, and should be forgotten. Instead, go back to your favorite PC Sims game and enjoy the fun of living vicariously through your Sims without getting bored or the constant reminder of micro-transactions.
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