The Sims 4 has had pretty much every pack you can think of at this point, and with 15 Stuff Packs already available for the game, it’s hard to imagine what number 16 could bring to the table. Considering Stuff Packs have always been a little…bland, The Sims 4 Tiny Living is actually the Stuff (Pack) of dreams.
Being a Stuff Pack, Tiny Living is on the lower-end of The Sims 4 add-ons, costing just $10 USD. In the past, Stuff Packs have offered very little in terms of new gameplay, instead doling out a couple of hairstyles, a smattering of build mode items, and usually one item that’ll offer something new in terms of gameplay, like the ice-cream maker.
Tiny Living completely mixes up the formula though, offering not only a selection of adorable build mode items, but also adding in three new lot types: Micro Home, Tiny Home and Small Home.
Each of these offer a range of perks and buffs for your Sim, ranging from cheaper bills, happier moodlets and even skill increases. The smaller your build, the more perks you’ll have access too. If you go for the smallest home possible, the Micro Home, there’s actually a bit of imbalance in the game. I made a teeny-weeny home for my Sim and found that she was a pro painter, gardener and chef within just a couple of days thanks to the buffs. She was also always happy, and got rich very quickly. I personally think the bonuses you get for a Micro Home are very unbalanced, but hey, I still had fun playing with this tier.
I’ve been an avid Sims player since the very first game dropped 20 years ago, but there’s always been one aspect of the games that I’ve disliked: building. I was always too eager to jump into the dollhouse and create my own stories, and had next to no interest in the aesthetic of the house.
Tiny Living forced me out of my comfort zone though, spurring me to think outside the box and make the tiniest home I possibly could. When I had the structure built, I had a tonne of fun decorating for once. I wanted the complete cosy cottage look, and I poured hours into build mode – possibly for the first time in a whopping 20 years. Kudos to you for that, Tiny Living.
My obsession with making the tiniest home led me to YouTube, to Twitter and to various other online sources to see what hacks people had come up with to save on space. The new items including in Tiny Living were a pretty big help with this, offering a lot more freedom with wall placement and floor space, even without cheats on.
For the first time ever, a Stuff Pack has wowed me with items I’d genuinely use in non-tiny homes, like the all-in-one TV and bookcase units. One item I’ve stayed far, far away from though is the highly-anticipated Murphy bed. The bed is supposed to save you space by offering up a fold-out bed, but it takes up just as many tiles as a regular bed, and has a very, very high chance of killing your Sim. So no. No Murphy beds shall enter my lots. (Just gimme BUNK BEDS, EA!)
I can’t recall ever having as much fun with a Stuff Pack as this, and now that I have an interest in building I feel as though a whole new area of The Sims 4 has opened up for me.
All in all, The Sims 4 Tiny Living Stuff Pack is definitely my favourite Stuff Pack of all time, with a tonne of playability and a bunch of new and interesting items for you to mess around with. If you’ve passed on this Pack because you’re not a builder, or not interested in the tiny homes movement, I definitely encourage you to try it out.
Featured Image Credit: EA