➤ The Sims 4: Country Living, the review 🎮

The Sims 4: Country Living has been out for a few days and the community seems to have welcomed it. We suspect that much of the appreciation comes from the cows' incredibly languid eyes, which we believe are impossible to resist. However, if this essential factor is removed, there are many, and far more serious, reasons why Vita in Campagna is aexpansion extremely important in the history of The Sims 4, not only because it introduces elements loved and requested by the public but above all because it reflects more than any other expansion pack the historical moment in which it was developed.

We had already talked about the new mechanics introduced by the expansion in our tried, so in this review of The Sims 4: Living in the Country we will focus on the aspects that convinced us the most of this additional content.

Ponds and ponds

Okay, after the eyes of the cows, the ponds will seem like another minor element but the Sims players know how false this statement is, since ponds and lakes they were very much expected. This new lot construction tool brings bad news and good news: the bad news is that our Sims won't be able to bathe in the ponds we're building. The reason, and we come to the good news, is to be found in the extreme freedom of customization of the ponds, which is not compatible with a complex activity such as swimming. “We wanted to give players maximum flexibility in customizing the look and shape of their ponds. For this reason, Sims won't be able to swim in them. However, we wanted to make sure there was fun gameplay associated with ponds. You can. find Sims splashing around the edges of ponds, catching fish you have kept in the pond, and decorating the pond with new items, ”Maxis developer Antonio Romeo reports on Twitter. To mitigate this, however, there are numerous points in the county of Henford-on-Bagley, a new neighborhood added with Country Living, where our Sims can splash around.

The addition of the fish in the pond, which, however, cannot be introduced instantly. To add fish to a pond, our Sims will have to have already cataloged the various fish species, at which point there are two different ways. The first is that of experience: by fishing a little everywhere the Sims will increase their fishing skills and knowledge of fish fauna: once we have caught a specimen of each species, we can add it to our home pond. This also applies to the more tropical types of fish that can be found in the various Sims 4 expansions, such as Island Life. The second way is that of money: by going to a shop or using the option of home shopping via the phone we can fill our pockets with fish and then empty them into our pond.

Cottagecore

The Sims 4: Country Living, the review — A small cottage of Country Life

If you are passionate about architecture and design magazines, or hungry Pinterest goers, you will know that the Cottagecore style went very strong last year and continues to enjoy some success. The Cottagecore, or Aesthetic Cottagecore, is a design and lifestyle trend inspired by a picturesque vision of country life. Based on an idealized concept of returning to nature and simpler times, its aesthetic focuses on natural materials, wholesome pastimes, handmade crafts, homemade baked goods, gardening, and other hallmarks of bucolic domesticity. In summary: Life in the Countryside.

We had somewhat criticized the choice of such a specific style, which may not appeal to everyone. It must be said that the furnishing accessories included and all the construction options are very nice and extremely "instagrammable", as if they had come out of an Influencer's social page: the wooden counters, a Smeg-style refrigerator in pastel tones, floors and natural stone walls that give a rustic but at the same time refined effect when combined with the right design solutions. However, what is extremely appreciable, as mentioned also in the preview phase, is that the choice not to enter any freelance profession linked to rural life: any Sim can move to the countryside, grow vegetables and raise animals, without having to undertake a career as a farmer. or breeder.

The lack of one career however, it will not starve our Sims, who will be able to live off what nature offers, fully embracing the Cottagecore lifestyle. The interpretation of the theme of Living in the Country is extremely centered on both an aesthetic and philosophical level, although it conforms to the slightly crazy standards of The Sims, with rainbow-colored llamas and rabbits dressed in vests and bowties.

Reflect reality

It is no coincidence that the Cottagecore style has been on the crest of the wave in this two-year period 2020/2021 and the motivation must obviously be sought in the world situation that we have all experienced. Vita in Campagna, like Vita Ecologica some time ago, is the mirror of the period in which the expansion was developed. There pandemic, and the ensuing quarantines have greatly changed our relationship with living spaces, so much so that for many their home has become a sort of prison.

From this point of view, Vita in Campagna not only offers a very comforting theme but also makes the concept of solitude romantic. A simple life, without the stress of smart working, of the division of PCs at home to be able to work and study, live with your family in a house where no one invades the space of others and being together is a choice and not a constraint.

Country life wraps you up in a warm patchwork-soaked blanket romanticismo the need for social distancing, giving a virtual mirage that many have longed for and perhaps still desire. But the dream of a bucolic life marked by milkings and homemade bread is also a warning and not just a possibility of escape: Vita in Campagna invites us to take back our spaces, to dedicate ourselves to simple things, finding ourselves in healthy activities and pleasant: a picnic with the family, a walk in nature, maybe gardening and if you don't have a green thumb, a beer at the pub with friends will do the same. This The Sims 4 expansion pack is important not only because it offers relaxing and soul-good game mechanics, but mostly because it reminds us how important it is to feed our soul. After all, the slogan reads: "Feed your spirit (and your chickens!)".