Sims 4 For Rent Review – We’re Going to Need a Bigger House

The Sims 4: For Rent on PC

Multi-family units have been the talk of the Sims town since the release of City Living. But up until that point, The Sims 4 wasn’t quite capable of extensive household sizes, leaving many players to rely on mods or settle for the maximum limit. Fortunately, the time has finally come for those who enjoy multi-family homes in the Southeast Asian-inspired world of Tomarang.

If you’ve been browsing around the forums for The Sims 4 For Rent, you may have noticed that many players have suggested it to be a game pack rather than a full-on expansion pack. And while I agree with this take on some factors, I believe the content included gives it enough justice to stand as an EP. It’s much more than just adding multiple units in the lot, as it comes with multiple extra features.

One of the first aspects that caught my eye is the attention to detail in Southeast Asian culture. Not only do we have classic recipes like Halo Halo and Tofu Pad Thai, but we also get traditional objects such as squat toilets and Tuk-Tuks. As someone who is of Filipino-American heritage, it does make me happy to see things from my own culture in the pack, considering that the Sims franchise has always tried to incorporate all walks of life.

I never thought I would be ecstatic to get plastic chairs in The Sims 4, and yet here I am, trying to recreate all the parties I’ve gone to with these familiar features. It also helps that potlucks and pool parties have been added to give people more ways to celebrate.

Of course, the big takeaway from the For Rent expansion pack is the new building customization for multiple-family units. Six households can be placed on a property, but you can utilize cheats to have an upwards of 99 per save file. The system makes Build Mode seem much more complicated, given that you must assign each area to a family and use Shared rooms for the entire lot. However, it isn’t comprehensive enough to deter you, as the menu’s Lessons can help guide you.

You can take on two roles for The Sims 4 For Rent: Property Owner and Tenant. If you don’t want too much baggage, I suggest beginning with the latter to give yourself an easy start. Although the life of a Tenant isn’t as bustling as a landlord’s, it does come with some challenges that any renter would recognize. From the troubles of an overloaded trash situation to water leakage, you’ll certainly have your hands full trying to manage your unit like any other leased household.

I know it can be sometimes frustrating to encounter those loading screens with each family transition. Yet, it isn’t too tedious to wait those few seconds. I remember the days when we had to live through these drawn-out loading screens, so I can live with it, especially now that lots can harness an abundance of Sims.

But if you are a veteran Sims player, then you should tackle the part of a Property Owner, which can span numerous homes (not just the one you’re living in.) It’s a new way to rack some Simoleons without leaving your property.

I prefer getting my hands dirty to see what other variations of Emergency Events are available, providing more objective-based gameplay instead of the free-ranged mechanics. You’ll also need to keep track of rent and unit ratings to avoid missed payments and Tenant Revolts. Nonetheless, I have encountered some revolts despite having a 5-star rating, so I suppose you can’t please everyone.

I’ll admit I’m not the strictest Property Owner (I even felt bad for setting rent for these fictional characters), but I’m sure the role would be perfect for those who don’t mind laying down the law. Alternatively, you could use it as a chance to help everyone around the world with housing and call upon a Contractor for those distant units.

Compared to other expansion pack worlds, Tomarang is smaller in size, which is another reason why Simmers believe it to be a game pack. In particular, this world showcases nine interactive areas, while expansion packs like Brindleton Bay include 16. However, we do have to consider that the For Rent EP covers the entirety of all other expansion pack/base universes, meaning you can establish multi-units almost anywhere you please.

One thing I could have done without, though, is the rabbithole activities presented in the tiger sanctuary and Tomarang’s Cave. There should definitely be more ways to explore to make smaller areas feel much more extensive than they actually are. Even more so, I would have liked to see tigers rather than imagining what they would’ve been like.

What makes up for it is the new Secrets feature that allows you to learn more lore about Sims. For instance, I learned that the infamous Malcolm Landgrabb dumps his trash at a neighbor’s house (given his nature, I’m not too surprised.) It helps give more background to these sometimes dull NPCs, reminding me where The Sims first started with its intricate character storytelling.

Traits and Aspirations have also been expanded for all ages to give players more options with their family builds. I do appreciate that the older generation has its own characteristic regarding the Wise trait, as new content leaned toward the younger life stages. All ages, in general, also harness new variations in clothing that have been heavily inspired by the Southeast Asian style.

All in all, The Sims 4 For Rent expansion pack is just what the Sim community needs to maximize the series’ storytelling. It gives builders more ways to customize their lively worlds while also providing unique gameplay for those who aren’t too experienced in Build Mode. The pack also does justice for the Southeast Asian culture, whether it be through the architecture or the newest objects.

As much as we all want to see The Sims 5 make its way to the collection, having these expansion packs is an excellent way to keep the long-running fourth installment going. I never even thought it was possible to include multi-units in the franchise, but I’m happy to watch the franchise evolve into what it is today.