Adventure Awaits… and My Wallet Weeps

I did the math and - oof - I’ve spent about $1.4K on The Sims 4 DLC over the years (pre-tax). I love this silly, chaotic dollhouse, but seeing that number made my stomach do a backflip. And yet here I am, watching the Adventure Awaits reveal with my credit card gently whispering, “don’t.” I’m excited. I’m salty. I’m… both.

I’m excited. I’m salty. I’m… both.

The reheated-nachos problem (aka déjà vu DLC)

On paper, Adventure Awaits drops a new world (Gibbi Point) split into three neighborhoods, a Getaway System with Custom Venues and a Getaway Planner, camp vibes, fitness retreats, romance contests, kayaking, spin bikes, archery, and a ton of kid/childhood gameplay (Formative Moments, new traits/sentiments, Imaginary Friends, and even a playground builder). There’s also a new Park Worker career (Camp Counselor/Ranger). It’s a lot.

But parts of it feel like a remix platter:

• The summer-camp/outdoors loop? That’s giving Outdoor Retreat weekenders in Granite Falls.
• Quests and “go do things in nature” exploration? Jungle Adventure’s temple-hopping energy, just swapped for geysers and glow critters. 
• Big on family/child development? We’ve been here with Parenthood (character values + parenting skill) and Growing Together (milestones, family dynamics). 
• Gym moments and fitness toys? Fitness Stuff literally centered the climbing wall and training grind. 

Is it bad to riff on what works? Not necessarily. But it does make Adventure Awaits feel less like a bold leap and more like “reheated nachos”—tasty, familiar, and a little too dependent on what was already in the fridge.

The bug fatigue is real

I’m also frustrated that we’re still paying for new packs while long-standing issues keep boomeranging back. Even EA has publicly said they needed a team focused on bug fixes after years of DLC bloat, and we’ve all lived through famously rough launches (hello, My Wedding Stories) and recent whoppers like the phantom pregnancy bug that took a patch to roll back. 

Yes, updates roll out—and the August notes did include performance fixes and systems tweaks—but the pattern is exhausting: new content lands, something breaks, wait for the next patch (or two). 

Okay, so what’s actually new-new here?

If you strip away the déjà vu, a few things are interesting:

• Getaway System + Custom Venues: You can build and schedule bespoke retreats with rules (even elimination-style dating shows). That’s fresh sandbox power—especially for storytellers and challenge players. 
• Childhood overhaul: Formative Moments, evolving child sentiments, Imaginary Friends with distinct personalities, kid skills like Papercraft/Entomology/Archery/Diving, and modular playgrounds. This could meaningfully deepen kid gameplay beyond Parenthood’s values system. 
• World flavor: Gibbi Point leans into bioluminescent bays, crystal caves, and boardwalk festivals—cozy-adventure aesthetics we haven’t had in one place. (And yes, the pre-order bonus is a kettle, lamp, and socks, because of course it is.) 

Small asterisk: EA notes cross-pack features apply—so some activities/systems will play nicer if you own other DLC (shocker). 

Should I (you, we) buy it?

Here’s my current headspace:

• My wallet says “gurl, no.”
• My simmer brain says “summer camp builds + kid depth = yes please.”
• My burned-by-bugs heart says “wait for the first patch window.”

I’m probably snagging it—on sale if I can stand it—and I’ll test whether Getaways + kid systems actually stick in my rotation or just decorate my main menu.

And if I do cave (likely), I’ll circle back with a mini build diary in Gibbi Point and a kid-gameplay report card after a few in-game weeks. For now, consider me cautiously hyped, mildly resentful, and deeply aware that I’ve already spent four figures on this pixel people habit.