The Sims 4 offers even more customization options for Sims than earlier installments in the series, and some players are taking full advantage of this to create strikingly memorable character models. One player in particular is using The Sims 4 as a platform to create 'catfishes' that only look conventionally attractive from very specific angles.
Labeled "EXTREME catfishes in The Sims 4," this short video was shared by satchonsims via TikTok. In just seven seconds, it creates an uneasy mood through fast-paced music and some extreme cosmetic surgery that gamers may not have known could be pulled off in The Sims 4.
The word 'catfish' traditionally refers to a large freshwater or marine fish with barbels around its snout that resemble whiskers, but it's taken on a new meaning in the age of the internet. Now, 'catfish' can also mean luring someone into a relationship with a fake online persona - or, as in this case, used to refer to those fake online personas in general. As seen in the video, which can be watched here, satchonsims has created a parody of this form of catfishing by crafting Sims who initially appear conventionally attractive, then are revealed to be striking examples of virtual body horror.
First is a young blonde woman shown from the front whose only false characteristic seems to be her dark eyebrows, implying that her hair is dyed, until the video changes to show her in profile. It soon becomes clear that her features slope downward at an inhuman angle, with her forehead jutting out far ahead of her nose and her chin practically non-existent, making her resemble a fish. After that comes a brunette with intricately coiffed hair who looks stunning in profile, but has an impossibly thin skull when looked at head-on. This parade of weird Sims is finished off with an ash-blonde woman shown from behind whose distended lips and bulging, frog-like eyes are clearly visible from any other angle.
Judging by the number of likes and shares this video has, it's been warmly received by fans, or at least enthusiastically debated by them. Creating odd-looking Sims is a time-honored tradition that is almost as popular as killing off Sims in funny ways. From that angle, satchonsims' creations may not be that odd, but they are certainly unexpected. The video goes out of its way to build a sense of tension and uncertainty through its sound design and the build-up to each reveal. The result is most definitely a memorable Sims creation.
The Sims 4 is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Source: TikTok