The Sims 4 recently released a new type of DLC called “Kits,” which has been received with both praise and critique in The Sims community. Kits are meant to be ultra-small DLC packs that hyper focus on one aspect that players may want to implement in their Sims 4 gameplay. It seems each pack will have specific elements for each section of the game, so one Kit will pertain to CAS (Create-a-Sim) items, Build/Buy items, or focus on additional live mode gameplay.
The Country Kitchen Kit, the Build/Buy mode DLC of this round of Kits, seems to have been received relatively well by many players. The items are cute and integrate well into many players’ build styles. The other two Kits, Throwback Fit and Bust the Dust, have not been so well-received. Some have even gone so far as to say the latter Kit is already broken because of its many bugs and design flaws found right off the bat.
Throwback Fit Kit
Design wise, there’s technically nothing wrong with the Throwback Fit Kit. The clothing included definitely captures the 90’s athleisure wear aesthetic the developer was going for, and the clothes and accessories look cute when a Sim is wearing them. However, there is one glaring item that was missed. Male Sims tend to get the short end of the stick quite often in The Sims 4 when it comes to fashion. Female Sims get tons of cute new outfits with pretty much every DLC released, yet male Sims always get less clothing items. To remedy this, many players turn to downloading CC (Custom Content) to find suitable new clothing for their Sims.
This option isn’t available for console players though, so Kits and other DLC are the only way they can acquire new clothes for their Sims. The Throwback Fit Kit doesn’t seem to be the only Kit planned, so it would be nice if the next CAS-focused Kit had an equal distribution of cute masculine and feminine clothing options.
Bust the Dust Kit
In theory, the Bust the Dust Kit seems like it would be an interesting concept that would add more mundane gameplay to The Sims 4—something a shocking amount of players actually enjoy. This is also the same community that voted for a laundry focused stuff pack, so it’s really no surprise that quite a few players would enjoy a Kit like this. However, in practice Bust the Dust is both broken and overpowering at the same time, with many players hoping the issues get resolved soon.
The Sims 4 has always had a mechanic that made Sims’ homes get dirty, but it seems Bust the Dust has kicked this system into overdrive. Sims’ houses will get dirty in a matter of hours in-game, meaning Sims will spend most of their day vacuuming to keep the home clean. If they don’t, Dust Bunnies show up and eventually turn into Filth Fiends which, when not cleaned up in a timely manner, will explode and set the home on fire.
Conversely, when Sims have a sparkling clean home, they get a +2 Inspired buff, which is incredibly overpowering and not helpful when players need their Sims in a mood other than Inspired. It’s also unrealistic that a Sim would be affected that much from a clean space. In concept, introducing vacuum cleaners and a dust system to The Sims 4 would add just the right amount of mundane to the game and make gameplay a bit more challenging. Instead, it seems the developer went overboard and will now have to create a patch to correct these oversights and issues.
Right now, it seems The Sims 4 Kits are off to a rocky start. Hopefully, these issues will be resolved quickly and the developer listens to the feedback given about the new DLC type.
The Sims 4 is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.