‘The Sims 4: Journey to Batuu’ was released on Sep. 8. With this game pack, fans are able to travel to a ‘Star Wars’-esque world and take part in missions relating to the Rebel Alliance, the First Order or the Scoundrels.
The planet of Batuu in ‘The Sims 4’ is taken from the theme park ‘Galaxy’s Edge’ at both Disney World and Disneyland. The main hub of the game pack, the Black Spire Outpost, has the same layout as both Disney locations.
The Batuu neighborhood is a vacation world, meaning players cannot live there. However, it is free to visit the vacation world and the player can stay for as long as they want.
With the inclusion of the Rebel Alliance and First Order, players are also able to meet some recognizable characters from the movies. Rey can be found with the Rebels, Kylo Ren appears with the First Order and Chewbacca and the Millenium Falcon make an appearance during the Scoundrel missions.
Lightsabers also make an appearance in ‘Journey to Batuu’. Lightsaber hilts and kyber crystals can either be found in storage, given as a reward for missions or bought at a shop. Instead of the usual colors of red and green, players can further customize with yellow and white lightsabers.
Sims with lightsabers are able to duel each other, but it never leads to death. Sadly, a Force skill is not added to the expansion pack, meaning players only earn fitness skills if they use a lightsaber.
Sims can join either the Rebel Alliance, the First Order or the Scoundrels and complete a variety of missions. Joining a faction will lead to unique in-game consequences, such as a Rebel Alliance Sim being hated by the First Order. Sims in the Rebel Alliance can also be stopped by Stormtroopers and have their IDs checked, possibly leading to them being detained. The Sim will be led off and questioned by officers, but nothing too bad will happen to them.
Missions usually require the player to hack a control panel, talk to citizens of Batuu or use a starfighter to fly to other locations. While the missions are fun at first, they can get repetitive. The starfighters, though seeming like the most interesting mission, only takes the player to a variety of text choices, becoming similar to a ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ type of game.
By completing missions and ranking up in a faction, players can unlock unique outfits and items to bring back to their home. These rewards include Stormtrooper armor, pilot outfits and flags with their chosen faction’s insignia.
When not doing missions, Sims can explore Batuu and find items relating to ‘Star Wars’. Normal Sim money is replaced with Galactic Credits and players are able to eat food from the movies. After eating the food, Sims learn the recipe and can make the food when they get home.
Sims are also able to purchase two types of droids which can assist the Sim as they travel through Batuu. Droids are able to scan items, distract enemies and support the player on missions, adding another fun dynamic to the pack.
While it might seem like a money grab, ‘Journey to Batuu’ offers a lot of extra fun for Sims players. Missions and a ‘Star Wars’ setting gives fans of both series an added bonus when it comes to this game pack.
