Across all four games inThe Simsfranchise,players have asked for improvementsto the life simulation game. Sometimes, these requests are answered in a patch or an expansion pack, but many fans are left frustrated at the limitations of the life simulator. Now, Paradox Tectonic might just have what these players are looking for inLife By You.
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Gone are Sims, and in its place are real humans with real conversations and a lot of customization and freedom. Building upon the blueprint ofThe Simsfranchise,Life By Youpromises to be a major competitor while also being its own unique entity. While both life simulation games have a lot of similarities due to the genre they’re operating in,Life By Youdiffers in various ways.
7Personal Customization
Instead of Create-a-Sim,Life By Youuses the “Human Creator.” It’s the same basic premise, but there’s much more openness regarding how players want their characters to present themselves. Age is referred to as a number that can be edited in addition to a life stage. For example, in the trailer, an adult life stage can range from 19 to 33.
Life By Youwill also include personality and character traits, expanding upon whatThe Simshas built.Life By YougivesSimsplayers what they’ve always asked for – deeper and unique storytelling to fit their playstyle rather than just a few options. Some of the traits seen in gameplay include things that paint a detailed backstory, like a happy or traumatic upbringing or harboring family secrets.
6No Simlish
Simlish was first created as a means to bypass repetition and the need to record countless hours of dialogue in different languages. It’s become an iconic fictional language since, to the point thatpopular musicians provided covers of their songs in Simlishfor the games.
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In contrast, humans will communicate in real languages inLife By You. It’s not clear whether conversations will be spoken or entirely text-based, but players will be able to follow exactly what their characters are saying to each other and even have the means to edit the conversations themselves. This adds endless storytelling in the game, as players can edit existing lines of dialogue to fit their personal preference and playstyle or create entirely new conversation trees and share them with other players.
5Basic Necessities At Launch
The Simsis known for its expansion packs, which provide additional gameplay mechanics not included in the base game. But asThe Sims 4has shown, this cycle can become a financial burden for players – particularly when a life simulator should have all the basic necessities of life at launch,like toddlers and pools.
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However,Life By Youis venturing down a different path. While no one can rule out DLC expansions in the future, the base version of the game will include things that have almost always been expansion items inThe Simsfranchise, like laundry items and different modes of transport.
4No Rabbit Holes
Rabbit holes are a common sight amongSimsplayers. Depending on the game, these are usually places that Sims can visit and enter, but the camera won’t follow them. Despite being an open world,The Sims 3had the most rabbit holes, with Sims disappearing into stores, hospitals, schools, and workplaces.
But inLife By You, Humble has assured that there are zero rabbit holes to encounter. Instead, players will be able to interact with a variety of different lots, including workplaces and stores. As shown in the gameplay, this includes working in a salon and having the option to restock shelves and visit cafes, clothes stores, and actual office spaces.
3Freedom To Move Lots Literally Anywhere
As anopen-world life simulator, the only restrictions inLife By Youare the borders of the world players create. Aside from freely exploring the region players choose to build within, they can place lots wherever they want with no limitations. As shown in the announcement event, the environment molds around wherever a lot is placed, resulting in an amount of freedom that players have yet to experience.
While games likeThe Sims 2andThe Sims 3provided players a little more inplacing lots within a world,The Sims 4is very limited in that regard. Whereas inLife By You, there seems to be nothing stopping players from placing homes, workplaces, and shops where they see fit.
2Extremely Detailed Live Edit Mode
From what has been shown ofLife By You’s live edit mode, it looks a lot more detailed than what is currently offered inThe Simsfranchise. For example, inThe Sims 4,players can build, decorate, and landscape their homes in addition to manipulating the terrain of a lot. But inLife By You,this runs even deeper. There are tabs that enable players to edit almost everything in the world, from humans to the lot type and the region itself.
While the game seems to followThe Simsin termsof its build/buy mode, it’s clear that there are many more options for players to seamlessly edit the world as they see fit without the limitations of loading screens.
1Ability To Take Direct Control
Players can take control in the typicalSimsway by clicking and directing humans. Alternatively, they can experienceLife By Youfrom a third-person perspective where the camera is directed over the shoulder. While in this mode, players can control their characters directly with arrow keys – something that has never been implemented in anySimsgame.
As for modes of transport, players will be able to operate those manually – much like an enhanced version of U-Drive It mode fromSimCity 4: Rush Hour. So instead of watching characters drive their cars or ride skateboards, players can use a keyboard or controller to accelerate, brake, and turn.
Life By Youis in development for PC and enters Early Access on September 12.
