The Sims 3 Supernatural (PC) Review

The Sims 3 Supernatural, created by EA, is the latest installment of the celebrated The Sims franchise.

Thanks to Supernatural’s inclusion of paranormal and fantasy elements, Sims fanatics (sometimes affectionately called “Simmers”) can now build and control the ultimate virtual reality. If you’re a Simmer like me you’re probably tired of building elaborate homes, fostering perfect families, and then destroying everything with a violent divorce or premature death (adds a little “real life” drama). In fact, if you’re a veteran of “Simming” you’ve probably grown accustomed to wreaking havoc. Perhaps you’ve been criticized in the past for being a malicious Maxis god and intentionally tormenting your Sims. Well, rest easy my bored yet dedicated Simmers: The Sims 3 Supernatural is here to deliver you from habitual destruction.

If you’re a Simmer and have already played Supernatural, check out our piece on the upcoming The Sims 3 Seasons expansion pack!

Gameplay

I want to inform readers and fellow Simmers that The Sims 3 Supernatural is a detailed expansion pack. This review simply cannot give intricate accounts of all the possibilities and new activities. Thus, this review will focus on major additions in hopes of shining light on Supernatural’s glory. So what sets Supernatural apart from its predecessors? There are 5 new non-human, yet sentient beings to choose from (6 if you have The Sims 3: Showtime pack). Werewolves, witches, vampires, fairies, ghosts, and genies (with Showtime) are all new paranormal pals to play. Certain activities and abilities are determined by which entity is chosen, so I decided to make a household of all the supernatural subjects available to me. One vampire, werewolf, witch, fairy, and ghost were all forced to cohabit under my roof. Before moving them in, I spent a lot of time (2 hours) breathing life into my beastly bunch. It’s important to pay close attention when creating your creature. How much chest hair will your werewolf sport under the full moon? With what type and color wings will your fairy take flight? What untimely demise did your ghostly guy meet (electrocution? Mummy’s curse? Jelly beans?!)? All of these features are customizable and fun to select. In addition to new skins, clothes, accessories, hair styles, tattoos, and makeup, there are fresh personality traits and life goals to consider. My vampire was a brooding blood-sucker whose eternal aspiration was to turn unsuspecting Sims into fellow coffin dwellers. My fairy was a pink-haired flirt who loved cats and wanted to adopt a unicorn. No, really, those were all real traits and goals I had selected for her. Other new traits included night owl, proper, gatherer (for gems and alchemy ingredients), and supernatural fan/skeptic. Exciting new life aspirations ranged from becoming leader of your werewolf pack to monster maker to master of mysticism. The Sims 3 Supernatural offers a wide array of features and options to make your weirdo Sim truly unique.

Once I’d finished “Frankensteining” my eccentric family I bought them a home in the newly added neighborhood of Moonlight Falls. Moonlight Falls is a charming, albeit bizarre community bustling with unexpected characters and collectibles. New locations include the Aboretum (for fairies), Eerie Park, Vault of Antiquity (where one can research the supernatural), Zoomsweeper Test Track (for broom flight), and unusual hangouts for haints and horrors. There are also new building materials, furniture pieces, items, and hobby objects to decorate your fantastic flat. Whether you supply your spooky Sims with the Orb of Answers, an alchemy table, a broom arena, or even a simple, medieval rocking chair, there are plenty of oddities to give your home that interesting, preternatural feel. Once I’d spruced up my spectral space I hit the “play household” button and began to do the monster mash. Chaos erupted immediately. My werewolf couldn’t control himself and transformed into his inner, howling beast. The mere sight of my ghost unnerved the other roommates and made everyone uncomfortable. My fairy played a prank on the vampire who then retreated to his bedroom and would not come out. My ghouls had gone wild within 15 seconds of playtime. Consequently, I paused my game to further investigate each Sim.

I discovered each supernatural subject has specific features. Fairies can fly, emit auras to increase skill efficiency and soothe Sims, find comfort in their miniature fairy homes, play pranks, and pester. Werewolves can hunt solo or with a pack, hunt to find rare and valuable items, and joke about shedding. Vampires have slightly different physical needs (blood thirst), possess the hypnotic gaze ability, can deny or confess to being a vampire, intimidate, and hunt. Witches come with wands (although you can buy others), can cast spells, compete in duels to perfect their skill, and ride brooms. Ghosts can return to the Netherworld, spook Sims, and carry their tombstone around in their personal inventories. Most creatures, like fairies and witches, have a magicka bar that requires recharging. There is also a lunar cycle that effects all of the creatures. Whenever there is a full moon (set to appear based on your preference), the special Sims unleash their alien behavior. Zombies stagger in the streets, ghosts rise from their graves, vampires search for blood, and werewolves can be found lurking around in your backyard.

Once I got into the swing of things and learned my Sims’ individual needs and wants, I really enjoyed playing Supernatural. Whether I was making elixirs, practicing magic, hosting fairy parties, or just being a sad ghost, I never once felt boredom or routine creeping into my gameplay. Again, there really are so many new features and options in Supernatural that it’s difficult to compress them in this article. However, if you’re a fantasy lover or a Simmer looking for a twist, get yourself a copy of Supernatural and get magical!

Graphics

I have always been impressed with the graphics of The Sims 3. The game runs exceptionally well considering how many characters and events are taking place simultaneously. In Supernatural, the graphics and mechanics performed just as well as they had in previous installments. My unearthly fiends were delightfully detailed with vampire teeth, wolf eyes, pointy nails/claws, and wrinkly hag lips. I did experience one glitch that required me to restart the program. When trying to place my family into a home, the game would become “stuck” on the town screen and would not respond to any of my commands. After multiple attempts to fix the glitch I simply had to restart Supernatural. I did not experience the glitch a second time. Overall, I was enchanted by Supernatural.

Replay Value

Considering the vast options and features of Supernatural (options that become seemingly endless when combined with your already gigantic Sims collection), this game has the potential to be played countless times. There are too many personality types and lifestyle choices to experiment with for only a handful of playthroughs. To fully appreciate and dominate The Sims one would need devote the next decade of their life to tackling all the possibilities and gameplay combinations. Not only does Supernatural offer unlimited hours of experiment, but this Sims installment is terribly entertaining. For me, Supernatural offered as much diversity and as many memories as The Sims 3 Pets. I will most certainly be playing more of this game in the near and distant future (or for eternity if I am as lucky as my immortal Sims!).