While we wait for the bi-annual expansions, smaller Game Packs are great for keeping The Sims 4 fresh. They’re not always for everyone, but the new careers provide the perfect reason to get involved with aspects of the game that you might not have done before.
Dream Home Decorator does that more than most other Game Packs, throwing you into the deep end of the building system to create impressive houses and interiors almost from scratch.
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The focus of the Game Pack is the new career, which sees you become a Pro Interior Designer and head out to “fix up” the houses of various characters.
What Do You Want From Me?
First things first, you need to speak to the clients to work out their likes and dislikes. Do they like colourful interiors? Are they looking for centrepiece furniture? Or do they want something a bit more understated?
That’s arguably the most important part of your job, because without knowing what they like, you’re not going to produce a final product they’re happy with. Leave the client unhappy and you’ll be left without any money.
Once you’ve nailed down their likes and dislikes, you can send them away and get to work.
You’ll be painting the walls, buying furniture to give new life to the room, and producing a work of art to a tight budget.
You’ll have access to the existing suite of items and the huge collection of additional ones added alongside the Dream Home Decorator Pack. There’s a lot to choose from, so you really are free to express yourself with your renovation.
Make Your Own Fun
How much fun you have with Dream Home Decorator depends entirely on how creative you are. If you enjoy the complexity of the Sims 4's building feature, and have the time to really explore your options, then great.
If you’re more like someone who just wants to get through the day and take home your money, Dream Home Decorator really won’t be for you. It’s a slower, more detail oriented career that’s really focused on building and development.
The gameplay leans extremely hard on the creativity of the player, letting them do whatever they like. When the building can be clunky at times, it makes the game pack feel quite shallow.
It essentially gives you a platform to use existing mechanics, and hopes you make the enjoyment for yourself.
It’s also a little disappointing that it’s easy to make the clients happy by cheating slightly. If you add some items that really fit their desires, and then take pictures of them, it’s possible that they’ll be happy without the whole renovation needing to look particularly good.
Approaching the career in that way somewhat defeats the point of it, so dive in deep if you can, because that’s where all the enjoyment is to be had.
Verdict
That’s the issue with Dream Home Decorator. It’s really only worth playing if you’re going to take it seriously and enjoy the building features.
Getting into the mind of an Interior Decorator and really trying to produce something impressive can lead to the pack being a lot of fun. Try to take shortcuts or get frustrated by the menu heavy gameplay and you’ll just want to do anything else.
Just as in the real world, being an Interior Decorator isn’t for everyone.
Sims 4 Dream Home Decorator Game Pack was reviewed on PS4. Code provided by EA.