It's been almost ten years since The Sims 4 made its debut, and in the time since, DLCs have filled out the core skeleton of the title. However, some essential cogs in the machine that made The Sims into the world-beating franchise it is today are still missing from The Sims 4's expansion packs, and Maxis could serve itself well by adopting a blast-from-the-past method to its packs as Project Rene draws closer to becoming a reality.

The Sims has come a long way from its SimCity inspiration in 1989, evolving into a simulator of day-to-day human life in 2000. Each installment since that first edition at the turn of the century has featured a significant number of post-launch details in addition to the offerings of the base game. Some of these have become synonymous with the very fabric of the green plumbob and have carried on in improved versions to the current state of The Sims 4, while others have been more muted (maybe even forgotten) in the grand scheme of things. With The Sims 5 heralding the dawn of a new era for the franchise, Maxis should celebrate its history before turning the page by bringing back old content in fresh packs.

the-sims-outdoors-1
Related
How Project Rene and Project Dolores Could Be Connected

Maxis has Project Dolores and Project Rene in the works, and it is not known whether the two mysterious projects are related in any way.

Expansion Packs from Older Installments Could Contain a Treasure Trove for The Sims 4

Admittedly, most packs from older installments of The Sims have appeared in some form in The Sims 4. However, some content disappeared as the franchise advanced, and there's a sense of nostalgia ripe for harnessing ahead of Project Rene.

The Sims 3 Supernatural Has More Magic In its Wand

For instance, The Sims 3: Supernatural brought a host of occult creatures to the otherwise cozy Sim worlds, and it was one of the most popular expansion packs of its time. The Realm of Magic DLC was The Sims 4's first attempt at an EP entirely focused on Supernatural's premise, but there were still significant pieces of the puzzle that didn't make the cut.

The fortune-teller career path, characterized by the distinctive caravan in The Sims 3, held so much sway in the Sims community that mods have reintroduced it into The Sims 4. That's just the tip of the iceberg of what made Supernatural so special; Magic Mirrors, Fairies, and Zombies also immensely contributed to the charm of the expansion pack. In the case of The Sims 4, spellcasters, vampires, and werewolves give some form of occult character, but the weight of the missing details was enough to take away some of its shine. The old flame of random zombie infestations and fairy magic is worth rekindling in another pack before Project Rene.

The Sims Medieval and World Adventures Offer Vastly Different Outlooks for The Sims 4

Similarly, The Sims Medieval took players to a Sims world based in the Middle Ages, and the quest-driven gameplay on the road to building a kingdom was one of the reasons for its popularity. Although it's unclear how the mechanics of focusing on an RPG-style dynamic would translate into The Sims 4, bearing the distinction of a Hero Sim in the form of a knight or monarch holds a transfixing appeal that is nonexistent in the current game.

Additionally, as much as realism matters in The Sims, The Sims 4 has left behind the real-world travel element that previous versions were keen to dive into. Although Maxis made allowances to travel to islands like Sulani, much like Vacation Island in the first installment of the series and The Sims 2's Bon Voyage Far East architectural style in Mt. Komorebi, it neglected to explore what World Adventures embraced in The Sims 3. Players could visit fictional locations in France, China, and Egypt, and meet culturally-styled locals. Before Project Rene rolls around, these packs should be revisited in some form for Maxis to lean into its rich background.