The long-awaited release of the expansion pack, Growing Together, has generated high anticipation among Simmers. The new addition brings a heavy focus on family gameplay in The Sims 4, and introduces features that have long been requested by players. The pack promises to offer a plethora of meaningful interactions between Sims of different ages, allowing players to explore important aspects of growing up and connecting with other Sims.
In addition to the new activities designed for children and younger Sims, the expansion pack introduces situations that add realism to the lives of adult Sims. One noteworthy feature is the Midlife Crisis, a mini-aspiration similar to those in The Sims 3: Generations. In The Sims 4: Growing Together, when Sims reach adulthood, they may receive one of four Midlife Crisis options. Players have the option to choose whether to complete the tasks related to the Midlife Crisis, or wait for the timer to pass without pursuing them. By completing these tasks, the midlife crisis will have a shorter duration, and the Sim will receive positive moodlets.
Midlife Crisis Types
The Sims 4: Growing Together expansion pack introduces players to four different types of midlife crises, each with their unique set of tasks that align with the desire of the Sim experiencing them.
- The Desire for Adventure: This set of tasks is centered around experiencing new and exciting things, such as exploring new areas, engaging in extreme sports, and discovering hidden treasures.
- The Desire for Relationships: This set of tasks focuses on making meaningful connections with others, such as making new friends, getting married, and even befriending a rabbit.
- The Desire to Create: These tasks are centered around creative activities such as painting, knitting, visiting museums, and more.
- The Desire for Success: This set of tasks is primarily focused on improving skills and achieving career promotions.
Each Sim can have their own unique midlife crisis experience, with a variety of related but random tasks that may align with their specific desire. While there is no comprehensive list of tasks, Sims can explore new hobbies, form new connections, and create new memories. Generally speaking, the tasks are not very challenging, although some may be time-consuming. Unlike in The Sims 3, Sims are not required to make impulsive purchases (such as buying a car worth over 50k Simoleons) to complete the tasks.
How To Trigger Midlife Crisis
The occurrence of a midlife crisis and the type of crisis that a Sim gets is generally random, but it requires the Sim to be in the adult life stage. Interestingly, there seems to be a bug where even an infant Sim may get a midlife crisis if aged down from adult to younger with cheats. Before a midlife crisis occurs, players receive a notification of an early midlife crisis, indicating that a midlife crisis will happen soon if changes aren't made to the Sim's life. If the player ignores this notification, they receive another notification informing them that their Sim is having a midlife crisis.
For players who don't want to wait or take the risk of getting a specific midlife crisis, it's possible to trigger one by using cheats and selecting the midlife crisis option under Expansion Pack cheats. Players should note that each Sim can only have one midlife crisis, and once it's over, they can't have another.
What Happens During Midlife Crisis?
When a Sim is going through a midlife crisis, players will notice a separate task section under the Aspiration tab that corresponds to the specific desire. Additionally, Sims will receive a variety of moodlets during this time, with the main one being a Tense moodlet for midlife crisis. Players can keep track of the midlife crisis duration through this moodlet. Sims may occasionally also receive other moodlets, such as a Sad moodlet from contemplating life and lost time, and they will have access to exclusive interactions, such as "Stress About Lost Time."
Generally, a midlife crisis starts with a 7-day duration, but as players complete tasks, the duration will decrease significantly. The tasks are not very difficult, and completing each one will grant the Sim a small amount of satisfaction points. Despite the negative effects of the Tense moodlet, a midlife crisis also grants unique and temporary benefits to the Sim. For example, Desire for Adventure will decrease the rate of energy depletion, while Desire for Craft will increase the quality of crafts.
What Happens Post-Midlife Crisis?
After the Midlife Crisis timer runs out, either by completing tasks or waiting through it, the Sim enters a resolution phase. During this phase, the Sim will receive a Happy moodlet for 2 days, indicating that they have overcome their midlife crisis. As a result of the new activities and experiences gained during the crisis, the Sim may develop new likes and dislikes. For example, a Sim who completes the knitting task may discover this being newfound hobby, and it being added to their likes. Once the resolution phase ends, the Sim will continue their lives as usual, incorporating any changes they may have made during their midlife crisis.
In general, it is recommended that players allow their adult Sims to experience a midlife crisis instead of trying to avoid it. It is a great addition to shake things up and break the routine in a Sim's life. This can lead to the creation of many new memories and different storytelling opportunities for players who enjoy doing so.
The Sims 4 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S