Fans of the Sims franchise have a lot to look forward to. Not only is The Sims 4 receiving a significant update and expansion pack, but The Sims 5 - aka Project Rene - is also under development. While little is known about the future of the Sims series and what a new base game has in store, there's ample possibility that The Sims 5 could be different from previous games. Cross-platform gameplay and a multiplayer mode are much-needed changes, but there's quite a bit that can be done with foundational gameplay mechanics like Sim stats. The Sims 5 could add a "morality" stat to deepen future gameplay.
The Sims franchise as a whole has had a tumultuous history when it comes to tracking Sims' needs and behaviors. While the mechanic has come a long way through the two-decade history of the franchise, the game could be doing more. For instance, morality has always been subtly present in the Sims franchise, but this has been primarily through the advent of "Evil" and "Good" careers and traits. As Simmers look to The Sims 5 for more realistic mental health gameplay, it only makes sense for the future game to explore what decisions around morality could impact.
The Sims Franchise Might Need a Morality Stat to Make Decisions Matter
For a life simulator that is all about decision-making, The Sims franchise has struggled to explore how the morality of these decisions impacts gameplay. For instance, while certain Sims in The Sims 3 base game can pursue the "Criminal" career track - a comically overt dedication to evil - nothing quite happens to convey the implications. Criminal Sims who hit the top of the career track become "Emperor of Evil" and receive a wicked red aura, but not much else happens. Sometimes the "Good" and "Evil" traits in The Sims 3 are so subtle as to only impact gameplay when Sims with opposing characteristics are in the same room.
The Sims 4 attempted to add more flavor and nuance to Sim's morality through the advent of the "mischief" social skill. Although there is no social skill that runs opposite to "mischief," the mechanic is less a tracker for a Sim's moral choices and more a way to bully other students in The Sims 4: High School Years. While the "Evil" and "Good" traits still exist in The Sims 4 base game, the behaviors triggered by these traits are still quite subtle - including crying at gravestones and smashing dollhouses. Instead, The Sims 5 could adopt mechanics closer to modern RPG morality systems.
The Sims 5 Could Find Inspiration In RPG Morality Stat Systems
While The Sims franchise has had less interaction with player morality, the pull between good and evil is a mainstay of the RPG genre. The popularity of iconic games that reward evil like Mass Effect, Baldur's Gate, and Infamous has hinged on how player choice dictates character morality. The Sims 5 could adopt some of the mechanics used in modern RPGs - and TTRPGS like Dungeons & Dragons - to create a unique morality system. For instance, instead of simply allowing players to choose the "Evil" and "Good" traits, The Sims 5 could use an alignment system that makes Sims earn these traits. In this way, morality is less about already-established qualities and more about how behavior has illuminated them.
Another facet of a new Sims 5 morality-based stat system could be tracking how other Sims react to specific moral behaviors. A mechanic like this would mimic the real world by pushing a Sim closer to each side of the "Good" and "Evil" traits through perception and reputation. For example, a career criminal could start simply as having the "mischievous" label, but it could escalate to "mean" or "evil" if the Sim has done things perceived as such. Most importantly, as Sims float on a moral spectrum, additional gameplay should complement these changes.
The Sims 5 is in development.