The Sims Mobile was launched earlier last week (6th Mar). I had a good look at the game and I must say that it’s a satisfying mobile port of the PC game.
Gameplay
If you’ve played the original Sims, you’ll find the mobile version very familiar. That is, aside from the fact that you’re staring at a smaller screen.
Character Creation
The character creation is extensive. It’s great whether you want to go for some default looks or you want to jump in and customise even further. Here’s an example of default choices:
Each menu item in the character creation screen has a sub-item: a pencil inside a square. You press that button to do custom eyes, face shapes, noses and so on:
On a side note, I must say that the body diversity options are amazing in this game too:
UI/Controls
The controls for the game are surprisingly intuitive. Single finger to pan and two fingers to zoom in or out. I’m very happy with the zoom levels the game offers — I wasn’t expecting it to be that great given we’re talking about a mobile game.
Hopefully, those of you who’ve spent much more time playing the PC version will also find the mobile menu satisfying. It’s also surprisingly intuitive:
Game Processing Speed
This thing is fast. For a game that I’m used to taking forever on PC, on mobile, it’s smooth and speedy. I’m not running it on a particularly new phone either — my phone is at least 4 years old now.
Initial load up is pretty fast:
Graphics
There isn’t much to say here since it’s par for the course. Having played The Sims Social Facebook game extensively back in the day, it’s nice to see 3D graphics.
Compared to the PC version I think you may find the detail a little less. Not a complaint on my end though since you’re staring at a comparatively smaller screen.
Sound/Music
Oh, nonsensical Sim-speak how I’ve missed you. The sound design is as expected from any Sims game. There’s an audio cue for every action, menu click and effect. It makes moving around furniture all the more satisfying, of course.
Oddly enough, music is kind of an on-off type affair with The Sims Mobile. There are moments where you’ll get some background music. Otherwise, you’ll be getting mostly sound effects. At least you get music when exploring the overworld map? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Final thoughts
It’s about time The Sims has its own mobile game. Finally, us ‘casual gamers’ can get a ‘casual game’ on a ‘casual gaming platform’ (Note: to be read as sarcastically as possible). As a mobile gamer, I find the idea of running an app much more appealing than firing up my PC, running the EA software and then running The Sims game.
In saying that, I really hope that bringing the game to mobile will help bring in people who’ve never played The Sims before.
Screenshots
Where to get The Sims Mobile
You can get the game on both iOS and Android. Like many free-to-play games, it also has a freemium model if you choose to spend money on in-game items or currency.
