The Sims 4: Journey to Baatu

I finally got a chance to play a bit of the new Sims 4 game pack, "Star Wars: Journey to Batuu".  In short, it's not great, but I still really like it.  It's getting bad reviews, because it just doesn't do enough.  I agree with this, but I also think people's expectations were too high.  

Journey to Batuu probably should have been called something like "Batuu Vacation".  Because it's not a new neighborhood you can live in, it's not a game changing expansion pack that makes everything Star Wars themed.  It's more like taking a virtual vacation to Disney's Galaxy's Edge, where you can do touristy stuff while pretending to be a Star Wars character.

The main issue is that "What happens on Batuu, stays on Batuu."  What I mean by that is, some elements only work on Batuu.  You can build a droid on Batuu, and it will follow you everywhere.  But once you take it home, it acts more like a remote control toy.  You can befriend all kinds of aliens on Batuu, but if you get one to come home with you, their alien features are treated like a costume.

There's plenty to do on Batuu.  You can hang out in bars, buy lightsaber parts and droids, and complete missions for three different factions - Resistance, First Order, and Scoundrel.  But it doesn't take long to see everything.

For me, the real draw is all the Star Wars themed furniture that you can put in your home.  It's easier than ever now to geekify your domicile.  Granted, you could probably download fan-made furniture just as easily, but I'd rather have official content when I can get it.  The furniture looks fantastic, as do the new outfits.

There are three kinds of expansions for The Sims 4: Expansion Packs ($40), Game Packs ($20), and Stuff Packs ($10).  Expansion packs have loads of content, and introduce entirely new mechanics to the game.  Stuff Packs just have a bunch of new outfits and furniture.  Game Packs are right there in the middle, with small mechanical additions or story elements, along with a Stuff Pack's worth of extra furniture.

I wish Journey to Batuu had not been a Game Pack.  I would have been happy with a Star Wars themed Stuff Pack, just so I could deck out my home in SW regalia.  I would have been happy with a full-on Star Wars Expansion Pack, with new neighborhoods and Force powers and major additions to the gameplay.  As it stands, Journey to Batuu falls somewhere between too much and not enough.

Actually, even as a Game Pack it falls short.  Two other Game Packs, "Realms of Magic" and "Vampires", give you supernatural powers.  Would it have been so hard to do the same with Jedi Powers here?   But again, Batuu is a vacation spot, not a lifestyle change.  

As long as you recognize that, and just think of it as an overpriced Stuff Pack with vacation elements, you won't be as disappointed.