EA and Maxis have created something different for its latest expansion for The Sims 4, they wanted to do something different for it. Snowy Escape is the 10th expansion for the game and not only did the developers want to give players a chance to enjoy new activities and thrills, but also let players find new ways to relax and just be in the moment.

Breaking down Snowy Escape into four distinct groups is the best way to explain what you can look forward to, when the expansion is released this November 13 for PC, Mac, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. The groups are ‘Chase your Thrills’, ‘Create your Sanctuary’, ‘Find your Zen’ and ‘Define your Lifestyle’ and let’s start with Chase your Thrills. For those that want to live on the edge or have those experiences that are pulse pounding there are contained within. You might choose to don a set of skis and take down an easy path, or strap on a snowboard and go for the dangerous route, those who want to keep closer to the ground might choose to go sledding. For those that want to leave the ground there are rock climbing and even a full mountain climbing experience, but don’t worry if you want to stay on the ground, you can always Find your Zen.

For those seeking a Zen, it can be as simple as taking a bath in the hot springs or sitting inside with a warm meal, surrounded by friends. If you are a nature lover, then taking those same friends on a hike around Mt Komorebi, enjoying the sights and sounds of this new destination. Of course, a great way to find your Zen is to dress more relaxing and the expansion is account for that, with more options for creating a sim, as well as for building out your snowy retreat, from new walls, floors, decorations and more, there will be a lot to see and enjoy with the new expansion. Finally, defining your lifestyle, something that is exclusive to the expansion is about the lived experience of your Sim. All players will get access to sentiments, via the free update, but the additional and exclusive ones are going be part of the expansion and they will be about exploring the relationship between your Sims. This will help to create more individual Sims, as they will react to things differently and the more they do see and enjoy, or dislike, the more they will change.

Snowy Escape is not the first time that The Sims has done Winter, the Seasons expansion offered up that season, but this is the first that players will get the chance to enjoy activities that could only be achieved in a snow rich environment, like skiing and snowboarding. Electronic Arts were kind enough to provide access to the games newest expansion and whilst I am not a Sims player normally, I was keen to give it ago.  One of the big things is that with vacations, something new to Snowy Escape, though versions of it are coming to the base game as well. The new location had a host of empty lots to buy, so with that bought, I started to build and of course, I was totally enamoured with the massive bath that you can have in your new house, which looks like a massive Japanese bath, so I dropped that in and blew most of my money, but it had cats on the tiled wall, so I consider it worth every simoleon.

Once my house was built, or the bathroom with tiny bedroom as it turned out, it was time to start exploring the community around me and that is where things began to shine. The first thing I really took note of was just how vibrant and striking the world looked, from the trees and paths that bordered my bath, to the mountains in the distance and the ponds at the base of the map. Each element looked really nice and sending my sim out to jog, he was an exercising kind of sim, meant I could enjoy the scenery, as much as they were. While jogging was one activity, the snow sports were where I wanted to go, now I knew going in, not to expect SSX levels of snowboarding, but it was still fun, though some greater control would be perfect for me. The first few runs down the slopes, Tej, my sim, was cautious but after a few, he was pulling a few tricks and that is down to the games skill meter, basically the more you do something, the better you get. While I didn’t get up to high, I am curious to see what a maxed-out Sim might do on the slopes. I also saw a few sims that were rock climbing and while not something I did, it looked interesting, at least from a distance.

But it wasn’t just a matter of doing new activities, like I said, jogging around the place let me see the world and if your sim is not the athletic kind, you can also go on hikes and walks around the place and thanks to the Japan influence, there are elements like shrines and bamboo forests to discover and walk through.

I am not someone who has spent a lot of time with The Sims over the years, but Snowy Escape was fun to check out, how in depth it turns out to be, or how well that new Sentiments system folds into what people want, well only time will tell, but I had fun with it and that is really all that matters.