The Sims 4 Star Wars Journey to Batuu Review

Welcome to our The Sims 4 Star Wars Journey to Batuu Review! The galaxy isn’t so far away anymore, as you can now play it from today, 8 September 2020, on your PC, PS4 and XBO. It’s an extra game pack that you can add to the base game, which is required.

When we announced The Sims 4 Star Wars Journey to Batuu Review trailer, we were very excited that we received a review copy of the space-themed game. Being a lover of both The Sims and Star Wars goes a long way in making us happy.

Does the game pack live up to expectations? Is it worth buying, and what features can you expect? Read more in our The Sims 4 Star Wars Journey to Batuu Review.

Platform reviewed:	PC, PS4
Release date:	8 September 2020
Price:	£17.99 / $19.99 / R349
Genre:	Simulation
Players:	1
File size	1.48 GB
Developer:	Maxis
Publisher:	Electronic Arts

The Sims 4 Star Wars Journey to Batuu Review: Story

The fun and adventure for our The Sims 4 Star Wars Journey to Batuu Review begins when we send our Sim on vacation. My daughter, Avril Jooste, wanted first dibs on playing the new Star Wars game pack, so we sent Pinki Skywalker to the planet Batuu. You can do this by accessing your smartphone and selecting choosing to travel on holiday.

Batuu is an off-world destination. We were surprised to find a brand new storyline in the Career mode. In our The Sims 4 Star Wars Journey to Batuu Review, we saw that several missions popped up from the moment you land on the planet.

The first quests get you acquainted with the surroundings. There are three areas to explore, namely Black Spire Outpost, Resistance Encampment and First Order District. There are also three factions aligned to each area.

What excited us for the The Sims 4 Star Wars Journey to Batuu Review is that you can choose which faction you want to be a part of, with select missions you can accept from various NPCs. This feature really brought about the Star Wars experience.

As you complete missions, your rank in the faction rises. However, you’ll still need to take care of your daily needs, such as hunger, hygiene, fun and social expression. There are a few activities to help you with these, which we found to be slightly limiting when compared to your normal homestead on planet Earth.

Overall, the story has enough content to keep you busy for a long time in this Galactic adventure. You’ll want to spend more time on Bantuu than is necessary, especially when you start unlocking new items based on your progression. Definitely a good story rating for our The Sims 4 Star Wars Journey to Batuu Review.

The Sims 4 Star Wars Journey to Batuu Review: Gameplay

As already mentioned in our The Sims 4 Star Wars Journey to Batuu Review, there are three main areas that you can visit. The gameplay is the same as the normal maps, where you’ll direct your Sim around to fulfil its needs. However, there are a few extra options.

For example, you can now ask humans and aliens about any of the factions to gain more information. You can also scan ships and monuments to add it to your records. The more you progress through the game, the more items you’ll unlock and level up.

You won’t be able to use your simoleons on Batuu. Instead, we received Galactic credits for completing missions. We could then buy new items to wear, use or take back home. One prized item we enjoyed for our The Sims 4 Star Wars Journey to Batuu Review was the lightsaber, although there were enough variations available.

New Clothing And Items

No The Sims 4 Star Wars Journey to Batuu Review is complete without discussing the new fashion wear. You’ll receive a handful of new Star Wars clothing when you start on the alien planet, with more that you unlock later. The themes match the sci-fi movie franchise, which is a lovely touch.

Of course, my daughter wasn’t impressed with the selection, but I was more than happy with what the simulation game offered. There are plenty of colours and variations, so you can play dress-up for a long time.

New Home Furnishings

Let’s head back home for our The Sims 4 Star Wars Journey to Batuu Review for a moment. You’ll receive new Star Wars-themed rooms for your house, which you can spend simoleons to obtain. There are also new furnishings and toys for when you come home from work and you’re missing the sci-fi planet.

Which brings us to two downsides in this The Sims 4 Star Wars Journey to Batuu Review. Firstly, you can’t build your own home on Batuu. Owning a plot and building a home would have been a great addition to the Star Wars game pack. Secondly, when you send your Sim inside a building, you can’t see the interior or what is happening. Your activity icon informs you what they’re up to, but that’s about it.

Shopaholic

What it lacks in building construction it makes up for in shops. There’s a restaurant to ensure that you don’t starve. Thankfully, you’ll unlock food recipes as you play, so that you can make Batuu food back at home. We really enjoyed exploring new food in The Sims 4 Star Wars Journey to Batuu Review.

There’s also a workshop which sells lightsabers, besides other gadgets. Feel free to buy a droid or learn to make one for your Earthly home. Out of all the items we tested for our The Sims 4 Star Wars Journey to Batuu Review, the lightsaber was definitely our favourite.

May The Force Be With You

Which brings us to our next point. We were excited for our The Sims 4 Star Wars Journey to Batuu Review when we saw that we could buy a lightsaber and train in the mystical arts. You start your training by watching a Jedi practice in the open, which unlocks the ability to use one.

You can also challenge NPCs to a lightsaber battle. This feature is by far our favourite for The Sims 4 Star Wars Journey to Batuu Review. Furthermore, you can take the Jedi weapon home to show off to your friends, and swirl around in front of your home and family.

The Sims 4 Star Wars Journey to Batuu Review: Graphics

We could be lazy and state that the graphics are as beautiful as every Sims 4 pack, but that wouldn’t do our The Sims 4 Star Wars Journey to Batuu Review any justice. The fact is, the developer has brought Star Wars to life in the new game pack, and they’ve done an amazing job doing so.

You’ll see iconic ships from the Star Wars movie franchise, such as the X-Wing and the Millennium Falcon. You can also spot Stormtroopers and talk to characters such as Hondo. There are also other interesting characters with amazing designs, but we won’t let The Sims 4 Star Wars Journey to Batuu Review spoil it for you.

We did notice a bit of lag on the PC version when engaging with new characters or entering buildings. They are momentary glitches which didn’t appear often, but worth noting.

The Sims 4 Star Wars Journey to Batuu Review: Sound

The soundtrack and sounds also score valuable points in our The Sims 4 Star Wars Journey to Batuu Review. If you’re a Star Wars fan, then you’ll instantly recognise some of the music. Sound effects that will tickle you include the lightsaber buzzing through the air and ships flying overhead. Of course, Sim talk sounds as it always has, so good luck trying to interpret that.

Jonny Lupsha: The PS4 Perspective

Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to play the game for The Sims 4 Star Wars Journey to Batuu Review for PlayStation 4.  While our own Shaun Jooste is providing the full review on PC, I wanted to give my first impressions of how the add-on runs on the console.

The planet of Batuu, which contains the Star Wars pack, is accessed through your Sim’s phone, under the Travel menu.  I was disappointed that I couldn’t build a house and live on the planet, but the pack does come with plenty of Create-A-Sim tools and building items to make your home on Earth look like a galaxy far, far away. 

Fortunately, you use separate money (Galactic Credits of course) on Batuu, so you can’t buy the farm as soon as you arrive or bankrupt your Sim’s daily life trying to buy droids and lightsaber parts.

The add-on looks, sounds and plays like a solid marriage of The Sims 4 and Star Wars and I hope more content is added soon, or that The Sims 4 does more crossovers with other major franchises.  I just have two complaints with it. 

One is the frequency of the game hanging for a split-second and the framerate dropping, which comes at the expense of the number of assets that are being processed at once – characters, buildings, weather and so on. 

The other is that Sims, who are walking or running about town, are difficult to stop to talk.  Stormtroopers, First Order officers, Resistance members, smugglers and citizens all go about their day, and the sparse nature of the neighbourhoods makes it hard to find one standing still in a cantina to converse with. 

Contrast that with the normal Sims 4, which is helped by the number of activities outdoors that attract standstill attendees and the close quarters indoors.

However, I still recommend it.  The amount of work that went into Star Wars Journey is apparent and you still get that immersive Star Wars feel, hang-ups and all.

The Sims 4 Star Wars Journey to Batuu Review: Final Verdict

As a final verdict for our The Sims 4 Star Wars Journey to Batuu Review, we’re satisfied with what the Star Wars game pack provides. You’ll get a healthy dose of movie characters and items, some of which you can take home. The most outstanding feature is the inclusion of factions and new missions, which really drives the story element of the sci-fi DLC.

Come on, Maxis! How could you not let us build homes on Batuu?! Here’s hoping we see a future Stuff pack or patch add this ability.

In the end, The Sims 4 Star Wars Journey to Batuu is definitely worth buying at such a low cost of $20 for so much content. You’ll definitely enjoy walking around on Batuu in the Sims 4 world.