Horse Ranch Blunder in The Sims 4 Sends Shockwaves! Unveiling the Unforeseen Fallout

Highlights

The Sims 4: Horse Ranch expansion pack lacks depth in gameplay, especially when it comes to horses and children. It offers fewer features compared to The Sims 3: Pets.

The lack of wild horses, unicorns, and horse control options in gameplay is disappointing. Additionally, breeding horses feels shallow and predictable. The Sims 4 consistently struggles with expansion packs lacking depth and engaging gameplay. While the visually appealing world of Chestnut Ridge may catch your eye, it ultimately fails to provide meaningful activities for players.

Players expressed disappointment when The Sims 4: Cats and Dogs was released as an expansion pack focused on pets but with less content compared to previous expansions in the series. In contrast to The Sims 3: Pets, which included various pets like cats, dogs, horses, and additional wildlife, The Sims 4: Cats and Dogs lacked these additional features. Small pets were later introduced in a separate pack called The Sims 4: My First Pet Stuff.

There was anticipation that the release of horses in their own pack, The Sims 4: Horse Ranch, would provide more extensive and unique content compared to them being included in a general pets pack like in The Sims 3. However, players discovered the opposite when the pack was launched. The Sims 4: Horse Ranch had even fewer gameplay options than The Sims 3: Pets and some of the content seemed repetitive, resembling elements from other expansions in The Sims 4, such as Cottage Living.

Horse Ranch Missed Out On Potential Content For Sims Gameplay

The lack of depth in gameplay regarding horses is the most glaring issue in The Sims 4: Horse Ranch. Children have minimal gameplay involvement, with limited inclusion even in Create-a-Sim. The potential for parents teaching their children to ride horses or engaging in after-school horse riding lessons and activities has been completely overlooked. Additionally, basic elements such as rocking horses or a carousel for children are missing. Horse competitions in The Sims 4 operate as a rabbit hole, allowing entry only once a day without any player input on outcomes.

In contrast to The Sims 3, wild horses and unicorns are absent in The Sims 4. The possibility of encountering and taming them in various locations has been eliminated. Although horses occupy one of the family member slots, they cannot be controlled. While this choice may reflect realism, it proves frustrating for gameplay as horses lack the same range of options as Sims while still limiting the number of Sims on a lot. Breeding horses, a gameplay feature in Horse Ranch, results in foals that are identical clones of one parent, with their coat pattern inherited from the other parent. This lack of genetic variation diminishes the breeding feature's depth and makes it predictable.

The Ongoing Problem of Sims Expansion Packs with No Depth

The irony lies in the fact that the expansion pack centered around horses provides less gameplay for horses compared to The Sims 3: Pets, a game where horses were just one of the three main pet options. Although the world of Chestnut Ridge is visually stunning and expansive, it follows the disappointing trend seen in The Sims 4 of lacking depth and engaging gameplay. Rather than immersive living worlds, these environments feel more like elaborate set pieces with very limited activities available.

In 2024, The Sims 4 will reach its 10-year anniversary, and yet it continues to release content that closely resembles previous offerings. The decision to split content across various packs has not been well-received by players, as evident in the criticism surrounding Cottage Living and its striking similarities to Horse Ranch. To justify its standalone status as an expansion, Horse Ranch should have provided more substantial content for the Child life state, offered a wider range of gameplay opportunities, and delivered a more vibrant and populated world. Regrettably, these shortcomings make it difficult to justify the $40 price tag for this expansion.

The Sims 4 is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.