UPDATE 6/16/22: The invisible werewolf bug mentioned in this review has been fixed in the official release of The Sims 4 Werewolves.
The new teased in a Sims 4 Roap at the beginning of May. The highly anticipated new life state is mostly pulled off well in a detailed DLC that focuses on lore and storytelling, with only a few issues that hurt immersion and narrative creation.
The Sims 4 Werewolves introduces a host of new features to help players customize their werewolf stories, from an entirely new Create A Sim section to pack choices and special activities. Moonwood Mill, the Game Pack's new world, lives up to its lore promises, and has interesting characters and places to explore. The new werewolf abilities system is robust, offering over 20 different perks Sims can choose from as they level up as a lycanthrope, and players can also enjoy a new aspiration for The Sims 4. However, a few missing features and an essentially Pack-breaking bug - although developers have promised to have it fixed upon official release - hold The Sims 4 Werewolves back from greatness.
The new clothing offered in The Sims 4 Werewolves Create A Sim is one of the strongest offerings from a DLC in recent memory, offering many new adult clothing items that all have a unique and cohesive aesthetic and for the most part can be used in other contexts outside of werewolves. The only exception is the clothing that is pre-ripped, which is cleverly included to aid with Sims 4 in-game storytelling. Where Create A Sim in The Sims 4 Werewolves truly shines is its extensive creator tools used for deg Sims' werewolf forms. Players can edit features like nose, ears, and hair tufts, and choose whether to link their Sim's werewolf and human forms based upon how drastic they wish the transformation to be. Custom color select similar to The Sims 3's Create A Style has finally come to The Sims 4 for fur colors alongside a host of other tools for deg werewolf coats like stencils, stamps, and prepared styles.
The new Build and Buy Mode items in Werewolves are impressive, with a large focus on furniture made from repurposed items and antiques, many of which come with large amounts of unique swatches. Some highlights include several new plant items, an adorable toddler bed and baby bassinet, an antique telescope, and a bar built into the side of a bus. A hefty amount of Sims 4 Werewolves lore is revealed through many item descriptions, particularly about the Lunvik family and the mysterious Greg - short for Greggorius.
Of course, the bulk of the Sims 4 Werewolves lore will be discovered by the players outside of a catalog as they explore the Pacific Northwest-inspired Moonwood Mill. The public lots are Moonwood Mill Library, which doubles as a gym, and Grimtooth Bar and Bunker, a werewolf hangout spot with a special underground space. Residentially speaking, Moonwood Mill contains the Lunvik household, home to the Moonwood Collective pack alpha and two companions, and a simple starter home, alongside a vacant lot ready for building. Moonwood Mill feels much more alive than its supernatural world competitors from The Sims 4: Realm of Magic and Vampires through the many activities it offers and secrets it holds - players can fish in the moon-shaped lake, explore an underground tunnel system, and do their best to befriend Greg by tresing onto his property.
Werewolves in The Sims 4 are perhaps the most detailed they've ever been in the game, both in of gameplay options and history. The backstory of werewolves ties in with that of vampires and spell casters, including a long-standing feud with vampires that persists to the present day - hilariously, because of this werewolves and vampires will immediately hate each other upon first sight. The two werewolf packs - The Moonwood Collective and The Wild Things - are complex social systems that require initiation tasks and the adherence to different tenets, and regardless of pack all lycanthropes can enjoy fun interactions like sparring and playing tug-of-war and find their Fated Mate. All werewolves in The Sims 4 are beholden to fury, a meter which will continuously rise at various speeds based on different factors like temperaments, occult quirks lycanthropes gain over time. Once the meter is full, Sims will enter a rampage where they will transform into angry werewolves and be nearly impossible to control.
There are various ways Sims can both cure and become affected by lycanthropy in The Sims 4 Werewolves, and once turned have many different routes in which they can proceed when it comes to their powers. There are two types of werewolf abilities in the game: those that are unlocked with ability points, and "dormant abilities" which are unlocked through special parameters involving things like reading or self-control during rampages. There are 25 regular abilities and 6 dormant ones, and only some abilities have prerequisites at lower levels, meaning for the most part players can pick and choose their werewolf powers instead of having to follow certain tracks to get to what they want.
Despite its many strengths, The Sims 4 Werewolves is not without its faults. In of CAS, despite robust adult clothing there is hardly any for children and toddlers, and there's no new facial hair for adults which feels like a missed lycanthropic opportunity. The game also does not come with any new Sim traits, and the amount werewolves howl while being edited is grating to the point that the game's volume may need to be turned off until creation is done. Although the werewolf gameplay is fairly strong, features like creating custom packs to run with and new werewolf-themed Woohoos and deaths are sorely missed. The most egregious is an error which can cause werewolves to be invisible, and while there is a workaround solution players can do by deleting a folder within The Sims 4 documents it shouldn't be necessary.
Although developers have noted fixing the issue, given the fiasco that surrounded the release of the incredibly broken My Wedding Stories Game Pack and the time it took to be patched, fans should undoubtedly be wary of the bug's status upon the official release of The Sims 4 Werewolves. However, the contents of the Game Pack is incredibly solid, and if the issue is resolved it will stand as one of the strongest Game Packs yet. The Sims 4 Werewolves showcases what is perhaps the most outstanding occult The Sims 4 has seen 7 years into its lifespan, and offers players a huge amount of cute clothing, useful items, and ways to tell their own werewolf stories.
The Sims 4 Werewolves is available today, June 16, 2022, on PC (via Steam and Origin), PlayStation 4, and Xbox. Screen Rant was provided with a digital code for the purpose of this review.
