Games reviews: The Sims 4 — Eco Lifestyle - Metro Newspaper UK

THESE days we're all game for going green — it's part of our civic duty. But if you still need convincing to turn that telly off standby or recycle those coffee grounds into an exfoliating scrub (seriously), the latest expansion for everybody's favourite life simulation video game may just tip the environmental scales.

The Sims 4: Eco Lifestyle charts a shift in the axis of the Sims-verse. Things have got out of hand. There are rubbish bags in the streets and the air isn't fit to breathe. For The Sims to survive they're going to have to clean up their act. Enter Eco's central sell: a brand-new environmental system that lets players alter the world around them via far-reaching (and sometimes far-fetched) lifestyle choices.

This new eco footprint mode determines pollution levels and affects every neighbourhood of Evergreen Harbor. Take a trek into an industrial neighbourhood — Port Promise, for example — and your Sim will splutter and choke on the dirty air. Travelling to a green area such as Grim's Quarry, meanwhile, will result in easier breathing and a showcase of nature's visual treats, like shimmering auroras.

These diverse neighbourhoods, each with a unique design, are a joy to behold and ratchet up the desire to clean up the Sims-verse — and to do that you'll need to reduce your eco footprint.

We're not only talking pimping out your abode with solar panels, dew collectors and wind turbines. There's far more depth here than ostentatious, superficial statements of intent to get the neighbours jabbering. Leave the telly on or don't fix that leaky loo and not only will you run up a bill, you'll also contribute to the pollution of Evergreen Harbor. Add a recycled wood floor and you're saving on the pennies, true, but you're also saving the planet.

This is a tiny taste of what the new expansion achieves. It's a thorough overhaul, pivoting to a broader Sims narrative — namely a shift towards conscientious living.

The new cosmetics are a bit of downer. Emo fans will rejoice at the addition of lobe stretcher plugs but too much of what's on offer here leans into outdated views of 'veganism' and hippy-style outfits — even if the new furniture saves the day with some throwbacks to Sims 1.

As a collection of ways to save the planet, then, Eco Lifestyle has a feast of options. But where it shines is with its adherence to a genuine ecosystem of green credentials and human goodwill. Pretty much every decision you make has a direct impact on the environment of Evergreen Harbor. Act on your instincts and the consequences play out — and the result is a brilliant advert for being on the good side of ethical eco living.

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