The Sims 4 Cottage Living expansion pack was released on July 22nd – yes, I’m late with this review. But, that also means that I’ve now had 2 weeks of playing with the new pack.
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Henford-on-Bagley – The New Town
British Dreams
The new town, Henford-on-Bagley is amazing. Though as an Anglophile, I may be a bit biased. The town is beautiful, and I think it’s a great size. A few more empty lots or starter homes in the Bramblewood neighborhood would be nice, but what we have is great.
The new Finchwick Fairs occur every Saturday, and are great for meeting the townies and NPCs. If you like running errands for the townies to earn extra cash (another new feature with the pack), the fairs are an easy place to find everyone to complete your tasks or get new ones.
New Recipes
The new recipes have me so excited. If you don’t have a high cooking skill, head to the pub in town and order traditional dishes like bangers and mash or beef wellington. There are so many new recipes for meals, and that doesn’t include the new canning recipes. I’ve also been given single meals and group meals as rewards for errands, as well as from Finchwick Favors.
Plus, now your sims can cook together! I can’t wait to do this with children and teens in game. When I first saw this feature being talked about, my first thought was, “omg my 100 baby challenge family can use this so much!.”
The Return of Mrs. Crumplebottom
Sims 4 Cottage Living also sees the return of beloved Mrs. Crumplebottom! She has been a staple in all of the games, and one of the first things I did was go flirt in front of her just so I could experience being smacked with her handbag. Which, if it’s as heavy as my Mom’s purse is… ouch. It actually would be funny if there was a 5% chance of her knocking the sim out when she hits them…. modders, please make that!
Along with Agnes, we also have her cousin, Agatha. Agatha is a new character, but she’s been a welcome addition to my game. If you don’t know the story of Mrs. Crumplebottom, check out Plumbella’s ‘Entire History of’ series on YouTube.
Cottage Living Gameplay
Create A Sim (CAS)
There are so many new items in create a sim! Check out my YouTube video, and see an overview of all of the items (plus, a really awkward moment).
Animals
We also get new animals with the Sims 4 Cottage Living pack! We now have bunnies, flocks of birds, and wild foxes – all that you can interact with! The bunnies are my favorite so far. Especially when you dress them up!
But, you can also get cows, llamas, and chickens for your new farm lifestyle! And, when you give the animals different treats, you can make variations of items. If I give a cow something chocolate, I’ll get chocolate milk next time I milk him. There are a ton of treat options, and so many variations you can create with them. I still haven’t found them all! And yes, these 3 can all be dressed up in clothing from the Creature Keeper, or, knit it yourself!
Skills
Canning is a skill that I’ve only just begun to dive into, but it has been so much fun so far. I was much more excited and interested in the cross-stitching skill, and love the variety of patterns you can make. If you like the knitting skill, then you’ll probably love cross-stitching. You can also sell your designs on plopsy to earn extra simoleons.
Everything Else
In addition to the elements that Cottage Living brings to the Sims 4 gameplay, there are a lot of smaller things that have been added or updated.
Calendar & The Notebook
The Seasons expansion pack brought the calendar system to the game, but now it is available in the base game. When I first heard about this, I thought of the 20th anniversary hot tub debate. Why is something from a pack now being made free to all players? Maybe adding the calendar to the base game during the Seasons update would have been better.
Despite this, I do like the facelift that the calendar system has been given, and I’m glad it is not exclusive to Cottage Living events. Having the festivals from Snowy Escape and City Living finally added to the calendar make the game seem more alive – most Saturdays have two or three events happening. Holidays, birthdays, and work/school schedules are still visible as well.
The notebook is a feature that I had always forgotten about. It wasn’t easily accessible, you had to go through multiple menus to get to it. Now, it’s right next to the calendar and I use it constantly. If you like to play with fishing and gardening especially, the notebook is a great way to reference types of bait needed or how to graft different plants.
Lot Challenges
The new lot challenges feature was one of the things I was most excited for with the new Sims 4 Cottage Living expansion pack. This has also resulted in a reconfiguration of lot traits, but I have not read or heard anyone have anything negative to say about it.
If you like gardening, you may try to grow fruits and vegetables that you can then use when cooking your meals. With the Simple Living lot challenge, if you don’t have the ingredients for a dish, you can’t make it. I’m so happy about this change- I have a feeling most of my future games will have this challenge regardless of the story. Previously, you could use your own harvestables in your cooking, but I always found it too complicated to see if they were actually being taken from my inventory.
This change has also given us some grocery shopping! Now, you have to buy your own flour, sugar, and other ingredients that you do not have. We even have an Instacart-like system! In addition to purchasing items, you can also sell your extra eggs, milk, and harvestables at the grocery stand for a 10% markup. It’s any rags to riches player’s dream!
Pond Tool
I know a pond tool is one that so many people wanted in the game. I do love that we have this Sims 2 staple back, but I have not had a chance to experiment with it yet. I’m just to focused on the gameplay! This is another thing that the majority of the Sims community seem to love, and I can’t wait to play around with it.
I think it’s safe to say that I love this pack. It’s everything I thought it would be, and more. 2021 has been a great year for The Sims and I hope that this energy continues into 2022. Based on the livestream yesterday (8/3/21), it seems like it might be!
If you’ve been playing with the Sims 4 Cottage Living expansion pack, share your thoughts! Do you like it? What do you dislike, or wish was different? Let me know in the comments below!
Have you read my review of the Dream Home Decorator game pack? Check out my thoughts here.
I really want Cottage Living! I might wait until it’s on sale…tho that might be awhile or maybe get it in a bundle. Love the bunnies.
I’m still playing it nonstop! There will probably be a sale around labor day – at least that’s my best guess. If you get it, I hope you love it as much as I do! Thanks for reading!!!
I haven’t bought this expansion pack yet, but I really want it because I love the world, all the animals & the CAS items are so cute!
I’m obsessed with it! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
oh my gosh, the llama is adorable! i haven’t played the sims in a while but it used to be my favorite game ever! maybe i need to repurchase it? these expansion packs seem really fun!
I love it! Every time I’ve taken a break from playing, when I launch the game again I get sucked back in and wonder why I ever gave it up! If you don’t have anything for the Sims4, I would wait until there’s a sale to buy the base game and a couple of packs. If you start playing, let me know! Thanks for reading!