Geek Review – The Sims 4 Star Wars: Journey to Batuu Game Pack

The Sims 4 has already been around for 6 years, and one can only rebuild a house, start a new career, or get a new pet so many times. Which is why EA has been diligent in adding new worlds and features to keep the game alive, though at times expanding into the slightly ludicrous, turning Sims into vampires, teaching them how to cast spells, or throwing them into a town that turns its inhabitants into mindless zombies. 

But nothing can be more exhilarating than sending a Sim into a galaxy far, far away to gamble with Biths in a bar, fly an X-wing, or even tell Kylo Ren a gross joke right?

The Sims 4 Star Wars: Journey to Batuu game pack adds the planet of Batuu to the Sims 4 universe, which consists of three areas, namely the Black Spire Outpost where the scoundrels gather; the First Order District where the First Order operates from; and the Resistance Encampment in the middle of a lush forest. Players would want to start from the Black Spire Outpost because that is where the bar is and while it is disappointing that the Cantina band has been replaced by a stoic DJ droid called R-3X, at least the music is good.

Arriving at the Black Spire Outpost, a Sim can walk over to the Dwelling to change out of their hoodie and jeans, and jump into their Batuu outfit to blend in with the locals. That is also the only place in the whole planet where they can empty their bladder. Apparently the First Order officers have a secret washroom that is not available to the public, and the Resistance members… well, there are lots of trees and shrubs in the forest. This is one inconvenience that can really irk players because their Sim could be in the midst of a critical hacking mission at the First Order District, but have to abandon midway and travel to the Black Spire Outpost because nature called!

Except for a stall selling blue and green milk at the First Order District, the Black Spire Outpost is also the only place where a Sim could buy take-away food. For strange reasons, the Docking Bay 7 does not provide dine-in and the Sim would have to take their food to the Cantina bar to eat among the scoundrels. Don’t worry, they are a friendly bunch.

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Once their Sim’s six basic needs are met, players could start them on their Star Wars adventure by changing their aspiration to join the First Order, the Resistance or the scoundrels. A Sim can then receive their first mission from Lt. Agnon, any random Resistance member, or Hondo Ohnaka respectively. Since simoleons cannot be used on Batuu for obvious reasons, completing missions is the only way a Sim could earn galactic credits to buy food and stuff. 

Except for a few crucial ones though, most of the missions are short, and they can quickly become repetitive. If a Sim works for the First Order, their missions would usually be installing surveillance systems on control panels, patrolling on the TIE fighter, or intimidating Batuu citizens. Sims can also receive missions from the Supreme Leader Kylo Ren himself, but be warned that failing Kylo Ren’s mission can be a chokingly painful experience.

Completing missions would also reward Sims with reputation points for promotion among the ranks, and bonus items like kyber crystals needed for constructing a lightsaber. Yes, on Batuu, even a scoundrel can own a lightsaber if they have the right parts. Though it’s a bummer that everyone on Batuu prefers a good fist fight and the only time a Sim could swing their lightsaber is to take part in a Lightsaber Challenge. 

When on or off a mission, a Sim can also find love with someone on Batuu, and no, romance is not limited to humans, except for Kylo Ren and Rey, that is. They can hug the Supreme Leader but they can’t make him love them. As for Rey, well, she is only interested in playing with her lightsaber. But whatever happens in Batuu stays in Batuu, and a Sim can’t bring their alien lover home. They can’t even call them for a long-distance relationship chat. 

As a Star Wars game pack, one would expect to find more legendary characters than just Kylo Ren and Rey. It would also be more interesting if there were more NPCs on the ground for the Sims to interact with. There is a robust alien population in the Black Spire Outpost, but there are only a handful of Resistance members in the Resistance Encampment, and the First Order District has more stormtroopers and officers than normal citizens.

At least the taking off of the TIE fighter and X-wing are nice to look at. The Black Spire Outpost is a beautiful and intricate Star Wars city too, with the majesty Millennium Falcon sitting in its dock. In contrast, the First Order’s little command center in the First Order District is not imposing enough, and the Resistance Encampment is just a huge forest with trees and tents. 

Players will find this a rather short game pack, with just seven hours needed for a Sim to reach the highest rank and achieve their aspiration. But they could also make their Sim a Finn and abandon the First Order to join the Resistance, then turn to the grey side later and join Hondo Ohnaka’s scoundrels. 

Overall, the Journey to Batuu game pack is a bit underwhelming and runs a little too short. The saving grace is that players get to keep their droids and other collectibles in the main game. Batuu furniture is added to the Build mode, and all the clothing unlocked in Batuu are added to the wardrobe. Your Sim can now attend his/her friend’s birthday party dressed as a TIE fighter pilot.