The Sims 4 Lovestruck Expansion Review: Falling in Love With This Pack (PC)

I have to admit, when I first saw the trailer for The Sims 4 Lovestruck, the 16th Expansion Pack in this era of The Sims series, I was unsure. A whole Expansion based around romance? I kind of felt that it was too similar to My Wedding Stories, another romance-themed pack released for The Sims 4. Lovestruck might have been something I’d have been thinking of passing over, except I wanted to do a review of it, so when it came out on July 25th, I got it. The crazy thing was, as soon as I started playing it, I instantly fell in love with the Expansion. As I played more of Lovestruck to see exactly what it had to offer, I realised I had totally underappreciated it, and my opinion of it quickly turned around. Find out why I now adore this Expansion Pack and why I think you should look into getting it in this review of The Sims 4 Lovestruck.

The Sims 4 Lovestruck Expansion Pack is now available on PC via Steam and EA App, Mac via Origin, PlayStation 4 | 5, Xbox One | Xbox Series X/S, and Epic Games Store for $39.99. Additionally, if you get Lovestruck before September 5th 2024, you receive 3 limited-time bonus items: tearstained eyeliner, a plushie, and double bed.

Story – Love Is in the Air in Ciudad Enamorada

This is The Sims 4, so there is no set story, per se. It’s down to players to make up their own stories. However, if you don’t want to make and play your own Sims, there are a selection of pre-made households that comes with the brand-new world, Ciudad Enamorada (Spanish for “City in Love”). The title of this new world is very appropriate for the theme of Lovestruck, and has been designed with the new gameplay in mind. The roster of worlds in The Sims 4 has been growing for the last 10 years with the release of numerous packs, and Ciudad Enamorada is up there as one of the better ones. It’s very attractive, vibrant, and lively. It works as both a tourist world and residential world, with a mix of residential and commercial lots, plus a rental vacation lot. There are two apartment blocks as well.

The only downfall with Ciudad Enamorada – and this isn’t the only world in The Sims 4 to have this problem – is the lack of Lots. There’s only a handful of commercial lots (a nightclub, lounge, and gym), a few pre-built residential lots, and two more-or-less empty lots. It just feels lacking, compared to other worlds like Willow Creek, Oasis Springs, and San Sequoia. I don’t know why this is an ongoing problem with worlds in The Sims 4, but when you look at the world, you wonder why they couldn’t have added in a few extra lots.

I love Ciudad Enamorada, but it could do with more Lots.

Gameplay – Romance in Full Bloom

The theme of Lovestruck, as the title suggests, is romance. You might think this odd, as My Wedding Stories has a similar theme going, but that is specifically for weddings. Lovestruck is all about romance. Don’t think that an Expansion Pack that is all about romance is pointless, because it isn’t. After playing with Lovestruck, it made me realize that the concept of romance was actually lacking in The Sims 4, and Lovestruck seriously rewrites the process and makes it far more meaningful, as well as realistic.

Finding Love

The Sims 4 Lovestruck adds something that I’ve been waiting ages for: a dating app! This gives your Sims new options when it comes to finding romance and dates. The app in question is called Cupid’s Corner and works just like real-life online dating. Your Sim has their own profile, which has their picture, preferred pronouns, their romantic interests, and some information about themselves (i.e. their traits). You can then in turn browse other Sims’ profiles and see if anyone catches your eye. However, there are a few limits to this. You can only view up to 7 profiles, and are only able to refresh your choices every 12 in-game hours, so the options aren’t too extensive. All-in-all though, the Cupid’s Corner app is pretty good, and it does present a new option for finding potential love other than getting out there and meeting new Sims in person.

Cupid’s Corner, aka the new dating app, gives Sims more options with finding love or dates.

Dating

Dating is something that has been given a big makeover with Lovestruck. Before, your Sims just selected a location and then they were given a series of tasks to do, and they were always the same. This system wasn’t necessarily bad, but it did feel as if it was lacking something. Fortunately, Lovestruck has turned dating into something far more meaningful, as well as handing more control to you as the player.

If you’ve played My Wedding Stories, you’ll be familiar with planning wedding events, deciding what activities you’re going to do. This feature has been carried over into Lovestruck where dating is concerned. The original dates from the base game are still around, but the new custom-made dates allow for more control and options, and in my opinion is a much better option. When it comes to organizing dates, there are a lot of choices. It’s not all about romantic interactions either. You can choose how to set the scene for your date. Do you want your Sims to have friendly interactions, or be funny together? What activities are they going to do during their date? Are they going to eat or drink? Do some dancing or painting? There are additionally activities depending on which other packs you have installed as well. Plus, there’s an option to invite a guest with you on your date, if you’d rather not go alone. 

Like wedding events from My Wedding Stories, you now have more control over how you want dates to go.

There are also different types of dates. There are get-to-know-you dates, for Sims meeting up for the first time, or if they’re unfamiliar with each other. There’s also a special date for romantic repairs, if two Sims haven’t been getting along recently and want to attempt to reconcile. As with most other social events in The Sims 4, you can choose whether dates are goaled events or not.

When the date starts, there’s a noticeable difference between the custom date and the base game date. There are still tasks to complete, but instead of the usual ones you get, they are according to the activities you pick when setting up the date. These tasks aren’t just for interacting with each other, but individually as well. What I like about the dating overhaul with Lovestruck is that it doesn’t feel as fake or rushed. Dates are now more engaging, personalized to your Sims, and feel a lot more realistic. They’re also more fun.

Romance Skill

I was quite surprised to learn that The Sims 4 Lovestruck actually came with a Romance skill. Thinking about it though, some people are better at being romantic, especially if they’ve had prior experience. The Romance skill is a lot like the Charisma skill, which Sims get better from practice. I found Romance to be much easier and quicker to learn though. Not only do Sims gain Romance skill from performing romantic socials, but also from doing research on the computer. The Romance skill unlocks new interactions and benefits. It’s also needed for progressing in the new Romance Consultant career.

Romance Consultant Career

I knew there was a new romance-themed career coming with Lovestruck. However, I wasn’t expecting it to be a full-time active career. I thought it was more of a freelance gig or part-time career. It being bigger than I expected was one of the pleasant surprises that Lovestruck threw at me. I really enjoyed playing through the Romance Consultant career, working my way up. The tasks are usually easy to complete and varied. 

Become an expert in romance with the Romance Consultant career.

Bugs?

Bugs are notorious in The Sims 4. The update that was released just before Lovestruck came out was loaded with a ton of bug fixes not just for the base game, but lots of DLC. The big question is: did I encounter any bugs with Lovestruck? My answer: no! I honestly thought I’d come across at least one bug, maybe a few, but I didn’t. Yet. However, I can happily say that so far, in my experience, Lovestruck has not provided me with a buggy experience. It’s certainly not been a repeat of My Wedding Stories (and those bugs were eventually fixed, in fairness).

Graphics & Audio – An Attractive New World & Other Stuff

This isn’t a brand-new game, but a new entry in the ever-growing game of The Sims 4. However, there is some new stuff to look out for, which we’ll talk about now.

Create-A-Sim

One of the things I look forward to most when getting a new pack for The Sims 4 is new clothes and other CAS stuff for my Sims. I’m glad to say that Lovestruck did not disappoint. I love all the new stuff that came with this pack. I actually liked the stuff better than I hoped. The only thing to note is that there is no new stuff for children or younger. However, that is to be expected, since these Sims are too young for the theme and content of Lovestruck, so I wasn’t that surprised.

This is just a handful of the many additions to CAS with Lovestruck.

New Objects

The new objects that came with Lovestruck didn’t let the pack down either. There’s a lot of cool romance-themed items (naturally), but notable things include new beds, décor, party games, a costume trunk, and wall and floor patterns.

World

I’ve discussed Ciudad Enamorada earlier in this review for Lovestruck, but I’ll mention it again because it’s such a beautiful colorful world. I’d probably say it’s going into my top 10 list of best worlds in The Sims 4. Everything about it is visually stunning. I especially love the parks. It’s a world I’ll be visiting a lot from now on in the game.

Music

Audio-wise, new music added into the game via Lovestruck. I believe I once caught the new opening theme song courtesy of Lovestruck, which I remember being soothing to listen to. New songs have also been added to the Romance radio station, which was previously added into the game when My Wedding Stories arrived. More songs have been added to other radio stations, including R&B and Pop, giving you and Sims more to listen to.

The Sims 4 Lovestruck Expansion Pack was reviewed on PC.