GET STARTED

Game essentials: The Sims Mobile

We take a closer look at the App Store’s must-play games.

TSM

Play with life.

View

Imagine a reality TV show where you’re in control. It’s that mix of human drama and player ownership that is some of what makes The Sims Mobile utterly engrossing.

It’s a natural evolution of the virtual pet genre. You create your own human characters, in whose daily lives you become deeply involved.

As with reality TV, it’s compelling to watch – thanks partly to the wonderfully expressive characters – but it’s even more absorbing to play. You can be a benevolent voyeur, an unseen friend or even a mischievous villain, creating various dramas and disasters for your poor Sim to deal with.

The real genius of The Sims Mobile is that you can take as active or as passive a role in your Sim’s life as your own life permits – and on iPhone and iPad it’s easier to fit it in than ever before.

If you’ve only got a few moments to spare, you can set an objective – like a quick work shift – for your Sim to complete, and let them get on with it. Or you can control them directly, guiding them through a wide variety of activities.

If your Sim gets a job they can earn the big bucks. Or at least moderately-sized bucks.

Take a job as a barista, for example, and you can clean the cappuccino machine, make fancy tea, talk to customers, chisel gum off tables and more. You’ll be rewarded for each task you complete.

The same goes for your Sim’s leisure time. Social events give you a huge number of options to play with. Whether you’re hoping to find a BFF or a long-term partner, you can take things slowly or be flirtatious from the off. And it’s a joy to discover that there are no limits on who you can romance.

Socialising in different ways also opens up myriad new things to see and do.

You can live vicariously through your Sims however you wish, essentially. Save up enough money and you can splash out on a swish new sofa set, or build an extension that’ll give you extra room to play around in. Make enough friends and you’ll end up as the neighbourhood’s social butterfly, working hard and partying even harder.

If you can’t decide between such a huge array of opportunities, daily tasks give you a more structured experience – not only setting you specific goals, but rewarding you handsomely for ticking them all off the list.

The character customisation is super deep, but easy to tinker with.

And you still have control over how you complete them: changing your appearance can be a matter of putting on a new dress, or you can opt for a much more drastic makeover. Either way, The Sims Mobile gives you something to aim at when you’re not quite sure what to do next.

It gets even better when more players and Sims join in. Inviting friends transforms it into an irresistibly communal experience – with just a hint of competition for good measure. And if you fancy a change of routine, you can bring another character to life, giving them different jobs and hobbies to shake things up – or to give your existing Sim a new friend, housemate or rival to interact with.

It’s this flexibility that makes The Sims Mobile a game which creates delightful anecdotes: a world where great stories naturally emerge.

The only disappointment, in fact, is that real life is rarely this consistently funny, heartwarming and rewarding.

More game essentials