Not content with just dethroning Maxis as the king of urban city builders, Paradox is also going afterThe Simsmarket with its upcoming life simulatorLife By You. While the studio has not shown much of the game yet, the brief trailers seem to show a game that has everythingThe Sims 3fans could want. It’s an open-world life sim with all the classic life sim mechanics, and if it is good, thenLife By Youhas the chance to really take the genre by storm. However, something about its art style seems to be off.
The brief trailers ofLife By Youseem a little rough around the edges, and it just lacks a certain charm.Maxis’Simsfranchiseis successful not just because of its gameplay loop but also because of the cartoonish world that the studio has created. When players boot up aSimsgame, they know what kind of aesthetic to expect, butLife by Youdoes not seem to have a similar distinct aesthetic. It looks generic, and that may hurt it in the long run.
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Life By You is Missing The Sims Charm
The Simsfranchise oozes with charismaand charm. The characters are cartoonish, the world is filled with outlandish scenarios, the environments are colorful, and the interactions often result in wild shenanigans. The entire franchise is built around this aesthetic, which is one of the things that unifies games likeThe Sims,The Sims Medieval,MySims, andSimCity. Players know what kind of world they are going to be exploring, and they know what kind of situations they will encounter. The language of Simlish has become iconic, and the colorful worlds that Maxis has created have enthralled audiences for years.
The briefLife By Youtrailersdo not really seem to replicate this charm, and it makes it look a little unpolished. The characters do not seem to be particularly stylized, the world seems to look dull, and the gameplay looks pretty slow. There also does not seem to be any unique elements like a made up language that give the world more character, and the UI looks generic. While a lot of this could change before release, the current trailers present a game that seems to really lack any sort of distinct personality.
It looks likeLife By Youis going for a more realistic approach, and its art style seems to take morecues fromCities Skylines. This approach will likely help differentiate it from its main competition, but that also means that the game may lack something.The Sims' charm has helped carry the series ever since the firstSimCityhit store shelves, and lacking a specific charm makesLife By Youlook bland in comparison. It may be able to hit all the right notes and deliver a quality life simulator in terms of gameplay, but the lack of charm could make or break it.
Life By Youlooks promising, and may finallygiveThe Simsa run for its money. Paradox seems to be focusing more on giving players control to create whatever they want while also delivering whatThe Sims 4lacked. It may be exactly what life simulator fans have wanted for years, but its gameplay loop may not be enough to pull players away fromThe Simsworld. If the studio does not inject more color and character intoLife By You, then it may just get lost in the crowd. Only time will tell, but the brief reveal trailer has not started it off on strong footing.
Life by Youis in development for PC and enters Early Access on September 12.
