The Sims 4finally announced the theme of its newest stuff pack and it seems pretty spooky—for aSimsgame, anyway.The Sims 4: Paranormal Stufftrailer showcases some new gameplay details along with Create-a-Sim items and colorful new Build/Buy mode items, seemingly curated from last year’s proposed “Happy Haunts” pack. The community voted forNifty Knittinginstead, but players responded well to the possibility of a supernatural or paranormal pack.
While it’s trueThe Sims 4already has aSpooky Stuffpack, the upcomingParanormalpack takes a different approach.Spooky Stuffhas a distinctly Halloween feel to it and seems to channel cutesy Halloween decorations and costume parties.Paranormal, on the other hand, feels more advanced, featuring things like seance tables and a paranormal investigator career. However, though these packs were similarly themed,Paranormaltook the opportunitySpooky Stuffdidn’t—to include Bonehilda.
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Who is Bonehilda?
Bonehilda is a skeleton maidwho first appeared inThe Simsgamesin the expansion packMakin’ Magic. Players could purchase Bonehilda’s closet (making them literally have skeletons in their closet), and when she was summoned, she would help clean the house or repair broken items. What she wouldn’t do, however, was garden or serve food.
This skeleton maid wasnoticeably absent fromThe Sims 2, but returned inThe Sims 3: Supernaturalexpansion pack. Much like her earlier version fromThe Sims, Bonehilda will function like a maid around a Sims’ home by cooking, cleaning, and repairing items for them. However, it seems her interactions with babies and toddlers don’t work. So, though players technically don’t need to call a babysitter when Bonehilda is on the lot, she cannot feed the children so it’s probably best to hire some help.
Beyond normal maid duties, Bonehilda will perform other tasks too,like dog training or putting out fireson the home lot. She’s also got quite an interesting personality, shown in her propensity to steal skinny dipping Sims’ clothes and the way she’ll drink every single drink left on a bar. She can’t actually digest them, of course, so she just leaves a puddle on the ground after each drink. Additionally, just like in the original Sims game, Bonehilda will not garden inThe Sims 3.
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Gameplay Included with Paranormal Stuff
The focus of the upcoming stuff pack is decidedly ghostly. While it would have been interesting to see more occult aspectssimilar toThe Sims 3: Supernatural, this stuff pack seems to have some interesting components. A new lot trait will help players create Haunted Houses with the help of some troublesome ghosts—though they look and will probably function differently than the ghosts already found inThe Sims 4.
The seance table will open a gateway to new gameplay and probablyhelp Sims hone their “Medium” skill. Sims will also be able to remove cursed objects from their homes, speak to the dead, and even get gifts from beyond the grave. The new clothing and furniture items showcased in the trailer will also open up a variety of build opportunities for players who prefer creative gameplay as opposed to playing in live mode.
Though Bonehilda was only a blip in theParanormalstuff pack trailer, the description of the pack confirms thatshe will once again return toThe Simsuniverse. It seems like Sims will be able to summon her from the seance table, but there’s not much information beyond that. While it’s exciting that players get to welcome Bonehilda back into their games, there is one question that lingers—why not feature Bonehilda in the trailer?
Bonehilda has proven herself to be a fan favorite NPC, so it could have been an excellent marketing strategy to show thelong-awaited return of the skeletal maid toThe Sims 4. Regardless of her absence in the trailer, players won’t have to wait much longer to reacquaint themselves with Bonehilda’s iconic style and presence.
The Sims 4: Paranormalwill be available January 26 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
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