When The Sims 4 launched in 2014, it was met with a lot of controversy. The Sims 4 shipped while missing features that had been staples in The Sims franchise up until that point, including pools, toddlers, ghosts, and basements. Other controversial features included moving from The Sims 3's open-world to closed neighborhoods that require a load screen when moving between neighborhoods, and the simplification of The Sims 4's art style.
The Sims 4's art style was heavily criticized when it launched, but this may have inadvertently become a strength with the emergence of new competitors, including InZOI. The Sims 4's art style makes it unique, distinctive, and recognizable, which are all desirable qualities in a genre with emerging competitors.
InZOI Should Widen Its Lead on One Feature The Sims 4 Lacks
InZOI's driving system already sets it apart from The Sims 4, and doubling down on vehicles could steer the life-sim competition in its favor.
The Sims 4's Art Style's Controversy
The Sims 4's art style can be described as cartoony, with simple, clean lines and minimal details. This art style is reflected across all assets, including body models, hair, lighting, landscapes, and textures. While this may come across as low-res and low-quality, especially regarding some of the clothing options in Create-a-Sim and some Build mode items, overall it gives the impression of a clean and colorful world.
The Sims 4's art style is very stylized and far more simple than it was in previous The Sims games. Some players criticized the move towards a more cartoonish art style, arguing that it was a step back for The Sims series. Players noted that the graphics and art style were a step backward from The Sims 3's detailed graphics and open-world. Another criticism was that the art style was both too simple, and looked more like a children's game or a mobile phone game. However, this simplified art style has aged very well and has helped set The Sims 4 apart from InZOI, which adopted a hyperrealistic art style.
The Pros and Cons of The Sims 4's Art Style
There are different benefits and drawbacks to both The Sims 4's stylized approach, and InZOI's hyperrealistic art style. One of the biggest benefits of a simplistic art style for The Sims 4 is that it allows players to access it on a broad spectrum of hardware, from high-end ones to office laptops. This has also contributed to The Sims 4's incredible longevity, as it can play on such a vast array of hardware that its life cycle is extended. Hyperrealistic graphics are harder on systems, and InZOI can currently only be played on high-end computers.
The Sims 4 is Recognizable
There's another advantage to The Sims 4's cartoonish art style, and that is how it makes The Sims 4 easily recognizable. Despite being simple, the art style is unique to The Sims 4 and is instantly recognizable by many who don't even play The Sims 4. It also makes The Sims 4 stand apart from InZOI, rather than becoming confused with its competitor. It took ten years, but The Sims 4 may have survived long enough to turn something that many considered a weakness into a strength.
Drawbacks to The Sims 4's Art Style in 2025
The Sims 4's art style has been criticized for looking too clean, with the models coming across as plastic-like, particularly when it comes to Sim skin tones and hair. With graphics and tech always updating, this criticism may be more relevant than ever, as The Sims 4 is in danger of looking dated without a major graphical update. The plus side is that InZOI is an option for players who prefer hyperrealistic art for immersion. While it's great that InZOI gives the world a view of what The Sims 4 could have looked like if it had used a hyperrealistic art style from the beginning (though it would likely look quite dated today), players now get the choice of which type of life sim they prefer, rather than having two games that try to do the same thing visually.
The Sims 4
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 70 /100 Critics Rec: 26%
- Released
- September 2, 2014
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Crude Humor, Sexual Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Maxis
- Publisher(s)
- Electronic Arts
- Engine
- Proprietary Engine
- Cross-Platform Play
- Xbox, PlayStation, and computer versions of Sims 4 are all separate games incompatible with each other
- Cross Save
- no
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Simulation
