What is the Sims 4: Realm of Magic?
The Sims 4: Realm of Magic is a game pack for the Sims 4 Base Game. A popular life simulation game, The Sims franchise allows players to play the life of people known as the “Sims.” A Sims game pack is a half size expansion pack. It brings new content to the game, but not as much as a full expansion would. In this newest game pack, a secret portal takes your Sim to a new magic world. Once there, your Sim can begin a journey of becoming a spellcaster. They’ll learn spells, potions, and might even magically fight other Sims. Sims can also gain familiars that include dragons and fairies. There’s also a whole new selection of thematically appropriate outfits and objects.
What is The Sims 4: Realm of Magic Rated?
The Sims 4: Realm of Magic is rated T by ERSB for Crude Humor, Sexual Themes, and Violence. You can see the GeekDad break down of the reasons for this rating in this article about the base game. Teen Sims can “mess around,” adult Sims can “woohoo” or “try for baby,” but none of these acts are shown explicitly and occur behind other objects. When Sims are unclothed (such as in a shower) they are blurred. Some clothing items are more revealing than others. Sims can die in a variety of ways other than old age and can get into very cartoonish “fights” with other Sims. These types of actions carry over into this newest game pack as well. For this game pack should be noted that certain spellcasting options include an ability to romantically influence Sims, an idea the Harry Potter fandom has often discussed as being problematic when considering matters of consent. The rating is just about right, although pre-teen players who simply want to become a spellcaster and not romance other Sims can probably avoid a lot of the more T-rated aspects of the game.
Can I Watch the Trailer for The Sims 4: Realm of Magic?
Yes, you can watch it below:
There is a serious Harry Potter feel for the trailer with a side of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (especially that red outfit the featured Sim (Morgyn Ember) wears and the use of the song “Blood in the Cut,” which was featured in the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina trailers).
Gameplay and Verdict
The first thing I like to do with a new Sims game pack is check out any new Neighborhoods and families and select a new family to test the game out with. This expansion adds the picturesque neighborhood of Glimmerbrook along with two new households, two additional lots, and a new community lot. The households include the Charm Family with matriarch Minerva and her two kids: teenager Gemma and son Darryl. Also included is Emilia Ernest, who is engaged to Darryl. They are all spellcasters of one level or another.
The Amicable Accolyte Household includes roommates Grace and Tomax (both featured in the trailer).
The main character in the trailer as previously mentioned is Morgyn Ember. He’s not set up as immediately playable as he’s the Sage of Untamed Magic and will loose Sage status if you play him as a character. He’s also the first EA created transgender male Sim in the franchise. I went with the Charm Household and then played around checking out some of the new clothing options before I got playing.
It should be no surprise that my first step was checking out the new magical area. There’s a gate in Glimmerbrook that can take you there, but I also noticed my spellcasters had stones in their inventory that can transport them as well.
The new magic world is stunningly gorgeous. You first come across Headquarters where you can befriend the Sages to be taught magic, practice potion making in cauldrons, or browse the bookshelves for tomes with spells (or familiars).
There’s a shopping zone that should give you serious Diagon Alley vibes. The vendors are more like the food cart vendors. You can’t go in the stores, but you can haggle for lower prices. Three different booths sell artifacts, tomes and familiars, or potion making items.
There’s also a stunning garden area good for finding plant components, frogs, or fishing. Finally, there’s an official dueling area. You can duel for knowledge, fun, anger, potion making supplies, or artifacts. If you loose, nothing is taken from your inventory.
Playing with spells and dueling is super fun. Some of the spells are useful like the one that summons cooked food or instantly cleans yourself. The one that lets you copy small items also lets you have an endless supply of spell components or potions as long as you keep one to copy at all times. I also accidentally discovered Sim insurance fraud after a house fire. While your Sim gets a partial furniture replacement refund from whatever insurance companies Sims have, the spell that lets you repair things can restore that furniture back to new, thus letting you keep the money. Some of the potions will also be useful, like the one that instantly takes care of your needs if you’ve been staying up too late learning spells.
You can also cook mac and cheese in the cauldron.
Brooms are a fun aspect, but the ride is as quick as teleportation. Familiars are mostly for show, but kind of fun, especially as you can collect different ones. Gemma ended up with one that looks like an evil bunny with butterfly wings. Minerva won a bat from another Sim in a duel.
You can find out what a Sim knows through their spellbook. It turns up under needs which also shows how powered up they are. As you practice spells and drink/make potions you can knowledge and can level up and learn more new things.
You also get points to spend on magic abilities. It reminds me a lot of the fame points from the Get Famous expansion.
The hardest part may be trying to hold and maintain a normal job while wanting to be a spellcaster. Having a job like gardening or fishing that lets you gain components but gives you time flexibility might be the easiest to maintain. Unless you are sitting on a lot of magic tomes in your household, it might be tricky to care for toddlers and pursue spellcaster training simultaneously too.
The Sims 3: Supernatural was one of my favorite expansions. Realm of Magic is a game pack, not a full expansion, so it doesn’t have the ability to be a fairy or werewolf that Supernatural did. That being said, I felt so pulled into the magic world, that I’m likely to play with the Charm family for quite a bit before rotating through my other families. Gaining spells is a bit more interactive, and I like the addition of magic abilities. Overall, I really loved this game pack and it’s easily one of my favorite add-ons of the Sims 4 collection. I think if you’re a fan of things like Harry Potter, you’ll particularly love this game pack and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a bunch of households being shared that include characters from Harry Potter, Charmed, The Magicians, or The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina very soon.
What Formats is The Sims 4: Realm of Magic Available In?
Currently, The Sims 4: Realm of Magic is available for PC/Mac, but will be available for Xbox One and Playstation 4 on October 15th.
What System Specifications Will I Need to Play?
*The Sims 4: Realm of Magic is a game pack, so players must have The Sims 4 Base Game to play.
The following system advice is recommended by Origin, The Electronic Arts online store.
PC Minimum Specs
- OS: 64 Bit Required. Windows 7 (SP1), Windows 8, Windows 8.1, or Windows 10
- CPU: 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, AMD Athlon 64 Dual-Core 4000+ or equivalent (For computers using built-in graphics chipsets, the game requires 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.0 GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-62 or equivalent)
- RAM: At least 4 GB RAM
- Hard Drive: At least 3 GB of free space (15 GB if installing with The Sims™ 4) with at least 1 GB additional space for custom content and saved games
- Video: 128 MB of Video RAM and support for Pixel Shader 3.0. Supported Video Cards: NVIDIA GeForce 6600 or better, ATI Radeon X1300 or better, Intel GMA X4500 or better.
- DirectX: DirectX 9.0c compatible
- Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c Compatible
- Input: Keyboard and Mouse
- Online Requirements: Internet connection required for product activation
PC Recommended Specs
- OS: 64 Bit Windows 7, 8, 8.1, or 10
- Processor: Intel core i5 or faster, AMD Athlon X4
- Video Card: NVIDIA GTX 650 or better
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Hard Drive: 18 GB of Hard Drive space
MAC Minimum Specs
- OS: Mac OS® X 10.7.5 (Lion)
- CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz Processor or better
- RAM: At least 4 GB RAM
- Hard Drive: At least 3 GB of free space (15 GB if installing with The Sims™ 4) with at least 1 GB additional space for custom content and saved games
- Video: NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT, ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro or better. Video RAM of 256MB or better.
- Input: Keyboard and Mouse
- Online Requirements: Internet connection required for product activation
MAC Recommended Specs:
- OS: Mac OS® X 10.9 or later
- Processor: Intel Core i5 or better
- Video Card: NVIDIA GTX 650 or better
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Hard Drive: 18 GB of Hard Drive space
Where can I buy The Sims 4: Realm of Magic?
The game can be purchased for $19.99 through the Origin store.
Are you a Sims player? Is this a game pack you’ve played or are interested in? Let us know in the comments.
Great story and I really loved it and animation also superb.
More children’s like harry potter series, thank you for your wonderful article.