“EA Tried to Make The Sims 4 Into Crusader Kings… But Got an E12+ Royal Tea Party Instead”
I’ve played The Sims 4: Royal Heritage long enough to form a solid opinion about its gameplay. The concept is intriguing, but the execution is lackluster—and, in my view, this stems from the game’s E12+ age rating.
Let me start with the harmless quirks:
The monarch answers letters while seated on the throne, not at a desk—which, subjectively, looks absurd.
Before this expansion, I never used a butler, and I was stunned to find that he doesn’t deliver mail.
There are no meaningful life goals tied to fencing or royal authority.
To emulate King Arthur—i.e., pull the sword from the stone—a Sim must already be an aristocrat with high public approval. This makes no sense: according to legend, Arthur didn’t even know he was the king’s son until he pulled the sword.
If an aristocrat’s spouse isn’t also in the royal profession, they receive only the title—not any duties or responsibilities. This is a serious missed opportunity.
More serious complaints:
I missed the possibility of dying from poison or blades—classic royal drama!
Alliances and rivalries between dynasties feel completely useless.
Overall, it feels as though Electronic Arts wanted to blend The Sims 4 with Paradox Interactive’s grand strategy games—but due to the aforementioned age rating, the result is merely a more polished, higher-quality version of the “Royal Life” user pack, with a few extra mechanics tacked on.