There are tons of items that can be purchased through Buy Mode in The Sims 4 to allow players to create the perfect lives for their virtual Sims. But even though Buy Mode had a wide selection of objects, particularly in The Sims 4, that doesn’t mean there still isn’t room for improvement in future installments of the game.
The Sims games have three modes – Buy Mode, Build Mode, and Live Mode. While Build Mode allows players to build a home from the ground-up, and add things like doors, windows and other architectural touches, Buy Mode allows players to purchase objects to decorate their spaces with. Purchase anything from kitchen counter-tops or toilets to yoga mats and musical instruments. Live Mode, as it sounds, then allows Sims to live and enjoy their specially decorated home.
Buy Mode may the most exciting of the three modes simply because of all the options it has for decorating and customizing a space. But there are various ways in which this mode can be improved, which will hopefully be taken into consideration during the development of the next installment, The Sims 5.
What The Sims 5’s Buy Mode Needs To Include
Having more variety of items in The Sims 5 would be a nice start. That’s not to say that there isn’t already wide selection in the newest variation of The Sims, but this can always be improved. Incorporating more random and unique items, like a bagel slicer or a Roomba-inspired vacuum, would add to the overall quirkiness of the game. With a new game often comes new items, so players can reasonably expect the variety to be enhanced in The Sims 5. However, they should add to what has already been developed for The Sims 4, not just start The Sims 5 from scratch.
It would also be refreshing to see The Sims sort Buy Mode by functions rather than rooms. This was a feature in The Sims, The Sims 2, and The Sims 3, and function categories included appliances, comfort, decorations, and such. But during the fourth game, the layout switched to sorting items by room, such as bedroom, living room, and dining room, which can be confusing since players may want to use items in a certain room but struggle to find it because of its classification. The Sims 3 automatically sorted items by room but had an option to switch it back to function, so it would be best if The Sims 5 gave players the same opportunity for choice, too.
Finally, perhaps the biggest gripe players have with The Sims is how many items can only be unlocked in Buy Mode through DLC, like expansion packs and game packs. It’s clearly an easy way for EA to capitalize financially on the success of the franchise, but paying upwards of $20 just to unlock specific content can be frustrating. The Sims 5 would be more positively received if it offered a greater selection of items from the get-go, rather than requiring players to purchase the additional content later on. There are plenty of ways in which Buy Mode can be improved for The Sims 5, so hopefully the game lives up to player expectations.