The Sims 4’s Lovestruck expansion adds swinging neighbors and complex courtships

The Sims 4’s new expansion pack Lovestruck has piqued my interest, and I’ve started a new run in the life simulator game. I thought that the added polyamory options would appear later into a run, after I had settled in and found a sweetheart of my own, but to my surprise the dynamic of the game had immediately changed. If you have other expansion packs installed, like the supernatural or fame-related updates, the events and interactions from these packs can make dating even more complex. My new sim, Elise, moved into a crappy apartment in the big city and immediately became embroiled in non-stop drama.

I started with the usual tasks: decorating Elise’s new apartment as well as getting her a job as a barista and having her make a few friends. Immediately, the next-door neighbors, a married couple, dropped by. Elise had a great time speaking with them, but I became alarmed when the mood immediately became flirty. This man and his pregnant wife weren’t just welcoming Elise to the building; they wanted her to know they had seen her moving in and really liked her vibes.

Luckily, other neighbors came by, and Elise ended up chatting with a lovely young man named Raj. The mood turned a little flirtatious, and I quickly forgot about Elise’s salacious, married admirers.

Just when I thought things were coming up Milhouse, Raj’s mother called Elise and asked if she could crash at Elise’s place in case of an emergency. Sure, Elise said, always eager to be a helpful host. To my horror, she arrived with Raj. The guy Elise had flirted with at a housewarming party was now her roommate, along with his mom. The two of them lived in the same building, just a floor away! What could have possibly befallen them that made Elise’s one-bedroom apartment an ideal place to crash?

In retrospect, I can only assume this was an extreme courting measure. Perhaps Raj is an adherent to the DENNIS system, or maybe he decided the best way to sell himself as a romantic partner was to be in Elise’s personal space as often as possible. Perhaps it would have worked better if Raj wasn’t such a slob, whereas Elise is hardwired to be neat. Before long, Elise’s pristine but eclectic apartment was a total pigsty.

The household dynamic was rough. Elise slept on the couch, while Raj and his mom shared the only bedroom. Raj’s mom was also fascinated with Elise’s DJ equipment, turning the stereo and booth on at all hours. Elise missed her first day of work as a barista because she was so sleepy. She woke up late, enraged, and then began to fistfight Raj’s mom in the living room.

Lovestruck has introduced lots of romantic options, even when my character was trapped in a Cinderella-esque situation where she cleaned after an ungrateful mother-son duo. After missing work, Elise’s friend invited her to the Romance Festival downtown. Nice! Elise ended up painting a lovely portrait, eating some expensive food, singing karaoke, and meeting a handsome young DJ called Jacques Le Chien.

Just when Elise was getting into a groove and flirting with Jacques, another Sim turned into a feral werewolf and charged the dancefloor. Another romantic moment, foiled by circumstances outside my control! Frustrated, Elise arrived home, immediately fist-fought Raj’s mom again, and then booted them both out.

I thought that was the end of it, until a couple of days later. Elise started cooking a little meal, only for Raj to show up at her door and ask if he could get in on that dinner. I reluctantly let him in, and to my surprise, Elise was still amenable to his romantic advances. I like to use the ant farm approach to playing The Sims 4; I make the broad decisions, but I let the Sim act as they will in the moment. Personally, I wouldn’t want to cuddle on the couch and kiss a guy who had, together with his mother, moved in and conquered my apartment, but I guess Elise is more forgiving.

Image: Maxis/Electronic Arts via Polygon

After a romantic evening with Elise’s new sweetheart, I started to feel like things were looking up. But then Raj called Elise the next evening and confessed that he had a crush on another Sim, and asked for advice on their next date. Another cruel barrier between Elise and happiness!

Both Lovestruck and the base game update that accompanied it make romance and dating feel more nuanced. Sims have turn-ons and turn-offs, as well as jealousy triggers and personal boundaries. Jacques Le Chien was super happy to flirt at a music festival, but in broad daylight, in front of his friends, he turned Elise down. Before, romance could be a little awkward — you’d find a target, establish some basic chemistry, and then flirt, flirt, flirt, flirt, confess attraction, first kiss, embrace, flirt, flirt, flirt your way into a partnership. Now, everything’s much trickier.

So far, I’m really enjoying the nuance this gives to the early game of a new The Sims 4 run. I intend to keep pursuing Elise’s professional success and personal happiness — I just hope I can find Elise a more compatible partner than the slobbish, mama’s boy, unmotivated Raj, since his terrible mother continues to hover outside Elise’s apartment and shout abuse at her every time they interact.