The Sims 4: Snowy Escape (Overview and Review)
One interesting aspect of The Sims is that EA is constantly creating new packs for us to purchase and enjoy. The Sims 4: Snowy Escape is an expansion pack for the game that brings in interesting concepts like winter sports and lifestyles to your game as well as an absolutely beautiful Japanese inspired world that players seem to love. This pack is absolutely perfect for any player who wants to spend time with their sims out of the home, and have sims go on vacation in the snow.
The Sims 4: Snowy Escape Trailer
The trailer for Snowy Escape was released on October 28, 2020 and had players very excited. There were a few parts that felt a little bit misleading, like the simstagram items in the trailer because none of this was included in the game. The trailer shows sims playing in the snow, enjoying hot pot meals and so much more to really get players excited.
The Sims 4: Snowy Escape Description
Every time we get a new pack for The Sims 4 it comes with a description that is often split into three or four sections. The sections for Snowy Escape included Chase Your Thrills, Find Your Zen, Create Your Sanctuary and Define Your Lifestyle.
Chase Your Thrills – Test your Sim’s skill and endurance with activities on the mountainside! Grab skis for a downhill ride, strap on a snowboard to shred, or bundle up on a sled with another Sim. Prefer going up? Build their rock climbing skill and challenge your Sim to reach the mountain peak during daring, sometimes dangerous, excursions.
Find Your Zen – Let your Sim’s worries float away in the natural hot springs, then unwind over hot pot around the kotatsu table or socialize while hiking through bamboo forests and snowy terrain. Bask in the serenity of mindful walks and soothing music to take control of your emotions and discover your inner zen.
Create Your Sanctuary – Whether you prefer the traditional details or modern touches of Japanese-inspired furniture and decor, you can incorporate shoji doors, windows and screens, tatami mats, and more to design a home that complements your life. Take your shoes off at the genkan entryway in the soft glow of paper lanterns overhead, or build your own rock garden outside!
Define Your Lifestyle – Unlock new personality and relationship effects with the introduction of Lifestyles and Sentiments. Lifestyles manifest in response to your Sim’s actions and habits, changing their behaviors appropriately. Similarly, shared experiences inspire Sentiments and have a lasting impact on Sims’ relationships to each other, affecting their social interactions.
The World of Mt. Komorebi
With Snowy Escape we got a whole new world of Mt Komorebi which is a gorgeous Japanese inspired world with a beautiful snowy mountain at the top of the world. This world features both regular residential lots and rental lots for your sims to rent to vacation in. In this world you’ll find 3 new neighborhoods that have interesting descriptions:
- Wakaba: Like its namesake, Wakaba is young, new and bright as the leaves of a tree in early springtime. This small town is up-and-coming in the region, home to beautiful, sleek new homes and an attractive town center featuring Mt Komorebi’s official mascot: Yamachan. Tourists of all ages can enjoy the Festival of Youth or simply take in the neighbourhoods natural beauty.
- Senbamachi: Senbamachi, the town of a thousand leaves, is the oldest in the region. Many locals enjoy the town’s connection to nature, especially with the bamboo forests surrounding the town and unique spritely creatures thatt make a home in their leaves. It’s said that if you walk the local trails long enough, you’re bound to meet the guardians of the trees who reward those who love and respect their dwelling.
- Yukimatsu: The true beauty of the countryside can be seen from Yukimatsu, named for its snow covered pines. Located on the slopes of Mt Komorebi, this area offers gorgeous vacation rentals, a variety of snow sports, untamed wilderness and a peaceful Onsen Bathhouse getaway. Whether it’s relaxation in a hot spring, seeing the sights of the Snow Festival, or an exhilarating climb to Mt Komorebi’s highest peak, this year-round snowy wonderland has something for everyone.
In this world you are going to meet a few new families that have connections to each other and some actually lore between them unlike in other worlds. The first family you’ll find is the Akiyama Family that has a father named Kado who used to live here, moved away and came back. This sim used to be in love with Megumi and coming back to Mt Komorebi has brought back some of those feelings, even though Kado is married to Jenna now.
In addition to the drama of Kado, Jenna and Megumi, there is a life long family feud between the Ito family and the Nishidake family due to development of the land. One character you’ll meet in this world is Yamachan who is a mascot who will appear at many of the festivals your sims can attend.
Lifestyles
One of the biggest selling points of The Sims 4: Snowy Escape is the addition of lifestyles to the game. These are things your sims are able to unlock based on their behaviours and will impact them in the future. For example, a sim who may spend a lot of their time going on dates may adopt the Hungry for Love lifestyle where they will get more benefits in romantic relationships, get romantic sentiments more easily and enjoys romantic media more than other sims. There are 16 lifestyles for your sims to get:
- Adrenaline Seeker
- Close Knit
- Coffee Fanatic
- Energetic
- Frequent Traveler
- Health Food Nut
- Hungry for Love
- Indoorsy
- Junk Food Fiend
- Outdoorsy
- People Person
- Sedentary
- Single and Lovin’ It
- Techie
- Technophobe
- Workaholic
These are a dynamic feature in the game, unlike traits, because your sims are able to unlock these as time goes on but they can also lose lifestyles if they stop doing these behaviors. For example, a sim who has the Single and Lovin’ It lifestyle and gets into a happy relationship will eventually lose that lifestyle.
Activities in Mt Komorebi
A big selling feature of having your sims live in the Snowy Escape world is the outdoor activities your sims are able to participate in. On the mountain your sim is able to go snowboarding or skiing as well as going on a mountain climbing excursion. In the regular parts of the world your sims are even able to go on scenic hikes that are fun and can even be attended in groups.
Snowboarding
Before you can start snowboarding on the mountain, you’ll need to go ahead and purchase a snowboard. To do this you’ll want to go to one of the bits and bobbles vending machines and purchase one htere or go ahead and purchase one from your computer at home. Once you get your snowboard you don’t want to immediately jump on the big slopes, you’ll want to start on the bunny slopes to keep your sim safe until they gain more of the skill.
Eventually as you gain more of the snowboarding skill you’ll get the opportunity to start attempting the riskier slopes, doing tricks and can even coach snowboarding with other sims to have them mentor others to earn more skill. You can even turn your sim into a famous snowboarder by having them record snow boarding footage and selling that for royalties.
Skiing
Skiing pretty much works the same way as skiing in the game, you’ll buy your skiis on the same bits and bobbles vending machines in Mt Komorebi or purchase them on your sim’s computer. You’ll want to start your sims on the bunny slopes to keep them safe from injury and can eventually go on the scarier slopes and do tricks as you earn more of the skill.
Once you max out the skiing skill your sims are going to be able to coach others and also teach a skiing class to other sims to earn between §500 and §1000 simoleons per class which is fun and you can teach them Monday to Friday between 8 am to 5 pm.
Mountain Climbing
Before you can start rock climbing, you need to make sure that you have proper gear. You can purchase this stuff on your sim’s computer at home to make sure you have the good stuff, but this gear doesn’t last forever and will deteriorate. You’ll want to find one of the many rock climbing walls in Mt Komorebi and start climbing safely to gain the skill before you attempt an actual excursion.
One interesting thing is that the rock climbing skill was actually in the game before with The Sims 4: Fitness Stuff. You can actually train your sims at home before going to climb the real mountain using the Fitness Stuff rock climbing wall.
Once you have a decent rock climbing skill you can plan a rock climbing excursion to try and make it to the top of the mountain, just be prepared. Bring snacks, a tent, and good climbing gear and people who are also strong climbers to make it happen. This is done by just planning a social event and finding mountain climbing excursion just like you would plan a birthday party.
Hiking
One adorable thing you can do in Snowy Escape is go hiking around the world. During this your sims will interact with different parts of the world like random monuments, bugs, and more and can stop and really take in the world. You can go hiking in groups and your sims will actually walk and chat and it is so cute!
To start hiking you’ll need to find an information board around the world and you’ll find options like hike to … or hike around or hike with and these will all give you a great hike for your sims to enjoy.
Death Types
With Snowy Escape we got two new death types added to the game which always add a bit of fun for some players and terror for others. The first death type is being crushed by a vending machine, this happens if your sim has something in a vending machine get stuck and they decide they need to climb up on top of it and it crushes them, much like being crushed by a murphy bed.
The second death type is when your sims fall from rock climbing, this isn’t an easy death to pass from as your sims will need to usually fall more than once or fall from a very high rock wall but it can happen and its good to be aware of.
Woohoo Locations
Another thing players care about in the game are new woohoo locations where your sims can have some alone time. The first new woohoo location in Snowy Escape is the hot spring that is in the Onsen Bathhouse, the animations for this are a lot like the animations for a hot tub woohoo.
Our second new woohoo location is more difficult to access because it is an ice cave that is almost at the top of the mountain excursion. This one has very silly animations and is sure to make you laugh.
Onsen and Proper Behaviour
In The Sims 4: Snowy Escape we got a new community lot, an Onsen Bathhouse that has a gorgeous hot spring for your sims to sit in. This is actually a woohoo location for your sims to enjoy, but this behaviour is definitely frowned upon by other sims. You also want to make sure to have your sims shower before entering the hot spring because that’s also extremely frowned upon to enter the hot spring dirty. This lot is a necessity in Mt Komorebi and can’t be removed, since it is needed to do a mountain excursion, so you’ll need to keep this in your game.
Festivals
A fun part of The Sims 4: Snowy Escape is the 3 new festivals that happen for your sims to attend. Our first festival is the Festival of Youth for your little sims to enjoy. This festival happens in the Wakaba neighbourhood of Mt Komorebi and will occur between 10 am and 6 pm. At this festival you’ll get to participate in the following:
- Voidcritter Hunt
- Blessing and Yamachan
- Ice Cream Crepes
- Paper Kabuto
Our next festival is the Festival of Light that takes place in the Senbamachi neighbourhood of Mt Komorebi and will occur between 6pm and 1 am. At this festival you’ll be able to do the following:
- Exclusive Taiyaki
- Make a Tanabata Wish
- Traditional Outfits
- Pay Your Respects
Our final festival is the Festival of Snow that happens in the Yukimatsu neighbourhood between 3 pm and 12 am. At this festival you’ll be able to do a few things:
- Snow Time
- Check Out Those Sculptures
- Get The Festival Snow Outfit
- Warm Up With Ikayaki
Aspirations
With this new pack there are two new aspirations that both focus entirely on the world. The first one is Extreme Sports Enthusiast which focuses on rock climbing, skiing and snowboarding, the second one is Mt Komorebi Sightseer which will have your sim going and engaging with the world by going to festivals, using vending machines and more.
Extreme Sports Enthusiast
With the Extreme Sports Enthusiast aspiration your sims will be spending a lot of time on the mountain being adrenaline seekers. Choosing this aspiration in create a sim will give your sim the high metabolism bonus trait thatt will have your sims staying slim and having a harder time gaining weight.
Snow Student
- Go Down the Bunny Slope
- Use a Vending Machine or Computer to Purchase a Remedy or Deterrent
- Use a Mt Komorebi Info Board
Thrill Seeker
- Achieve Level 3 Rock Climbing Skill
- Complete a Hiking Trail
- Actively Ski, Snowboard, or Rock Climb for 3 Hours
- Encounter a Kodama or Forest Spirit
Trailblazer
- Perform High Intensity Skiing or Snowboarding on an Intermediate or Expert Slope
- Successfully Reach the Peak of Mt Komorebi
- Endure an Injury Sustained from Skiing, Snowboarding, or Rock Climbing
Peak Pioneer
- Survive 3 Wildlife Attacks Unscathed
- Achieve Level 8 Skiing, Snowboarding, or Rock Climbing Skill
- Successfully Complete High Intensity Skiing or Snowboarding on an Expert Slope or Rock Climbing During Inclement Weather
When your sim manages to finish this aspiration they are going to be given the survival instinct reward trait that has a description of “these sims will always escape wildlife attacks unscathed, manage to avoid injury from skiing, snowboarding, and rock climbing more often than other sims, and have a natural resistance to inclement weather.”
Mt Komorebi Sightseer
With the Mt Komorebi Sightseer aspiration your sims are going to be interacting with the world around them. There are 3 stages of this aspiration for your sims to participate in that go from Explorer to Backpacker to Globetrotter. If you have a sim choose this aspiration in create a sim they are going to get the home turf bonus trait.
Explorer
- Eat Food at the Festival of Light, Snow, or Youth
- Take a Selfie with the Mt Komorebi Mascot
- Collect a Simmi by Popping Open a Simmi Capsule
- Swim for 1 Hour in Wakaba’s River
Backpacker
- Soak for a Long Time in a Hot Spring
- Wear a Festival Costume from a Vending Machine
- Go Sledding 3 Times
- Eat Food Using Chopsticks
Globetrotter
- Socialize at Onsen Bathhouse
- Make a Wish on or Collect a Forest Spirit
- Take it Slow and Become Emotionally Mindful
Completing this aspiration will get your sims the wordly knowledge reward trait. This trait says “These sims are better at socializing during social events and enjoy ordering food from market stalls. They also can negotiate a discount at market stalls, which gives them an advantage over other bargaining techniques.”
Vending Machines and Collections
With Snowy Escape we got new vending machines to enjoy that have items for winter sports as well as a new collectible, Simmi Capsules. These capsules are like the super popular blind bags you can purchase where you won’t know what you get until you open it. There are numerous capsules to open and can be regular or gold.
Just make sure you are being careful when using a vending machine because this was a new death type added to the game. If your sim has a vending machine get stuck there’s a chance of that vending machine crushing your sim to death, uh oh.
The Sims 4: Snowy Escape Cheats
Many players are constantly looking for new ways to cheat in the game and these snowy escape cheat codes are the best because they’ll allow you to cheat traits, skills and so much more.
Trait Cheats
The first cheats you need to know will allow you to add traits to your sims without having to have them take up a trait slot in CAS or earn them yourselves.
| Trait | Cheat Code |
| Adventerous | traits.equip_trait trait_adventerous |
| Proper | traits.equip_trait trait_proper |
| Charismatic Crooner | traits.equip_trait trait_corporateworker_charismaticcrooner |
| Legendary Stamina | traits.equip_trait trait_corporateworker_legendarystamina |
| Survival Instinct | traits.equip_trait trait_survivalinstinct |
| Wordly Knowledge | traits.equip_trait trait_wordlyknowledge |
Career Cheats
There is one new career in the game which is the salary person career where your sim will have long hours. You can use the below cheats to either get a promotion or get demoted in that career.
| Effect | Cheat Code |
| Promotes Your Sim in their Career | careers.promote CorporateWorker |
| Demotes Your Sim in their Career | careers.demote CorporateWorker |
Skill Cheats
There are 3 new skills in Snowy Escape for Rock Climbing, Skiing, and Snowboarding and you have the chance to cheat these skills. You want to change the x at the end of the cheat to any number between 1 and 10 for whatever level you want to have in that skill.
| Skill | Cheat Code |
| Rock Climbing | stats.set_skill_level major_rockclimbing x |
| Skiing | stats.set_skill_level major_skiing x |
| Snowboarding | stats.set_skill_level major_snowboarding x |
Lifestyle Cheats
There are 16 lifestyles in this pack that your sims can unlock and they add new gameplay to your sims. You can use the traits below to add a lifestyle to your sim, or change the word equip to the word remove to get rid of a lifestyle.
| Effect | Cheat Code |
| Adds the Adrenaline Seeker Lifestyle | traits.equip_trait trait_lifestyles_adrenalineseeker |
| Adds the Close Knit Lifestyle | traits.equip_trait trait_lifestyles_closeknit |
| Adds the Coffee Fanatic Lifestyle | traits.equip_trait trait_lifestyles_coffeefanatic |
| Adds the Energetic Lifestyle | traits.equip_trait trait_lifestyles_energetic |
| Adds the Frequent Traveller Lifestyle | traits.equip_trait trait_lifestyles_frequenttraveler |
| Adds the Health Food Nut Lifestyle | traits.equip_trait trait_lifestyles_healthfoodnut |
| Adds the Hungry for Love Lifestyle | traits.equip_trait trait_lifestyles_hungryforlove |
| Adds the Indoorsy Lifestyle | traits.equip_trait trait_lifestyles_indoorsy |
| Adds the Junk Food Fiend Lifestyle | traits.equip_trait trait_lifestyles_JunkFoodDevourer |
| Adds the Outdoorsy Lifestyle | traits.equip_trait trait_lifestyles_outdoorsy |
| Adds the People Person Lifestyle | traits.equip_trait trait_lifestyles_networker |
| Adds the Sedentary Lifestyle | traits.equip_trait trait_lifestyles_sedentary |
| Adds the Single and Lovin’ It Lifestyle | traits.equip_trait trait_lifestyles_noneedforromance |
| Adds the Techie Lifestyle | traits.equip_trait trait_lifestyles_techie |
| Adds the Technophobe Lifestyle | traits.equip_trait trait_lifestyles_technophobe |
| Adds the Workaholic Lifestyle | traits.equip_trait trait_lifestyles_workaholic |
Is The Sims 4: Snowy Escape Worth It?
The biggest question that simmers have when it comes to different packs for the game is whether or not the packs are actually worth purchasing. With each pack, there are obvious pros and cons to purchase. For Snowy Escape, the biggest draw for many players is the world. Mt Komorebi is absolutely beautiful and features a lot of Japanese culture that players have been asking for.
You’ll find gorgeous buildings built by Game Changers, so they’re actually well built and beautiful. You’ll be able to participate in snow and winter activities and have a fun time with your sims. However, there is a consensus that the game play in snowy escape is kinda shallow. You can’t go ahead and snowboard or ski every single day in the game, and rock climbing was a hidden skill introduced with Fitness Stuff, so it felt like recycled content.
If you really want a Japanese world and some winter sports in your game, this is the pack for you. However, it mostly likely won’t impact your day to day gameplay a whole bunch like packs like Seasons or Get Together might.
