Abracadabra is witchcraft and magic – review of “The Sims 4: Land of Magic”

A land of magic , already thirty addition to The Sims 4 , offers two new surroundings – new neighborhood Glimmerbrook and the title of Magic Land, the ability to cast spells and brew potions, and a set of furniture in a fancy style. It’s not hard to feel the inspiration of Harry Potter aesthetics in everything, but you can forget about sending your sim kids to the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Hokus Pokus!

The Wizarding Theme is not new to The Sims franchise . It has already appeared in the form of an add-on to the first part – Abracadabra . Later, it was rather smuggled in when introducing other content: in The Sims 2  with the Settlement Life expansion , and in The Sims 3 , along with ghosts, werewolves and other magical creatures, in addition to Out of This World .

It is a pleasant surprise, then, that in the Land of Magic,  attempts were made to approach the subject of witchcraft anew. Casting curses and spells is no longer training a single skill to unlock more spells as you progress. Just like in Become a Star , we get a whole tree of magical abilities that we can develop in different ways, making the wizard unequal to the wizard. We get access to three different schools of magic: Practical, Malicious and Unbridled. In total, it is as many as 24 new spells, allowing, among others, to electrocute others, conjure up a meal, or charm another Sim. Of course, all magical interactions remain invisible to non-magical Sims.

Chociaż trenowanie magii w dużej mierze opiera się na maniakalnym rzucaniu zaklęć (np. wyczarowaniu tony pieczonych indyków, aby je następnie spalić), musimy pilnować, aby zachować magiczną równowagę. Została ona przedstawiona w formie kuli w menu potrzeb Sima, która zapełnia się w miarę rzucania kolejnych czarów, informując nas o poziomie naładowania magiczną energią. Jeżeli przesadzimy, możemy albo eksplodować magicznym ładunkiem, albo stać się ofiarą klątwy, która na pewien czas skutecznie uprzykrzy nam życie.

Magical duels are also an essential part of being a wizard. In this way, we can bother other Sims, acquire magical artifacts or ingredients. Although they seem dynamic and exciting at first, in the long run they are just a loop of the same animations that we have no influence on. It lacks, for example, in The Sims: Medieval times the  ability to control Sims during a duel and give them special commands that could predominate the fate of the skirmish.

Decoctions, decoctions and magic monsters

We can also brew magic potions. By experimenting with the cauldron, we will discover even 15 recipes, thanks to which, for example, we will meet all the needs of a Sim or stop aging. Stocks also need special ingredients. They are both plants and crystals. We can find them all in the world or buy them through a computer.

In addition, our Sim-wizard will be able to summon a familiar – a raven, a baby dragon or a fairy. They will follow us and give us magical advice, and sometimes they will lend us their power. Besides, they are of little use. If we have the Dogs and Cats extension , our pet can also become a magical familiar. Unfortunately, he also doesn’t have many additional abilities – he will mostly appear out of nowhere, using teleportation or track magic ingredients for us.

A magical setting

Although at first glance, the Land of Magic  may be aesthetically associated with Harry Potter, the new furniture set is reminiscent of an Art Nouveau style, which suits both a magical and non-magical household. However, there are some interesting shelves stuffed with magical ingredients (or Sim’s eccentric collections) that will nicely complement the surroundings.

A new hidden location is also interesting, i.e. the titular Land of Magic – these are several floating islands, giving the impression of being torn out of the world by some powerful, supernatural force. The more it is a pity that the creators did not try to expand the plot background, and the interesting nooks are only atmospheric decorations.

In addition to the main building with chambers allowing for magical exercises, we also find a magical garden with unusual plants, a duel square and an alley with magic shops (aka-not-at-Diagon Alley).

We can move between them in a new way of transport – on a broomstick. Unfortunately, here, apart from the possibility to choose from several different models, the whole attraction is to launch into the air in one place and land at the target point. Of course, this also works in normal neighborhoods.

Magic potential

Needless to say, for those who  prefer realism in The Sims , this expansion will be completely redundant. Especially since magic Sims appear fairly quickly in normal surroundings, where they begin to duel and set aside other magic numbers.

The clear holes in the content are not very pleasant. The realm of magic  almost asks for some fictional background, and a special location at least for the possibility of expansion (e.g. allowing you to adapt a ruined greenhouse in a magical garden, standing without sense). The duels could also be varied in a very simple way. 

The land of magic  is a really interesting addition. Even though this is another pack that introduces the elementsalready known to The Sims series, it was undertaken in a slightly different way. Mastering the art of magic takes some time, although it is not particularly difficult. What’s more, thanks to the skill tree, we can experiment with magical abilities by creating unique configurations. Similar fun is provided by potions – collecting ingredients and experimenting with them in search of new formulas is a lot of fun. And if we get bored, we can always prepare a cauldron of chilli or macaroni and cheese.

We would like to thank Electronic Arts for providing a copy of the review add-on.