Tiny homes are the new trendy style of house, especially for millennials who can’t afford suburban McMansions, or any kind of house. Pinterest is flooded with pins and boards dedicated to tiny house living. HGTV has aired tiny house related shows such as Tiny House Hunters and Tiny House Big Living. Hopping onto the trend, the Sims 4’s latest “stuff” pack, Tiny Living, lets your sims live out all their tiny house dreams. With dozens of new furniture and clothing items, as well as three different levels of tiny houses, this pack does not disappoint.
Residential lots can now be set as a “tiny home residential lot” which is then split into three tiers: small homes, tiny homes, and micro homes. Each tier is progressively smaller, with additional bonuses for each type of house. The small home tier is 100 tiles of living space and the perks are “Lighten The Load,” which lowers the lot’s energy bill, and “Feelin’ Fine All The Time,” which allows sims’ happy, inspired, and focused buffs to last twice as long. The next tier, tiny home, has the same perks as a small home and two additional perks. A tiny home is 64 tiles and has the perk “You Got The Touch,” which allows skills to increase at double the standard rate, and “Cozy Comforts,” which makes everything’s comfort rating double. The final tier, micro home, is a maximum of 32 tiles and has the perks of the previous tiers plus two perks. These additional perks are “Let It Grow,” where plants grow twice as fast as normal, and “Let’s All Get Along,” which doubles relationship gains between sims.
New furniture items include open space shelving cluttered with little knick-knacks, modern but compact tables, a minimalist framed photo with plenty of swatches, and, of course, the highly anticipated Murphy bed. With the arrival of the Murphy bed comes a new sim death, too. While sleeping in a Murphy bed, it can malfunction causing the sim to get crushed to death. The new clothing items include plenty of knitted items including sweaters, cardigans, and even a sweater skirt! The new items are snug and chill, imitating the cozy tiny home theme of the entire pack.
With all the new items, the new challenge of building a tiny home is a little harder since it’s not possible to fit every new item into a build. Additionally, if there are certain items from a different pack you want to include… good luck. Micro homes bring the entire build down to the bare minimum, however, you can maximize on space by utilizing the extra outdoor space of the lot! Many streamers have already come up with tricks to save space such as condensing bathrooms down to one tile of space by combining a shower, sink, and toilet into one tile with the “move objects” cheat. Micro homes really bring builds down to the essentials for your sim by cutting out all the extra space usually reserved for skill-building items. Tiny homes have a little more freedom, especially in design choice of the exterior of the home. More tile space allows for porches and balconies without compromising on too much interior space and also leaves more room for decor. Small homes are fairly easy to build within the 100 tile constraints, especially on smaller lot sizes. However, there’s still a challenge if the small house is meant for more than 2 sims.
Gameplay of living in a tiny home can be challenging at times. Sometimes it may be that you don’t have room for gym equipment and thus need to travel to the gym, your sim wants to play a video game but you couldn’t squeeze in a console or computer anywhere, or you just couldn’t fit a full kitchen so your sim is missing a stove and living off of traditional college dorm meals. However, the perks that tiny residential lots offer make it worth it. With sims staying happier, inspired, and focused twice as long, going to work with the right mood is easier. Additionally, having lower bills to pay allows for sims to buy more books, cook more expensive dishes, or upgrade different furniture items sooner! Faster skill-building and double the comfort in tiny homes is also great and can really speed up climbing the ranks in your sim’s career. The micro home benefits of plants growing twice as fast and double the relationship gains are also incredibly nice to have in gameplay. Overall, The Sims 4 Tiny Living is well worth the $9.99 it costs. It contains a decent amount of build mode and create-a-sim items, while even adding a new element of gameplay. It’s a stuff pack that can be taken in so many directions whether it’s creating modern micro homes for sims who want to live a sustainable lifestyle, tiny cottages for elder sims looking to downsize, or small homes for small families who don’t need that much space.
