The Sims 4: Nifty Knitting didn't come without a little bit of drama at the very beginning.
Being a community-voted Stuff Pack, all Simmers could have their say on the direction of the content – including the theme, art style, clothing, build objects, and title. Of course, it's difficult to please everyone when putting something to a vote, so when the 'Arts & Crafts' theme and knitting topped the first survey back in November, it was unsurprising that complaints on social media followed.
The 'Happy Haunts' theme came second in the vote, and there was frustration that features such as freelance careers as a Grim Reaper or ghost hunter didn't make the cut.
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However, the limited scope of a Stuff Pack is perfect for a small-scale concept like knitting, and the result is an expansion that's worth considering if family-oriented gameplay is your preferred way of playing The Sims. Nifty Knitting isn't a game-changing pack, nor does it drastically alter the way you experience the game – it's not supposed to be either of those things.
Instead, like the stronger Stuff Packs, Nifty Knitting uses its primary concept to complement and enrich the core gameplay experience.
On the surface, the addition of a new hobby is highly welcome and provides an extra option for your Sims' backstories. What's further appreciated is the effort that went into actually fleshing out the knitting activity beyond a new skill.
Sims can knit a variety of different clothing and objects, which were, of course, voted by the community. At the start, it's just beanies and socks, but by the time a Sim hits level 10 (and it actually doesn't take that much time to get there), you'll be able to make sweaters, poufs, rugs, decorations, toys, and more.
In an interesting design decision, knittable clothing and objects are locked and can't be accessed in CAS/Build modes immediately. Instead, they must be unlocked individually through gameplay. Only when a Sim knits an item will it be made available for the household. This includes individual colour variants, which all need to be unlocked separately.
There are methods to get around it, such as using cheats or looking at listings on an in-game store called Plopsy.
But the way unlocking works means that knitting feels like it matters. Your Sims have something to show for the time they've spent leveling up the skill, and while the pack could have benefitted with a few more pieces of clothing, the range of items on offer allows for characters to express their personality in different ways. For storytellers, that's a big plus.
Plopsy is perhaps the one thing in the pack that doesn't quite land as we'd hoped. It's not a bad idea – you can list any creations you've made on the store for a profit – but the clunky interface (selling is done from your inventory) and the slow pace at which sales happen hold back the feature.
Knitting is wonderfully suited as the focus of a Stuff Pack because it doesn't have to take centre stage.
By contrast, a Happy Haunts theme with supernatural careers – while an exciting concept – would be hampered by restrictions that come with a Stuff Pack. Jobs as a ghost hunter, Grim Reaper or psychic, for example, require a bit more ambition to pull off in a satisfying way. Bear in mind that out of all the Arts & Crafts hobbies that were pitched (including pottery, edible art, and glass fabrication), there was only room for knitting.
Not everyone will find value in a knitting pack, but it was the correct choice by the community. Those who voted for it will likely be pleased with Nifty Knitting.
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The Sims 4: Nifty Knitting Stuff Pack is available now on PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
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