On Wednesday evening, the new city Hidden Springs was put online at a price of 2250 simpoints or 25€. Enough to scare a large part of the community! And despite the end of vacation discount, many of you found that EA was once again exaggerating on its prices. So, to know if the purchase is worth it, we have prepared this week a small test of this new world.
At first glance, the town looks very charming. Surrounded by trees and mountains, Hidden Springs can be discovered on several levels: while the downtown area and the main houses are located at the water's edge, many bars and parks are placed on the mountains and offer an incredible view on the landscape. But after digging a little further, after entering the homes of the inhabitants and the community places, one quickly understands that everything was only appearance and that the different lots are cruelly lacking in depth. The town hall, the school, the police station, the grocery store, the stadium and all the other rabbit holes look just like those in Sunset Valley. It's almost like that, but with a somewhat strange layout of lots...
In front of the town hall, the central square is divided into two parts. There is a large esplanade at the front that can be used as a playground or music area, and at the back, an alley of benches surrounded by stairs. It's a nice little square that would fit in very well with the rest of the city, if it had a little more life and color.
Another activity of Hidden Springs, its nightclub: But we understand very quickly that its low attendance is due to the awful decoration of the only dance hall. The Song couple was still willing to go there and according to them, the music was good. It is already that!
This is a very unflattering portrait of Hidden Springs, but we must admit that there are a few gems. For example, the new spa. You'll find it a bit higher than the city center, in the first hills of the city. The setting is idyllic and very relaxing, your Sims will be able to ask for treatments inside but also to lounge in the large outdoor pool.
There are also some beautiful walks to do and nice green spots for picnics and fishing. And most importantly, as we mentioned earlier, there are some beautiful viewpoints. This one is perched on one of the highest possible hills and allows your Sims to relax by looking at the landscape or by painting it.
As for the new items, a few basics have made their appearance but also a few surprises. There are two models of wood doors that blend in with any type of house, a window and its matching shutters, a new fence and its garden door, a new public bench, two types of street lamps, a store sign, a new mailbox, a window top surrounded by ivy and new fountains.
And by the way, speaking of fountains, we now come to the theme of this world: the miraculous virtues of the waters and the forest. The Fountain of Youth, which can be found in miscellaneous items for 195,000$, is a sacred fountain. A Sim from the neighborhood, with the help of a few strokes of the motherlode, was willing to try the famous powers of this water. By clicking on it, three choices are offered to us: admire, drink and make a wish. Apparently, admiring and drinking the water doesn't change anything for the Sims, but the third choice changed his view. As he prepared to fill out his retirement records, he was given a new lease on life. So the powers of the holy fountain were not a legend, now you just have to find this famous fountain that blends in very well with the rest of the landscape.
All that's left now is to take a look at the new clothes. The Song couple, Andrew and Jewel, have agreed to play along and bring you the latest fashions from the Store. Three complete outfits and a top for women, one complete outfit and a top for men.
It's obviously impossible for us to show you all the families present, you've had a little glimpse of Ryan Anderson, Andrew Song and his wife Jewel Song and we'll let you discover the rest of the population of Hidden Springs, with maybe some surprises. It seems that some Sims are secretly living in the forest to hide their strange pale green complexion...
Personally, I found Hidden Springs to have both good and bad sides. I found the layout of the world very interesting and I loved all the green areas, different from other cities. But I was very disappointed with the community places and homes, I feel like EA relied mostly on the landscape. So I plan to remodel this world a bit, with my tastes and my Sims. And most of all, I wish you a great game, with or without Hidden Springs.
