Aurora Skies Review

Aurora Skies is the latest world available from The Sims 3 Store. A huge thanks to EA UK for supplying the review version of this world.

This world has a Scandinavian theme, and features lush greenery, against the hot springs, waterfalls and mountains in the background.

The main town area is flat, and well laid out.  Most of the world’s houses and community lots are within this area, with a few lots being scattered round the more rural areas of the world, and on the far side of the springs.  All are easily accessible.

The town area splits in two, roughly on either side of the spring, with one half featuring traditional cabin style buildings, while the other features more modern, brightly coloured houses.

Now, a quick Google search for “Icelandic Houses” shows that these houses are very much in keeping with the theme, but I’ll be honest, their exterior colours are a little too bright for my personal taste, particularly the bright blue and green roofs, however I really love the internal layout of the houses and will either make them over or get used to them!

Rabbit holes are, again, well designed and in theme with the neighbourhood. While they haven’t opened up the rabbit holes, following on from Sunlit Tides they have made some of them – the school, the stadium and the police/military base in particular – a lot smaller, but on built up, larger lots. So the stadium rabbit hole is basically the stands, with the player free to create whatever sports field they want in front – although in keeping with the European feel of the world, it features a football pitch. And if you have Seasons, just add goals!

The school rabbit hole is basically the reception area, and has some accessible classrooms and a cafeteria behind it, while the military base has a barracks area behind it. All of this turns the lots from a one shot rabbit hole location, into something that a storyteller could put to good use.

The hot air balloon is an interesting idea, and I think it’s another feature that will be great for story tellers, either in the background image, or for setting a scene in itself, using the romantic actions.  I’d like to see it float higher than one storey, and when you travel, I’d have like to see it fly rather than teleport, but I guess there’s always going to be limits as to what can be done.

For builders, there’s 5 new roof styles – or rather, 5 colours of the one style – 5 new walls, some plants, and some new furniture. It’s a nice, clean style which appeals to me, and I can see the sofa in particular appearing in a number of homes!

As ever, my favourite game with a new hood is looking for the returning Sims! I missed the live broadcast, so don’t know if this was known about, but was happy to find the Beaker family, complete with a child Loki and toddler Erin!

This world also comes with some great new hair and clothes! I would describe them as very normal and wearable. I can see them being used for my Sims’ everday wear a lot.

The usual gripe applies, as with any new hood I would love to see matching EP lots – there is a festival lot available on the Exchange from SimGuruSmitty – http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=7022551 – but some of the others look a little out of place, especially the Port-a-Party Warehouse, which decided to place itself sideways!

There’s a few little niggles around attention to detail. Lots not tagged correctly, and set as No Visitors Allowed, no details on property specs, and in at least one lot, the mirror placed backwards, leaving it unusable until you turn it.

Is it my favourite store world? Straight out the box, probably not. However, I think it’s a grower! I will probably make over and rearrange some of the lots, and play my version of! The darker feel, similar to Moonlight Falls, would be a great place for the supernaturals that can’t take the heat of Lucky Palms or Sunlit Tides. The layout is good, I like a lot of the buildings, and I love the smaller rabbit holes.

See this gallery for all the pictures I took of this world!