The Sims 4 Snowy Escape – Discovering Mt. Komorebi

Thanks for the EA Game Changers program for giving us early access to the new pack. Because it was Alpha software, it is possible that there are small changes in the pack before release.
For this review we only had access to Base game and The Sims 4 Snowy Escape.
At the bottom of the page you can find an index to our other The Sims 4 Snowy Escape articles.

Mt. Komorebi

The name of the new world is Mt. Komorebi, which means “Sunlight streaming through the trees”. It is a fitting name for the world. The world is made out of 3 neighbourhoods. 2 of which are green and lush, almost have that spring vibe going on. And then you have the snowy mountain top, which is also filled with trees.
We’ve updated the world map to list what the orientation is for the lot on the gallery, and if the gallery images will have an obstruction in front of it. (click on map for larger image)

Wakaba

This is the neighbourhood at the bottom of the map, the up and coming town. There are 5 lots in this neighbourhood, 1 of them is empty to start with. There is 1 rental, 1 starter house, built by James Turner, and a large mansion lot that was built by Lilsimsie and a Lounge.

Between the lots they seem to have made use of the ’empty’ space a lot better, there is lovely lush part to walk through with bridges over the pond, and a bridge over a low part of the river. But there is also a small waterfall where the river ends in a lake. That lake is a swimmable spot.

Senbamachi

The town of a thousand leaves, which is a very fitting name for the oldest part of the new world. It has a large nature area attached to it where you can hike to different sights, or encounter forest spirits. This little town, as they call it, is the middle neighbourhood on the map.

This neighbourhood also has 5 lots, there is 1 starter house that is a little bit bigger than usual starter houses, this one has 2 bedrooms. There are 2 households that live in this neighbourhood, Akiyama and Nishidake. And then we have a park and a bar as the other 2 lots.

Yukimatsu

The only neighbourhood with eternal snow. This neighbourhood is located closer to the top of the mountain, and thus colder and covered in snow year round (you don’t need Seasons for that). In this neighbourhood there can also be snowstorms or snowthunderstorms.
This is the neighbourhood you go to for your winter activites: Sledding, skiing or snowboarding. Living in this neighbourhood means you have to combat the cold more often, by dressing warm or placing heaters in your house.

There are 4 lots in this neighbourhood. 1 is the new lot type, Onsen bathhouse, build by Deligracy, 2 rental houses and a basically empty lot with just some trees on it.

Hidden lot

There is actually also a hidden lot on top of the mountain. Once you’ve completed the Mountain excursion you can build on that lot. But it’s not accessible from the map view, not even after you’ve completed the excursion. However, ever time you return to the mountain top (in that save file), the build will be there. So you can make your resting mountain cabin, or maybe even a bath house, because, why not? It’s an empty lot to start with. The lot type can’t be changed, which is Mount Komorebi Summit.

Lot types

Onsen bathhouse

There is 1 new lot type, Onsen Bathhouse. This is a Japanese type of spa. There is 1 pre build in the world, in the Yukimatsu neighbourhood, which is built by Sims player Deligracy. This is where you will also find the hot water springs and the location this build is placed is also the base for excursions to the mountain (read more about the excursion here).

Rental lots

Rental lots are not necessarily a new lot type, as we had those since The Sims 4 Outdoor Retreat. But, they are now available everywhere, it’s a base game update as well, so even though I talk about it here, it’s not limited to this pack. You can place this lot type in any world now, for your Sims to holiday in. So if you have The Sims 4 Island Living? Go ahead and place a rental lot, so you Sims can take a vacation by the beach.

The only exception is, it doesn’t work the other way around. You can’t place residential lots in Granite Falls, Selvadorada or Batuu. The rentals aren’t exclusive for the pack though, this will be a base game update for everyone.

Festivals

With this pack there are 3 new festivals added.

Festival of Snow – Every other Saturday 3pm-12am
Festival of Youth – Every other Sunday 10am -3pm
Festival of Light – Every other Friday 6pm-1am

Festival of Snow

Festival of Snow is all about, you guessed it, snow. It is held in the neighbourhood Yukimatsu, every other Saturday from 3pm to 12am, on the square near the gondola station. Various snow sculptures appear, the Mt. Komorebi mascot is around to take selfies with. Bunny slopes will be decorated in vibrant colours. And of course, you can dress up in a festival costume.

Festival of Youth

Festival of Youth is a festival for children. There are activity tables and science tables to craft and research. This festival is held every other Sunday in the Wakaba neighbourhood from 10am to 3pm.
Children can ask the mascot, Yamachan, about the void critter hunt, and go searching for voidcritters all over the festival ground. Click around on to direct children to search. They will then pull out their phone to do the hunt digitally. If they find a void critter, there won’t be appearing anything in the inventory, but a little voidcritter will appear in the world briefly. If you find 10 voidcritters before the festival ends, you can return to the mascot and claim your prize. (Which is an ultra rare Simmi Capsule)
Children can also be blessed during this festival. If they don’t receive a blessing, they might get a sad sentiment, as ‘all the other kids did get a blessing’.

Festival of Light

This festival is all about honoring the dead and the ancestors.
Every other Friday from 6pm to 1am this festival is held in the Senbamachi neighbourhood.
There are several smaller activities at the festival, one of them is Making a wish at the wishing tree, which can be a group activity. My Sims did a wish together, and received a new sentiment for it called “Made a Wish Together at the Festival of Light”
At the end of the square there is a bonfire where Sims can gather around. Every once in a while the bonfire also shoots out colourful fireworks.
Paying respects to the deceased can be done at the local cemetery, you can find that in the neighbourhood.
The floating lights on the little river/canal really finishes the whole theme of the festival. To dress up for the festival, Sims can buy the festival costume as well, you have to do this only once per household, as it will unlock for everyone. I bought this costume, but I believe this is one that has been changed before actual launch.