You know that song from the cartoon lion who wanted to be king? Well, I never thought I’d feel that way, especially about a video game. But after playing the new ‘Royalty & Legacy’ game pack for The Sims 4 for a few hours, I’m hooked. I’ve been plotting and tricking my way to power, feeling like a king even though I didn’t earn it.
In ‘Royalty & Legacy,’ any Sim can become a Noble. To start, you just need a fancy chair (a throne), get knighted, or the easier way, buy a book and learn about your family tree. I found an old Sim I made, Daxton Flood, who wasn’t rich or famous. I wanted to tell a story about someone going from nothing to everything.
Being a Noble in this game is like having a regular job in The Sims 4, but with a royal twist. You do different tasks to move up the ranks, earning money, power, and chances to do more. So, I moved Daxton from his happy home to a simple fishing shack in a new place called Ondarion. And let me tell you, Ondarion is beautiful! It’s a lovely coastal area with three different parts: Dambele for art lovers, Bellacorde for the rich, and Verdemar, a quiet spot where nobles and pirates used to live. The idea of a legendary pirate’s son becoming a wild pirate king was too good to pass up. I was all in.
That was the plan, anyway. But things changed once Daxton started getting a little power. As a Noble, each time you get a promotion – from a simple knight to a viscount, then a duke, and finally a king – you have to finish a list of themed tasks. So, Daxton spent his first days practicing his charm in front of the mirror, learning to waltz and sword fight, or going on special Noble trips. At first, the benefits of moving up were small, like new ways to talk to other Nobles. But soon, things got more interesting. Daxton was holding court, giving speeches, and making big decisions for his people after hearing their problems. Eventually, you can make important rules for your kingdom. For example, you can make it more likely for Sims to have twins or triplets, or help artists earn more money if you pass a special law for them.
While all this is happening, the game keeps track of whether you’re helping the common folk or the rich Nobles. Did you spend your day helping at the local school, or did you make fun of poor people? I was surprised when a fancy-dressed stranger showed up with a gift that turned out to be a pile of trash. He clearly wasn’t happy with my rule. Sometimes, you’ll get letters praising you or threatening you. You can even send replies from your throne. This really set the stage for what was to come, especially when I realized the only place big enough for my throne was in the yard next to Daxton’s garbage cans.
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Attribution
Daxton’s journey to becoming king didn’t start smoothly, but we soon got the hang of being Noble. We set up a family line for future heirs and started working to unlock special rewards. We made some rules that only helped us, dressed up for a fancy dance just for Nobles, and even kissed a few frogs (no princes, just slimy lips this time). We failed to pull a mythical sword from a stone, but we won a quick sword-fighting contest that afternoon. Later, Daxton snuck off for a secret meeting with someone from a rival family. Scandalous!
Secrets are very important in ‘Royalty & Legacy.’ After making friends with another Noble to get dirt on some of Daxton’s tougher rivals, we learned some very interesting things. For example, one of Daxton’s rivals in love was using dark magic to control her friends. With this shocking information, he could easily cause her downfall. You can blackmail someone if you want a certain outcome, but exposing their secrets also feels pretty good. After I shared her secret on social media, I was happy to see she suffered from all sorts of bad things – people made fun of her in the streets, and she constantly had to pee – for the next few days.
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But what goes around comes around. After a good run as the supreme ruler of my glorious trash yard – the common people loved Daxton, and the rich folks were a bit annoyed – everything went wrong. ‘Royalty & Legacy’ has these special places called Backrooms, which are one thing by day and another by night. I heard about a bookstore in Dambele that turned into a hot nightclub, and it seemed like the perfect spot for Daxton to continue his secret love affair away from prying eyes. It was true, but then disaster struck. A drunken sword fight led to a big loss on the way home, and Daxton got caught in his own scandal. Nobody likes a loser. And guess who found out and came for her revenge?
Of course, you can just wait out a scandal, hiding your Sim until people forget and the bad feelings go away. But that didn’t seem like Daxton’s style, given how he usually handled things from his spot next to the bins. So, I bought a podium and used his Noble powers to call a press conference in front of his humble home – it’s all about how things look! – and soon, reporters and curious onlookers gathered. The heartfelt apology Daxton gave would probably have worked if I hadn’t suddenly found the option to make him instantly naked.
Honestly, I didn’t expect much from ‘Royalty & Legacy.’ I thought it would be too different from how I usually play The Sims 4. Even though it feels like it’s made for a very specific kind of role-playing, the way all its parts work together really makes you believe you’re royalty. And even though it’s hard to feel good about anything related to The Sims right now, because of the game company’s new owners, I can’t say I wasn’t completely drawn into the love, manipulation, and corrupting power of being a ruler. Will ‘Royalty & Legacy’ stay in my regular rotation of game packs? I’m not sure yet – but maybe that cartoon lion had the right idea all along.
