In The Sims 4 Lovestruck expansion I can make 'you up?' texts and coffee dates equally valid ways of pursuing relationships

Dating apps wouldn't be half as cursed if your matches couldn't blatantly lie about their interests or relationship status on their profile—or go on weird red flag rants beside the profile pic of them holding a fish. Such is the more perfect world envisioned by the new Sims 4 Lovestruck expansion, which puts the personality traits of prospective partners on display in the new Cupid's Corner dating app, adds customizable dates, and a more fleshed out system of attraction where you can decide if your Sim is only into brunettes or has a homewrecking habit.

As a Build/Buy mode enthusiast, I wouldn't be head over heels for Lovestruck on my own dime, but for the Live Mode folks who love nothing more than stirring up a pot of drama, this expansion has attractive qualities.

Single and ready to mingle

To keep things simple, I went with a solo and single Sim for Lovestruck. I dolled her up with lots of the new Create-A-Sim choices: a wavy bob with rhinestone clips, a layered floral top, a lacey matched set of lingerie for sleepwear, and crop top with pearlescent belts for her party outfit that looks like a rave-inspired fit that would have been cooked up by a Sims 4 CC creator. Cute as that new lacey sleep mask is though, your sim will hop into bed to WooHoo with it on, or any other time they're in pajamas. The CAS options all feel pretty trendy and cute, though your opinion on massive floral prints may vary.

One of Lovestruck's major features is a "turn ons" and "turn offs" system of attraction between Sims. Similar to the likes and dislikes system for taste in clothes, music, and activities, you can select characteristics that your Sim is into and which give them the ick, be it hair color, personality traits, or types of interactions.

There are some fun ones I didn't expect in "way of life" like being attracted to broke Sims with fewer than 10,000 simoleons or specifically Sims who are taken—good drama hooks for your Sims that have line cook fever or a thing for ignoring wedding rings. I do find it a bit silly that clothing color is a category though. I know everyone's become armchair experts in color analysis lately but I don't see clothing colors as a turn-on in and of themselves.

As your Sim gets to know someone, they may become attracted to them, represented by a magnet on their portrait in the relationships menu. That quick visual cue is really handy for cluing me into a fun situation to chase, but the cause isn't always clear. I got a notification that my Sim had learned more about the bartender she was talking to and had become attracted to him but when I looked at his profile, the one trait she'd learned about him (clumsy) wasn't one she had any opinion on. He did have brown hair, which she's attracted to, but surely she knew that already, right?

Investigating further takes a lot of fiddling back and forth in the interface. I've got to go to the Simology panel, scroll down, and mouse over an icon to read the small text list of her "Characteristics" turn ons, try to memorize it, then click back to the Relationships panel, scroll down, click her new crush and open his profile to see his traits and hope I remember whether any of them match.

The interface that Lovestruck really wants you to be using is the new Cupid's Corner dating app and that part is clear, easy, and fun. A Sim can open the app from their phone to customize their profile, swipe through matches, and invite other Sims on meticulously planned dates. There are three date styles: Get to know you, romantic date, and "romantic repair" if your relationship satisfaction is negative—and also the blind date you can choose through the phone instead of with a particular Sim.

You can also choose a venue from any neighborhood and a list of at least three activities. The latter is the real major improvement on the way base game dates work. Instead of getting chucked into your choice of venue with randomly picked goals, your selection of activities like eating, drinking, romantic socializing, exercising, dancing, and more all directly influence what kinds of goals pop up during your date—whether it's flirting 10 times or sharing a deep thought.

It gives better control over the situation, meaning you can have a perfect coffee date by selecting drinking, reminiscing, and friendly socializing as your goals and won't get dinged just because you don't kiss. Or you can build a date like a "you up?" text where you just invite a crush to your house with flirting and hooking up as your stated goals. Lovestruck feels like it would lean into hookup culture, and it does revel in its saucy moments, but it also leaves room to build stories that don't revolve around banging in the club bathroom.

There are some other fun and silly interactions built into Lovestruck. I got a phone call from an acquaintance claiming to be a busy rich CEO looking for a meetup at the Beso Rápido love hotel, which left her with a "playful" meetup called "Weird Meeting." I also got invited to be on a reality show "7 Wild Dates," challenging me to go on one perfect date per day for a week—an activity tracked via a moodlet, not going to a new lot, to be clear—which was a gauntlet I didn't manage to complete.

Paired with the new romantic boundaries settings from the base game update released alongside Lovestruck, which allow for open and polyamorous relationships, all the above dating can wind up encompassing a whirlwind of multiple partners. I didn't quite push at the boundaries of how the romantic boundaries and more autonomous relationship changes in the base game update interact with Lovestruck. My Sim was attracted to Bella Goth, which pissed off her husband Mortimer Goth when I flirted with her in front of him. Would they independently break up if I keep coming between them?

Can I still become soulmates with a Sim after two great dates? Yeah. And other Sims do still constantly insert themselves into conversations between me and a date despite Maxis saying it would cut down on interlopers. Is Lovestruck a buggy mess overall? Well, possibly. I didn't run into any terrible issues in my 10 or so hours with it, but Sims 4 expansion packs never seem to survive first contact with the community.

Life after love

Okay hold on, don't go, what about build mode? Lovestruck does actually come with 125 Buy Mode objects, by my count, and lots of new wall treatments, doors, windows, and other Build Mode bits. There are some really neat pieces in Buy Mode: a huge botanical living wall installation, a water tower, and lots of wall art and decals that get totally different designs between swatches.

Ciudad Enamorada's pre-built lots are quite well laid-out, even its sparse starter home. I also really like the penthouse lot in the Nuevo Corazón neighborhood. You can bulldoze everything and leave yourself a blank roof as a canvas, which is a nice middle ground between the penthouses of City Living where you can't edit the exterior walls and the 'do it all from scratch' method of apartment buildings in For Rent.

Oh and that closet for shagging in from the trailer is indeed a whole 1x2 tile object. It's a sort of funky way to achieve the gag, but you can build walls around it so that just the door peeks out and I found it functions just fine in the premade lots where my Sims used it to achieve a gym date happy ending.

For all that though, I wouldn't call Build Mode the focus of Lovestruck by a longshot. Stylistically, it doesn't have a lot of focus. I really like some of the art deco vibes in its lounge furniture, new elevator, and wallpapers. But it also has a set of gym stuff, seedy dance club decor and textured walls, and a more casual lounge too. Some folks may enjoy the "more is more" approach, but when I talk myself into buying a new Sims 4 DLC I'm usually attracted to wanting a particular aesthetic like the craftsman house details of Growing Together or the raw pine designs in Snowy Escape.

Left to my own devices as a nearly exclusive build mode player, I don't think I'd be bothering with Lovestruck until it's discounted. For those looking to elevate their dating game though, it really does add some fun nuance to getting lucky or messy in love.