The Sims Medieval: Pirates and Nobles Review

Sims Medieval: Pirates and Nobles is a chance for your chosen kingdom or a new one, to experience some adventures with a distinct pirate theme. There's a war brewing between the Merchants of Tredony and the Pirates of Arbyville. Your kingdom and Sims are about to be caught between both factions in this robust, adventure pack for the Sims Medieval.

Notice that I said adventure pack and not expansion, that's how the pack describes itself. It doesn't add many new mechanics and with the recent patch for Sims Medieval there's been a slew of fixes. Pirates and Nobles adventure pack adds new outfits, new furniture and even a new Ambition for your game. This is great if you haven't yet played Sims Medieval because it's focussed on the war between the two factions.

The most noticeable additions to the game are pet birds, falcons and parrots, treasure hunting mini-games and of course the War Effort Gauge, which tracks the position of your kingdom in regards to the battle between the merchants and pirates. If you keep the gauge neutral then you'll be able to balance both factions, but it's far more fun to pick one side in the conflict and support them. Now for my particular faction, I chose pirates, because well...they're pirates...you also get unlocked faction outfits and other furniture for your kingdom, so it's wise to pick a side and support them fully if you want to get the best stuff.

There are new quests with pirate themes, light hearted mini-adventures and some really dark moments. I won't spoil any of these but I really wish they'd have turned the pirate raids into something more than just a 'wait and watch' affair where you just sit and watch your empty screen for an outcome as time marches on. EA seem to be on the right track though and I am curious where they're going to take Sims Medieval next.

There are still pathfinding errors and broken quest issues in Pirates and Nobles, there was even a moment where one of my Sims actually froze on a chair and this rendered a quest impossible to complete. I understand there are ways to enable the console and reset the Sim but...and this is the big but, there's the principle of the matter - I shouldn't have to do that and the Sim should never have frozen in such a way.

There's not really much else you can add about the adventure pack, apart from the glaring bugs prevalent in Sims Medieval the new content is quite good and there are some great outfits and some nifty furniture, like the torture chair with its own little mini-game attached. The quests are well written and there are quite a few of them, so it's sure to add even more hours of play to the game.

That's it really, there's not anything else that the pack adds. If you're looking for new mechanics and brand new gameplay systems, then Sims Medieval: Pirates and Nobles isn't really for you, you'll have to wait for quite a while until EA produce a meaty expansion pack. This is a slim slice of pirate and noble action with a new ambition and a few extras. It isn't worth the high price tag really, sorry EA...but the pack needed to be cheaper for what you get in it.

If you're just looking for some extra stuff to add to Sims Medieval, and you like pirates, this pack will appeal to you.