The Sims is a game that needs very little introduction. The virtual life/dollshouse simulator has sold billions over it's three games and multitudes of expansion and stuff packs, and it was one of the games that helped bring a whole new audience of women into games. The series has gone from strength to strength since the initial one launched in 2000, with Sims becoming increasingly life-like as they added wants and wishes, introduced ageing, and increased the customisation options for creating your perfect (or maybe not so perfect) Sim. The Sims 3 is perhaps the biggest game yet, and while it doesn't quite have as many expansion and stuff packs as it's predecessor (yet), it has a massive online store with thousands of items, worlds and Sims you can download and add to your game.
Hidden Springs is hidden in a valley, surrounded by water.
Hidden Springs is the latest of the downloadable worlds available on The Sims 3 Store, for a hefty 2450 Sims Points - that's about £17.50 in real-world money. Which, to us, seems like quite a lot for what is essentially a different layout of houses, a few new town buildings and a handful of new items to play with, especially when you take into account you can pay less than that for some of the full expansion packs, and get a load more stuff with those - and Stuff Packs are often cheaper than that when they launch. And as it's effectively an add-on for The Sims 3, you do need a copy of at least the original Sims 3 game to play.
That said, Hidden Springs itself is a green, spacious, scenic little town, located in a valley between several mountains, with a river winding through the middle. Fitting with the mountain retreat theme, there's plenty of parks, waterfalls and other scenic community lots to explore - and there's a few luxury houses for the wealthier Sims too. Because the town of Hidden Springs was founded around the supposedly rejuvenating waters that surround it, the town comes equipped with a spa, complete with swimming pools - but it's one of those community lots that your Sim just disappears inside for a few hours while they have a facial, so you can't watch your Sim or do anything interesting except wait. It's a bit like visiting the Bookstore in the original Sunset Valley neighbourhood, but a bit wetter. The Spa also offers rejuvenating massages for rather extortionate prices (1000 Simoleans is the cheapest one...), although they will give beneficial boosts to your Sims wellbeing, as well as sometimes refiling your Sims needs.
At least you can see them swimming in the pool...
You do get a special item too - The Fountain of Eternal Youth, although as you'd expect, eternal youth doesn't exactly come cheap, as this baby goes for a whopping 425,000 Simoleans, so you'll need to save up for quite a while first (or you could just use the motherlode cheat...), or you could plonk it down in a community lot for everyone to share. When using the Fountain of Youth, your Sim has two options - they can either take a drink from the fountain and gain an extra day of life, or they can wish for youth, which will cost you 25 Simoleans a pop and isn't always successful; but when it works, your Sim will be set back to the beginning of their current stage of life. So if you're on the cusp of turning into an Adult, a single wish from this baby could take you right back to the start of your Young Adult phase. As well as the fountain, there's also some new clothes, hairstyles and items - including a brand new fence! Yay!
As always, the neighbourhood of Hidden Springs has a few different built-in families available, each with their own unique stories to play through. For example, there's Simon Cho, a highly successful film director from Bridgeport - or at least, that's what he used to be. He's moved to Hidden Springs to get away from it all, bringing his wife and two children with him for a break.
Perhaps the one of the most interesting of these families is the 'royal' family of Hidden Springs, the Vanderburgs, and the Pertridge family, who's stories both intertwine. The Vaderburg family are trying to marry off their 'prince', Sebastian and Lonnie Pertridge is desperate to get him to marry one of her daughters, Eunice of Astrid, while her step-daughter Ella Carlisle is left at home to cook and clean. Sounds familiar? If you were to follow the course that the fairytale Cinderella usually takes, then of course Sebastian would marry Ella - but this is The Sims, so it's up to you what happens.
Another family that's based on an old story is the Shue family, headed by Granny Shue, an elderly Sim who's always wanted to be a mother, but never got a chance to, being eternally single. But she hasn't let that stop her - realising there's loads of children who need a family, she adopted four children, Dany, Carlotta, Star and Gary. Unfortunately, they don't actually live in a shoe though - but she has got green skin, which is different to say the least.
One of the Shue kids seems to suffer from the same green skin condition too... Must be contagious...
Basically, Hidden Springs is expensive for what it is - but if you can pick it up in one of the Sims 3 Store's many sales for a decent price, it's a nice little town to add to your Sims 3 arsenal. Given the location, it might be a great neighbourhood for using with The Sims 3 Pets expansion, riding your brand new horses through the winding country paths. And burning things with your unicorn...
Format Reviewed: PC
