The Sims 4: “Goth Galore” and “Castle Estate” Kit REVIEW

The Sims 4 released two fan-voted kits to kick off 2024. In May 2023, the Sims Community voted on two kits to have in the future. The two winners were goth-inspired clothing “Goth Galore” and castle-building “Castle Estate” kits.

The Sims 4 released two fan-voted kits to kick off 2024. In May 2023, the Sims Community voted on two kits to have in the future. The two winners were goth-inspired clothing “Goth Galore” and castle-building “Castle Estate” kits.

The New Packs

The “Goth Galore” kit is a Create-A-Sim kit incorporates a plethora of goth-inspired clothing. This clothing color coordinates in every part of the outfit, allowing Simmers to create full ensembles of matching clothes. The kit also includes two new eyeshadows, a lipstick, gloves and a spike bracelet. 

The “Castle Estate” kit is a building kit that includes a handful of new external build items to create castles and other royally-inspired buildings. The kit includes pillars, stone wallpaper and flooring, new windows and a door, stairs, two fences with a coordinating stair rail, a foundation and a new interior room. Like “Goth Galore,” “Castle Estate” is a color-coordinating pack, so Simmers can create the castle of their dreams.

The Good

I love that the “Goth Galore” kit is a color-coordinating pack. I had a lot of fun creating the pastel pink outfit because of that. I wasn’t expecting to see a pastel pink color swatch but I’m about to have a lot of fun with it. Also, I enjoy the rainbow metallic color swatches in the boots and spiked bracelet. The detail in it is incredible, much like the kit as a whole. I think the Sims 4 team is doing a better job at creating better quality items for Simmers to enjoy. 

The “Castle Estate” kit has a lot of “old” color swatches which I think are beautiful. One of the floor swatches also seems like it can be used outside, which I think is going to be fun to use. Obviously, this is a unique experience for Simmers that they haven’t had since the Desert Oasis Kit, the other build-influenced kit. This kit would be fun to use and seems very compatible with different packs. Compatibility in this pack while maintaining some degree of uniqueness is important as Simmers are looking for something different and fun to do – especially in a kit which isn’t always achieved.

The Bad

With the “Goth Galore” kit, the makeup isn’t really my preference. Maybe it’s because I specifically enjoy a clean girl aesthetic, the goth makeup isn’t something I’m going to use often. If I’m creating an occult Sim, I might use the makeup because it gives me a sort of vibe that I would use it for, but otherwise I’m not the biggest fan. I would have loved to see a “face paint” option for a pale/white face and thinly drawn eyebrows, something people associate with goth makeup. That kind of look would not only be good for goth, but also if a Simmer wanted to do a 1920s inspired look. 

I would have loved to see some “fun” swatches for the “Castle Estate” kit. Can you imagine how fun it would have been to have a rainbow castle? Or even a pastel pink castle that could coordinate with the pastel pink gothic clothing? Nonetheless, the Sims 4 developers had a great opportunity to allow for fun colors in addition to the older-looking ones.

Verdict

I think the “Goth Galore” and “Castle Estate” kits are fun to use in different ways. I think they provide an enriched element to the game especially with some of the newer packs we got in 2023.

The “Goth Galore” kit also includes two new eyeshadows, a lipstick, gloves and a spike bracelet.

The “Castle Estate” kit is a building kit that includes a handful of new external build items to create castles and other royally-inspired buildings.