From a series of screenshots leaked from the EA app last week, EA has revealed the full details of two new Sims 4 DLC kits that will be released this week. The "Castle Estate Kit" and the "Goth Galore Kit" are the result of a theme voted on by players last summer and will be released this Thursday.

As an eternal build mode player, the Castle Kit is going to be my territory. The announcement post previews all 25 stone building options, including grand doorways, portcullises, and glass window options that I hope have stained glass swatches; EA cites examples of some pretty nice garden estates in its post, and I'm sure players will get all the arches and I'm sure once they do, we'll see increasingly ambitious architecture.

The Goth Kit, on the other hand, is less exciting; even I, who spends very little time in Create-A-Sim, can see that at least five of the items (leather jacket, dress, two tops, and full-body outfit) are quite similar to existing clothing in the base game and other expansions I can see that. I hope the remaining 19 items are something the goth voters will be excited about, but it seems they may be underwhelmed as well.

As always, there has been much discussion on social media among Sims players about whether the kits that have been released will be a blast or a bust. The theme was chosen by poll, as mentioned above, and many seem to be looking forward to seeing it come to fruition. I voted about 90% in the community poll and I'm pretty sure I would have chosen the castle theme over "high-tech futurism" which was also an option. So this is a win for me.

I'm happy to get the castle bits, but I'm reminded that in a game with such a thriving custom content community in Sims 4, paying $5 for a handful of items with no new gameplay is not my favorite value proposition. We all agree that a $10 staff pack with build items, create-a-sim items, and new gameplay is far superior. Fortunately, the Sims 4 roadmap for early 2024 reveals that a staff pack is in the works.

Of course, these are just the first Sims 4 DLC for this year, and it seems likely that EA will be soliciting player votes on the theme again this year, so stay tuned. For now, the Castle Estate Kit and Goth Galore Kit will be available on Thursday, January 18 for $5 each.