The Sims 3 Barnacle Bay Review

by

Ahoy there, Sim matey! I guess I possess the “Lucky” Sims trait because I got a promotional code for the world of Barnacle Bay. Here’s a review of the new world as seen through the eyes of my Sim.

Screenshot

Meet Katherine Sparrow. She’s never felt at home at Riverview or Sunset Valley – must be the desire for adventure in her genes. She’s brave, charismatic, handy, a hopeless romantic and dramatic. Upon learning about a new place called Barnacle Bay, she immediately packed her bags and moved into a quaint little home that overlooked the ocean. When she saw the steering wheel letterbox, she knew she had found her world.

Screenshot-2

The home was messed up by a recent meteor shower, so she had some cleaning up to do. She was up to the challenge of meteor cleaning, thinking she could sell the meteors anyway and add to her savings. The house came with a lot of meteor rocks and…

Screenshot-8

…a tombstone. Creepy. She doesn’t look too happy about it. Later on she’ll discover that a lot of tombstones are around Barnacle Bay.

Screenshot-25

Screenshot-26

Then it was time to look for a job. Katherine was hoping she could make a living out of being a pirate, but was disappointed when she remembered Barnacle Bay was not an expansion pack. Oh wait, I mean she remembered it was just another world. So she got a job at Hogan’s Deep Sea Diner. If the closest she could get to being a pirate was to work in a pirate ship, then so be it.

Screenshot-27

There’s a new kitchen scullion in town. If you mess with her, she’ll knock you out with the wrench she carries around everywhere.

The next day she decided to go around town. She chatted up some strangers at the park, later on meeting one who works at the same place she does.

Screenshot-24

While they were talking, Katherine fell in love… with the bench! She thought it was a pretty clever use of old anchors.

After a brief talk with her co-worker, she went around town some more to explore. She especially enjoyed the library, the many beach coves and campgrounds. She wished she had brought along her friends who loved the outdoors and were anglers.

Screenshot-35

Screenshot-47

Screenshot-39

Screenshot-40

Screenshot-41

Screenshot-48

Screenshot-37

Screenshot-38

She chanced upon a death flower bush in one of the campgrounds. It wasn’t ready for harvest yet, but she knew she would come back for this later on.

Screenshot-43

While grabbing a quick roasted marshmallow bite at one of the campgrounds, Katherine noticed there was a tombstone right beside her. What the heck!

Screenshot-33

Later in the night, she checked out the cemeteries. Barnacle Bay has two cemeteries. Creepy. Guess who she ran into? Nina Caliente! Familiar name, Sim matey? Nina looks bored with Katherine’s sports talk. How about those Llamas, Nina?

Screenshot-29

Katherine had a surprise visitor that same night. A pink ghost! That’s what you get for having tombstones in the house.

Screenshot-18

Off to work, kitchen scullion!

Screenshot-44

After work, she went exploring again. She chanced upon a pirate’s hideaway! Were there any treasures?

Screenshot-46

Maybe…

Screenshot-12

She went to bed happy that night, comfortably snug under her warm pirate-themed sheets. She’d return to the hideaway soon and dreamed of blogging about it.

Screenshot-3

Katherine realized that there were not that many pirate activities at Barnacle Bay after all. There were some campgrounds, the ship were she worked, some new furniture and clothes, but that was it. She wondered how she could bring out more of her pirate spirit. She had the answer.

Screenshot-51

A new hairstyle! Katherine knew she really wasn’t in a world of pirates, but at least she could fully look the part. Time to report for work!

Screenshot-50

*****

Here’s what I really think of Barnacle Bay:

• I like that I have an alternative to Riverview, Twinbrook and Sunset Valley. It would be a nice world for Sims who love the outdoors and fishing.
• The world’s characters were pretty interesting. I especially am interested in learning about the Caliente sisters. What are they doing in this world?
• The campgrounds and fishing areas were really pretty. I like how seamless they look. You’ve got a lot of options for that destination party. The waterfall leading to the river was well done.
• I wish it had more pirate stuff. I wish we could go into the big ship, but it was a rabbit hole! Darn it. There was a pirate’s ship in The Sims 2 Vacation which was pretty awesome, so I wish they had brought that same interaction here.
• “Vacation or staycation?” I thought that Barnacle Bay would be a vacation destination too. It’s not though. That line from the advertising confused me.

Overall, it’s a new, fun world for your Sims to enjoy. I had to keep reminding myself though that it was not an expansion pack. So manage your expectations too!

To get Barnacle Bay for your Sims, you need to get the latest The Sims 3 update first. Head on over to The Sims 3 store to download the world for 1,650 Sims Points (around $16). Install and enjoy!

Happy Simming!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comment *






CommentLuv badge