The Sims: Medieval

The Sims: Medieval is an independent offshoot from the Sims franchise. It changes the setting to medieval times and offers a more linear experience than the main series. The different campaigns have no overarching plot and just differentiate with their ultimate goal. However, the goal also changes the quest strings available; and these tell smaller, humorous stories. An example would be to save the kingdom from wild chinchillas.

For every quest the player chooses one (self-created) hero who gains experience points. Those improves the special abilities which depend on the character's profession, e.g. a king files edicts and a mage uses spells. This also means that quests has multiple solutions, depending on the used character. While the player can create up to ten characters, during a quest line he only plays one - the others are taken care of by the AI.

In comparison to other Sims titles, complexity of the time management part is driven back: the learning of abilities is replaced by the experience system and every character has only two needs (instead of six): mood, which is improved by doing everyday activities like sleeping or social interaction, and work. This consists of two activities per day like brewing potions. The management of those needs affects the quest success. Like all games in the series, The Sims: Medieval is very indirect: the player only gives suggestions what to do by clicking on other objects or persons. Then the animations click in and watching those is a big part of the playing experience.