The Sims 2: Castaway

Castaways are cool. They’re smart and incredibly resourceful, turning everyday objects into lifelong friends (“Wilson. Wilson!”). Miraculously, they are able to build rafts from materials found on the island, even without prior experience in construction. And when escaping is no longer an option, they’ll find interesting ways to stay occupied – like pushing a button to keep a deadly magnet field (which they are unaware of) from destroying the island.

With monikers like “Pets” and “Castaway,” you’d think the Wii was receiving expansion discs. But while The Sims 2 Castaway does feature many of The Sims 2’s gameplay traits – players must keep their Sims fed, entertained, well rested, etc. – Castaway is another side story for the series. It’s also somewhat of a new direction, with the focus no longer being on the simple adoption of a family and four-legged friends. You can start with more than one Sim but will be limited in their control. Only one may be used at the start. This leaves your Sim feeling lost and, not unlike Tom Hanks’ character from Castaway, desperate to connect with someone.

Feed a monkey, make a friend. Shoo a monkey, make yourself go crazy.

You won’t be lonely for long, however. Monkeys appear out of the jungle and are looking for attention. Chat with ‘em, tell jokes, and show off your juggling skills. They’re the same kind of interactions you have with Sims (human characters) but the reactions are different (monkeys are more easily amused by repetition).

Befriend a monkey and he may bring you items from the jungle. Those items, which you may also collect on your own, include berries, melons, bananas, leaves, bamboo, wood, and dozens of other collectibles that serve a functional, game-altering purpose. Bamboo is great for making shacks, huts, and other housings to keep the sun, rain, and other world elements from reaching your Sims. It can also be used to fashion tools.

Make a spear and use it to hunt for fish, and then cook the meal over an open flame. The fire is started automatically by a Sim using wood and a construction Plan (item blueprints for making tools. Here, you’ll make a fire pit). Walk up to the pit, select the build-a-fire option, and the Sim will crouch down and begin rubbing two twigs together. Fire is sparked within a few seconds, and it’ll stay burning until you leave the area or until rain falls. Relight the fire at any time.

The letterboxed ("widescreen") view is used for emphasis, says Hollywood.

Good Controls, Bad Controls

Items are collected manually by approaching the area where the item resides. Most are not visible to the naked eye – the graphics are adequate for the series (whose engine is several years old) but are not overly detailed. You’ll find items via the rectangular pop-up windows, which asks if you’d like to “Harvest [fruit or vegetable].” There are two ways to accept this action: one uses a Wii remote setup similar to The Sims 2 Pets. Point the remote at the screen and select what you want by clicking the A button. The game warns from the start that it is “easier” to play Castaway with the remote pointed away from the screen. It fails to add the words “most of the time,” but you’ll figure that out soon enough.

Castaway’s single-controller, nunchuck-emphasized setup allows you to navigate the world via thumbstick and interact with objects by pressing the Z button. Interaction windows pop up automatically. You tilt the nunchuck up or down to scroll through the list of options and hit Z to make a selection. This is intuitive and easy to learn but comes with an unnecessary limitation. Not all things may be selected with the Z button. Some require the A button, which forces you to use the Wii remote again, even if you don’t have to (or want to) point it at the screen.

Then there are selections that require you to point the remote at the screen, a function that could’ve been supplemented with the thumbstick when the remote is pointed away. This isn’t necessarily bad – I like the remote’s implementation. It’s fast, responsive, and makes on-screen clicking a breeze. Using the remote also brings up your character’s vital information (hunger, energy, etc.). That info disappears as soon as you take the remote away.

Still, the constant jump between one- and two-handed controls doesn’t make much sense. Why tell players that it’s easier to use the nunchuck, and then force them to use both controller pieces in certain circumstances? This was likely an oversight, but it could seriously confuse casual players – which is the complete opposite of what this altered control scheme was trying to achieve.

 
Reunions like this only happen once a year on Lost.

The Big Picture

The Sims, a series that began as a life simulator, has expanded into more virtual and less realistic areas. Castaway doesn’t change that course. Players relieve their bladder by accessing a roll of toilet paper from their inventory. Rather than cover up this lovely sight via blurriness and pixelation, the game kindly shields our eyes with a bamboo-and-leaf port-a-potty.

Tool, object, and house construction is done in a matter of seconds, preventing the Castaway from boring players to death (something a more realistic game couldn’t have avoided). The game has wisely placed objects and the items on an unofficial tier. In other words, you’ll usually make things in the order that you need them. The workbench is made after finding some wood, an item that’s also needed to start a fire. Later, after exploring the jungle, you’ll be able to acquire the items to build a raft and travel to the next part of the game. Hint: think Lost, season 3. Once there, you’ll find a bit of salvation (but not rescue) and may continue the journey by spending countless hours perfecting your item resource and construction skills. You can even construct a whole new wardrobe while you’re at it.

Alternatively, players may screw the majority of these side elements and focus on the main mission, which is to get off the island. You’ll still have to keep your vitals up by performing the typical Sim tasks. Part of that involves the construction of buildings that are far more elaborate than anything Jack or Locke can come up with. And that’s a whole other goal – finding a way to live happily on this desert island.

"Kate, is it really you?"

As someone who loves the show Lost and the movie Castaway, it wasn’t hard for me to get into this game’s simple challenges. The search for an escape, struggle for survival, and – as strange as it sounds, animal interactions – were entertaining.

However, I don’t believe all Sims fans will be as amused. This is not a direct offshoot like The Sims 2 Pets, a game that kept players in the familiar neighborhood environment. For that reason – and the lengthy task of resource collection and construction – Castaway could prove to be an acquired taste. Renting, of course, is the best way to determine if game any is your flavor. But if you’re too impatient for your GameFly queue to kick in, just ask yourself: do you like the idea of being stranded on an island with Sims-style gameplay?

Gameplay: 7.5
The Sims 2 Castaway won’t expect players to be the next John Locke or a logic-defying FedEx employee. But you will build a raft, explore multiple areas (any further details would spoil the surprise), seek out stranded friends, and stay upbeat and entertained by talking to monkeys. Those who are really lonely can build an artificial companion. Whatever happens, don’t let anyone see you laugh at your own jokes or – swallow hard for this one – kiss the statue’s melon head in a desperate attempt for affection.

Graphics: 6.0
Castaway’s graphics are no more attractive than its predecessors. They’re acceptable, mainly because they’re what we expect. (Isn’t it amazing how low our expectations are?) It’s time for the series to get a new engine.

Sound: 6.0
More quirky tunes and sounds from one of the quirkiest game franchises.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Castaway isn’t a weak game, but the Sims’ happiness level isn’t too difficult to manage. If you played Pets, Castaway may seem a tad easier.

Concept: 7.5
Castaway isn’t as much “The Sims 2: Island Edition” as it is an alternative take on The Sims formula. Whereas before you would prosper via job success, social success, and the construction of a big and beautiful home, now you have to worry about escaping, catching or finding food, and several other issues that could only occur on a desert island.

Overall: 7.5
It may be an acquired taste, but if you’ve ever wanted a Sims game that really jumps ship (silly pun intended), The Sims 2 Castaway has all the island-dwelling excursions you could hope for, minus the unfriendly encounters with the Others.