
A Wallet of SimCash starts at $4.99 for 250 cash, and goes all the way up to $99.99 for 7,500 cash. You've got your Simoleons, which are your in-game cash option represented by golden coins, SimCash, Tickets, Boosts, and energy.

To keep it brief, there are various systems to keep track of. The starting Barista career bridges out to several different job positions you can hold, depending on your level, experience, and even the items in your home. You can make friends, add them to your contacts, socialize with them, and even hold and attend house parties. You can explore the world (which isn't an open one, by the way), meet new Sims who pass by your homes and start friendly or romantic relationships or even rivalries, work a part-time job, hone a skill or a hobby, and engage in tons of different activities that further flesh out your time as a newly-made Sim. The tutorial could have used a little meatier content beyond what was there, but it helped me get up to speed quickly enough. There are multiple kinds of currency, for example, multiple types of furniture, "career" stories, "relationship" stories, and tons of other intricate systems that you need to uncover to really get the most out of the game. It's a good thing the tutorial is there, because the game can be quite confusing at first. I'm not surprised, mind you, but I am disappointed nevertheless. But the route EA chose had to be the most penny-pinching, cash grab-laden iteration possible, and for that I am deeply disappointed. The thing is, it could be far less frustrating. It's a decent mobile adaptation of the beloved sandbox players love to interact with, mod, and spend hours customizing their characters in. This set the tone for my time with The Sims Mobile. No matter what I wanted to do, if I played the game for a decent period of time I'd usually be out of energy so doing anything of worth was a no-go unless I ponied up real-world cash, used an in-game item to get more energy, or waited an excruciatingly long amount of time to finish an event. Most of the time, I'd want to have her chat with a friend, or go do a quick shift at the coffee shop, but I can't - not without paying some in-game currency to buy more energy, that is. My Sim is standing idly by with her striking teal hair. Every time I pop into The Sims Mobile to see what the Sim I've haphazardly modeled after myself is doing, some new random person is walking into my house and making themselves at home.
