With The Sims 5 won't happen anytime soon, and it's multiplayer driven Project Rene is not what many fans are looking for, fans of the Maxis series are stuck playing The Sims 4 and older titles or looking for alternatives. While few games are as good at juggling house building, character management and so on, there are areas there Sims-like titles can surpass EA's life simulator. Storytelling is one such area, as while The Sims has some interesting families with surprisingly complex lore, players are largely free to come up with their own stories. Because of this approach, games like Consume me on Steam can offer similar mechanics but much more thoughtful and impactful stories.
To be clear, Consume me does not give players access to a character creator where they design their own role, nor do they build their dream houses. Instead, they control a specific character in a darkly humorous coming-of-age story. It is semi-autobiographical and addresses real-life topics that many teenagers have to deal with, such as dieting, eating disorders and being bullied due to fatphobia. So while Sims-like management mechanics will prove addictive, and the unique, hand-drawn artwork can make players laugh, Steam users can expect Consume me to have a serious message beyond that.
Per Consume mes Steam page, the game costs $15. Alternatively, it can be purchased alongside the Titanium Court game for just under $23.
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Consume Me features at a glance
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Experience a fun and emotional story with 13 different endings.
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CHOOSE what to do, as you are on a tight schedule with limited time and can only get so much done each day.
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DRESS protagonist Jenny in clothes that act as upgrades with special abilities and must be restored by washing.
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SOLVE puzzles while doing basic tasks like eating, as players must keep Jenny fed without overfeeding her.
Did you feel stupid, fat, lazy and ugly in high school? Well, I did…but at least I made a life simulation RPG about it!
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Consume Me Pulls No Punches with its take on high school life
IN Consume meplayers take control of Jenny, a character directly inspired by the experiences of developer Jenny Jiao Hsia. The premise of the game is to represent how much being a teenager can suck, with the goal of making a painful experience as manageable as possible for the main character. With Jenny feeling pressured by her parents, fellow students and society in general, it will be no easy task. Similar The Simsplayers must keep track of Jenny's hunger, but doing so is more difficult. Due to her self-image issues, players can easily find themselves overeating or undereating, and must choose when and what to eat carefully (leftovers can be given to Jenny's pet dog, however).
While the puzzle-like eating mechanic obviously has a big role to play, which is to be expected given the game's title, Consume me has more to offer from a mechanical point of view. There are mini-games for exercising, getting Jenny ready in the morning, dog walking and shopping. Players will do chores to earn money, with the goal of giving Jenny a glow-up and helping her land the guy of her dreams. Even when she lands the date, however, she has to make sure she doesn't lose her partner's interest.
All of these mechanics become hectic when factoring in Jenny's daily schedule. Due to her schooling, she only has so much free time to spend each day, with players needing to choose what they do in those gaps (drinking coffee can increase Jenny's speed and give her more free time, but it costs money). Essentially, Consume me utilizes a calendar system which Persona series, which is a great way to make players feel more involved in the role-playing process for a young person. Add in a stupid gear system – players can boost stats and gain useful abilities via certain items of clothing, which only work for a day and need to be restored by washing – and it's clear that Consume me really nails the life sim vibe.
Consume Me Pulls No Punches with its dark comedy
From a hand-drawn art style that bounces between cuteness and being intentionally ugly to a mini-game that prompts players to fill out bubble sheets during their SAT, Consume me has a lot of charm and is sure to make players laugh often. Still, while its take on high school life is humorous, the game also has its fair share of commentary. Through its 13 different endings, Consume Me is ready to tackle ideas like the effects of fatphobia on a young adult, whether what young people obsess over really matters, and more. Whether or not one has struggled with eating disorders, Consume me should serve as a necessary wake-up call about how cruel people can be and why society needs to change, which is something that would never be seen in The Sims.
