The Secret History of the Specter Family in The Sims 4: Life and Death

The Sims 4: Life and Death reintroduces the Specter family to the town of Ravenwood. Its matriarch, Olive Spectre, was one of the most iconic residents and early characters of The Sims 2. Rumors circulated that she was a mass murderer, an obsessed stalker, or a deranged inmate. It was up to players to discover the truth or help the Specters bury these secrets along with any enemies. The Sims 3 touched even more on the life of a younger Olive, raising her son, Nervous Guy, alone but not out of sight of the Grim Reaper.

The Sims the franchise doesn’t have the tightest continuity or most realistic gameplay without mods. Although I try to follow themes and ideas, specific events can be contradictory. Between each game, characters may disappear, backstories may change, or a Sim’s age may be entirely different. The current state of the Specters in The Sims 4 It may fit into the existing story, but not perfectly. It’s best to think of all stories as “what if” scenarios which can be changed at any time.

The Sims 3 – A Killer Black Widow

A glimpse of the past

Although the Specter family first appeared in TS2the third title serves as a prequel where many Sims are younger or haven’t even been born yet. The Specters were part of the Midnight Hollow DLC world a gothic-themed horror city released near the end of TS3life cycle. It was already late enough to The Sims 4 Easter eggs could be found in some objects, which continued in TS4 referencing games like Baldur’s Gate 3.

At this point in TS3Olive Specter is an adult who lives with a nervous child. Buried in his residence are the tombs of Ichabod Spectre, Hugh Thanasia and Rigger Mortisall of Olive’s ex-husbands. Many believe she killed them, while others think it was a ploy by the Grim Reaper. Either way, this led to a meeting between the two and an unlikely union – Nervous could very well be Grim’s illegitimate son.

Olive’s life is more open in TS3. She begins to know only her son’s nanny and the local postwoman. Maybe you’ll introduce her to one of your neighbors, as engineer Nathan Watts, a combination of James Watt and Nikola Tesla. YouTuber Plumbela tracked down aspiring chef Kara Carter and began a romance with Olive.

A Nordic Detour

Another piece of the puzzle is found in a second DLC world from TS3, Aurora Skies. Among the Swedish-inspired cities is Cup familyled by couple Bjorn and Gundrun, along with their children Loki and Erin. Although their lives are simple now, Loki will one day become the Specters’ undoing and part of their downfall.

A potentially important third part of this story is the Curious Twinbrook family. Taking place even earlier in the timeline than Midnight Hollow, players can encounter the Notzo Curious child in The Sims 3: Ambitions. At the time of TS2Notzo has passed away, but his four grandchildren – Lazlo, Pascal, Jenny and Vidcund – either detest Loki Beaker or are close friends with the Nervous Guy.

The Sims 2 – The Eccentric Family Fortune

A possible future

The story of the Specter family continues in TS2 world of Strange City. Olive, now elderly, lives with her teenage niece, Ophelia Nigmos. The bodies of Ichabod, Hugh and Rigger were also brought and stored in the garden. At some point, Olive gained a fourth suitor named Earl E. DeMise, but he too died suddenly. The Specters are the richest family, having almost ten times the wealth of anyone else. Still, that doesn’t stop Ophelia from worrying that everything is lost.

On the other side of town are Loki Beaker and his wife Circe. At some point before TS2social workers kidnapped Nervous Subject and turned him over to the Beaker family, possibly under the original care of Bjorn and Gundrun. However, Loki and Circe were nothing but abusive towards Nervoussubjecting him to dangerous scientific experiments to further their careers.

Time is running out for Olive and Nervoso to reunite, with the former dying of old age if it takes too long. Olive can leave a successor, similar to wills in The Sims 4: Life and Death. Normally it’s up to Ophelia to save her cousin or leave him trapped. You could use the existing connection with Jenny to awaken the Curious’ hatred for Loki and mount a rescue. It’s also possible to suck up to Erin or find the ghosts of Bjorn and Gundrun to punish their evil son.

The Sims 4 – A chance at redemption?

Their fate is not yet sealed

The Sims 4: Life and Death takes place shortly before the events of Strangetown. Olive is still an adult, but Nervous Guy is a teenager. He also goes by “Nyon” this time. Olive is engaged to Layne Coffin, a rich and successful musician. Ophelia can be downloaded from the Maxis Gallery account, although she has no relationship unless you use mods or cheat codes in the game. The Sims 4.

Now it’s up to you to decide what happens next to the Specters. You could take Nyon down his biological father’s path and send him along the Reaper career. Or kill Layne, leading to Strangetown’s fortune. Regardless of the path taken, there is enough freedom The Sims 4 to make a unique story for the Specters and the rest of Ravenwood.

Source: Plumbela/YouTube