The Sims 4: Life & Deathreintroduces the Specter family into the town of Ravenwood. Their matriarch, Olive Specter, was one of the most iconic residents and starting characters inThe Sims 2. Rumors swirled that she was a mass murderer, obsessed stalker, or crazed recluse. It was up to players to either find out the truth or help the Specters bury those secrets along with any enemies.The Sims 3further touched on the life of a younger Olive, raising her son, Nervous Subject, alone but not out of the sights of the Grim Reaper.
The Simsfranchise doesn’t have the tightest continuity or mostrealistic gameplay without mods. While it tries to follow themes and ideas, specific events can be contradictory. Between each game, characters may go missing, backstories could change, or the age of a Sim may be entirely different. The current state of the Specters inThe Sims 4can fit into the existing history, but not perfectly.It is best to think of all the storylines as “what if” scenariosthat can be altered at any point.
The Sims 3 - A Murderous Black Widow
A Glimpse Into The Past
While the Specter family first appeared inTS2, the third title serves as a prequel where many Sims are younger or not even born yet.The Specters were part of the DLC world Midnight Hollow,a horror and gothic-themed town released near the end ofTS3’s lifecycle. It was late enough thatThe Sims 4Easter eggs could be found in some objects, which continued inTS4referencing games likeBaldur’s Gate 3.
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At this point inTS3, Olive Specter is an adult living with a toddler Nervous.Buried at her residence are the graves of Ichabod Specter, Hugh Thanasia, and Rigger Mortis, all Olive’s ex-husbands. Many believe she killed them, while others think it was a ploy by the Grim Reaper. Either way, it led to an encounter between the two, and an unlikely union — Nervous might very well be Grim’s illegitimate child.
Olive’s life is more open-ended inTS3. She begins only knowing her son’s nanny and the local mailwoman. Maybe you’ll introduce her to one of her next door neighbors,like the engineer Nathan Watts, a combination of James Watt and Nikola Tesla. YouTuberPlumbellatracked down aspiring chef Kara Carter and started a romance with Olive.
A Nordic Detour
Another piece of the puzzle is found in a second DLC world ofTS3,Aurora Skies. Among the Swedish-inspired town is theBeaker family, headed by married couple Bjorn and Gundrun, along with their children Loki and Erin. While their lives are simple now, Loki will one day become the bane of the Specters and part of their downfall.
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A third potentially important party in this tale is theCurious family of Twinbrook. Occurring even earlier in the timeline than Midnight Hollow, players can find the young toddler Notzo Curious inThe Sims 3: Ambitions. By the time ofTS2, Notzo has passed away, but his four grandchildren — Lazlo, Pascal, Jenny, and Vidcund — either loath Loki Beaker or are close friends of Nervous Subject.
The Sims 2 - The Eccentric Family Fortune
A Possible Future
The Specter family’s story continues in theTS2world ofStrangetown. A now elderly Olive lives with her teenage niece,Ophelia Nigmos. The bodies of Ichabod, Hugh, and Rigger were also brought along and stored in the garden. At some point,Olive gained a fourth suitor named Earl E. DeMise, but he also suddenly perished. The Specters are the richest family, having nearly ten times the wealth of anyone else. Still, that doesn’t keep Ophelia from worrying that it will all be lost.
The Sims 2did not have a young adult life state. Instead, the “adult” life state ranged from high school graduates to the end of middle age. This makes it harder to pinpoint events and exact age differences of characters.
Across town, is Loki Beaker and his wife Circe. At some point prior toTS2, social workers snatched Nervous Subject away and delivered him to the Beaker family, possibly under the original care of Bjorn and Gundrun. However,Loki and Circe have been nothing but abusive to Nervous, subjecting him to dangerous science experiments to further their careers.
Time is running short for Olive and Nervous to reunite, with the former dying of old age if you take too long. Olive can leave a successor,similar to wills inThe Sims 4: Life & Death. It typically falls to Ophelia to save her cousin or leave him trapped. You could use the existing connection to Jenny to rile up the Curious’ hatred towards Loki and mount a rescue. It is also possible to curry favor with Erin or find the ghosts of Bjorn and Gundrun to punish their wicked son.
The Sims 4 - A Chance at Redemption?
Their Fate Is Not Yet Sealed
The Sims 4: Life & Deathtakes place a bit earlier than the events of Strangetown. Olive is still an adult, but Nervous Subject is a teenager. He has also goes by “Nyon” this time around.Olive is engaged to Layne Coffin, a successful and rich musician. Ophelia can be downloaded from the Maxis Gallery account, though she has no relationship unless you use mods orcheat codes inThe Sims 4.
Now, it is up to you to decide what happens next to the Specters. You could take Nyon down the path of his birth father andsend him along the Reaper career. Or kill off Layne, leading to the Strangetown fortune. Regardless of the path taken, there is enough freedom inThe Sims 4to make a unique story for the Specters and the rest of Ravenwood.
