When it comes to life simulation games, Maxis’The Simsis probably one of the first franchises that come to mind. First launching over twenty years ago,The Simshas had four mainline entries over the years and an abundance of DLCs and expansion packs that have added everything from pets and fancy furniture to universities. After almost a decade, EA Maxis has finally confirmed thatThe Sims 5is in development, and fans are excited to see what this next chapter will hold for the series and what long-running mysteries it might finally solve.
Toward the end of last year, the developer revealed an early glimpse ofThe Sims 5, codenamed “Project Rene”, and assured players that this would be an ambitious and fresh look at the series' formula. Although players will still have a while to wait before they can get their hands on the finished game, that hasn’t stopped gamers from imagining whatupdates the developer will bring toThe Sims 5. Although revitalizingThe Sims' formula is a welcome change, some players hope that the next game doesn’t forget about narrative threads that have been woven through the games all the way from the first entry in 2000, like the saga of Bella Goth.
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The Sims Lore Behind Bella Goth
It might surprise some to think thatThe Simsis a franchise that has its own lore, and although it might not be very abundant or apparent, it’s still there for those that look for it. The main gist of the games is for players to create their own characters, family dynasties, and increasingly elaborate houses and neighborhoods, but there are also narrative foundations on which they can build their own stories on. In previousSimsgames, pre-made families in each of the neighborhoods can have their own backstories and interconnections that help provide background color.
This manifested in interesting ways, like the Romeo and Juliet parallels in Veronaville inThe Sims 2between the Capps and the Montys, but one consistent character has been Bella Goth and her increasingly complicated personal history. Bella is one of the most iconic andrecognizable Townies inThe Simsgames, but she varies wildly in each installment she appears in. In the first game, she’s a married mother, inThe Sims 2she’s missing from her original neighborhood and turns up in Strangetown, and inThe Sims 3Bella is just a child.
Bringing Bella Back For The Sims 5
The variousSimsgames have jumped around on the timeline, as players can see from Bella’s changing age and life stage, withThe Sims 4presumed to be on an alternate timeline completely. Fans will probably expect to see some connection betweenThe Sims 5and the series' previous installments, and Bella is the obvious choice to facilitate this.The Sims 5may followThe Sims 4and set itself apart, or it could be a prequel of sorts and feature Bella and other fan-favorite Townies' predecessors, but the last game could finally answer the question about Bella’s complicated past and disappearance.
Fan theories have flourished sinceThe Sims 2, with speculation around potential murder suspects, time travel, or even alien abduction. The fact that Bella turns up in another neighborhood and claims that she was taken by aliens seems to confirm this theory, but there areEaster eggs and secrets related to Bellalittered throughout numerous games like the gravestone bearing her name inThe Sims 3’s Lunar Lakes.The Sims 5has the chance to finally solve the many mysteries surrounding this character once and for all, and it would be a fitting way to tie the upcoming entry to the previous titles as well.
