Includes “freaky new features” like ghost hunting and costume shops

Oct 27, 2012 23:51 GMT  ·  By

Electronic Arts is out with a new update for avid players of The Sims FreePlay, the Sims experience that you can play for free on your iPhone or iPad. Highlights include all-new costumes, ghostly challenges, and exclusive characters.

As EA’s first-ever supernatural update, The Sims FreePlay 3.1.0 brings ghost hunting, which has players collecting 12 ghosts by November 12 to unlock the LIMITED EDITION Haunted House.

You can now build a costume shop in your Sims town and try out some new spooky outfits that EA threw in, or erect a Competition Center to “let your Sims prove their merit in karate, ballet, or ghost hunting.” Here your Sims will also earn Lifestyle Points, Simoleons, and XP. But only if they win.

Other new features include Sim-eating plants, cooking fires, and exclusive cameos, such as “Anchovy” the cat from Bejeweled Blitz, and the “Conehead Zombie” outfit from Plants Vs. Zombies.

The game is compatible with all iDevices that support iOS 4.1 or later, and it’s a universal build, which means you’ll download one app for all your devices.

The developers recommend that you play on iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPad, iPad 2, iPod touch 3 (3rd generation) or iPod touch (4th generation). Anything newer than that is even better, of course.

Electronic Arts is also careful to point out that “This all-new experience of The Sims is designed for play on iOS devices and is not connected to our Facebook game.”

Finally, you’ll need  an Internet connection to play - WiFi or cellular. If you’re on a fixed data plan, better choose the former.

EA doesn’t seem to have taken a interest in the 4-inch display of the iPhone 5, so don’t expect it to show in full-screen on the newest Apple smartphone.

 The update also includes “critical fixes to address stability and frame rate issues,” according to the developers.

Download The Sims FreePlay iOS (Free)