The Sims Labs: Town Stories brings another spinoff of the hit life sim to mobile, now in soft launch

• The Sims Labs: Town Stories is a new release now in soft launch from EA and Maxis
• It takes the Sims formula and adds a dash of SimCity-style citybuilding
• Meet and interact with other Sims, while uncovering new events, stories and goings-on in Plumbrook

With the release of The Sims Labs: Life Together, I can't be the only one who wondered about the title. Well, it seems now we have an explanation, with the soft launch of a brand-new release under the branding of The Sims Labs! This time, however, the focus is shifting with Town Stories, where you're not only managing a family of Sims but a whole town.

Currently available on iOS and Android in Australia, the Philippines and South Africa, Town Stories sees you taking on the job of reviving the ailing town of Plumbrook. You'll still be able to create your own Sims, customise their home and all the other mainstays of the franchise, but there's also a greater focus on meeting existing characters.

Characters, that is, like Bella Goth (who'll be familiar to longtime Sims players), Ms Nichola Vogue or Gizmo Cogspin, all of whom have their own roles in the town. And not only that, but their own stories to discover too!

Don't be a gossip

Yes, secrets, drama and other juicy gossip are a major focus of Town Stories too. It's not hard to see where Maxis and EA have gotten the inspiration for Town Stories, what with it seeming like every merge or match puzzler over the past few years.

Where it does stand out, though, is including classic Sims-style gameplay, and the introduction of SimCity-style town building that lets you design your version of Plumbrook as you renovate and restore it. While Life Together has had more of a muted response, this seems a much more potent release that we'll hopefully get our hands on soon.

In the meantime, if life is getting you down, why not jump into the life sim genre? We've ranked the best mobile games like Stardew Valley for our picks of releases, just like that modern classic.