Several packs were focused on linear adventures. While they could be a fun romp the first time, going through them again with another family was more about farming skills and aspirations.
This plagued,, and. It seems like EA has learned its lesson and has stopped making such narrow-focused packs. Or, if there is a linear goal, there are enough side activities to delay or ignore the former. An example of retaining some linear aspects but making them optional comes in .
While there is a nudge to conquer the treacherous Mt. Komorebi climb, players can leave that until they have already mastered the climbing skill.
In the meantime, they can explore festivals, learn to ski, or relax at an Onsen. It does help that this was marked and priced as a full expansion pack, while the other examples were smaller game packs.
The included worlds of Selvadorada and StrangerVille can be fairly fun to visit and explore on their own. Batuu is a bit more restrictive with the ever-present theme, but can also work as a short trip. These places have interesting NPCs Sims to meet, skills to build up, and things to bring back to the main town.