It's a mix of a sandbox game and a life simulation game and the sims4 feels right now much more of a sandbox game. I think that there is too much focus on stuff, and not enough focus on gameplay. That's why I'm not sold on kits for example, the sims4 needed more development during all those years.
It's slowly getting better, but so, very slowly. I hope that they are looking into ways that they can add more gameplay when they are designing packs in the sims4 if they want this game to continue for many more years, otherwise the sims4 will just be a big dollhouse in the end and people are gonna feel no difference living in a house in britain or egypt because the gameplay is the same.