This creates meaningful tension. In version 1.24.2, the balancing act has been fine-tuned to be challenging but fair. You will fail sometimes—your child might be upset that you missed a recital, or a date might sense you are too distracted. That failure, however, feeds back into the narrative, making eventual success much sweeter.

The story follows a protagonist (often customizable by the player) who, after a divorce, moves back to the house he grew up in. The core premise revolves around "starting over" (hence the title).