Artem "Artem" Noiman
If you dreamed of a fresh perspective on the life simulation genre, then inZOI promises to be the very competitor to The Sims we’ve been waiting for. The game delights with photorealistic graphics, flexible character customization, and advanced construction. However, behind its shiny exterior lie some oddities: characters sometimes behave like robots, and there are fewer events in their lives than an office clerk’s schedule.
Let’s figure out what in the game truly impresses and what still needs refinement.
Technical state and graphics
Many players note that the graphics feel like "The Sims on steroids" thanks to the high-quality textures and animations. If you have a powerful PC, the visuals will please the eye, but owners of weaker machines will encounter unpleasant freezes and long loading times.
Image: reddit.com
But the main problem is bugs. For example, in early versions of the game, you could accidentally run over a child with a car, and the AI sometimes gets stuck in walls or freezes in place. The developers have already fixed the most glaring errors, but minor bugs such as "dancing" objects or frozen animations still appear.
Another issue, apart from high hardware requirements, is very poor optimization. Even if your system meets the game’s requirements, you may still experience occasional hangs and crashes.
Character editor
This is the true killer feature of this game. You can customize literally everything: from the shape of the nose and the curve of the eyebrows to the walk and even the manner of speaking. Players note that the level of detail rivals the best role-playing games—unlike The Sims, which, although flexible, still has its limits. In inZOI, you can create a character who looks like a real person (or, if you prefer, like the main hero of an anime).
But the most interesting part is setting up the character’s personality and psychology. In addition to standard traits, there are more than 400 mental characteristics available that influence in-game behavior. You can also choose a character’s orientation and gender, but according to user reviews, this system currently works incorrectly in the game world, and surrounding NPCs are heterosexual.
Image: reddit.com
The only thing some users criticize is the relatively small number of clothing sets compared to The Sims 4. However, the fine-tuning of each detail minimizes this drawback.
Artificial Intelligence (Smart ZOI AI): brilliant or just stupid
One of the main features the developers advertised for inZOI was the Smart ZOI AI system—an artificial intelligence technology supposedly making characters "alive." They should respond to their environment, remember events, build relationships, and even change behavior depending on the situation. Sounds cool, right? But in practice, it wasn’t so seamless.
Players quickly noticed that characters sometimes behave… strangely. For example, one user shared a story where his character, suffering from a panic attack, suddenly decided to do yoga. Or how about gifting your girlfriend a rock as a romantic present? The in-game AI considers that an interesting decision. At least it’s creative.
Image: reddit.com
Even the Smart ZOI AI itself often generates somewhat strange text in its responses. One user reported that it forbade another character from coughing.
Image: reddit.com
Gameplay and life simulator
The developers of inZOI promised the most realistic life simulator—with careers, relationships, emotions, and shifts in worldview. However, the gameplay turned out to be too predictable: a lot of routine and not many surprises. Though the game offers impressive freedom in choosing a profession, realistic everyday details, an advanced needs system, and even karma, its world still feels too rational and static.
Image: reddit.com
Players complain about the lack of spontaneity—if you want something to happen, you always have to initiate it yourself. NPCs act in a formulaic way, and actions begin to repeat quickly. In addition, frequent breakdowns and repetitive scenarios reduce engagement. If the developers add more vibrancy and variety, inZOI could truly reveal its potential. Although characters do sometimes show initiative and creativity.
Image: reddit.com
Construction and interior design
Here, you can not only change walls and floors but also create furniture from scratch, including the ability to upload a photo of a favorite chair, which the AI will turn into a game object. The flexibility of the settings is impressive: lighting is realistic, surfaces can be customized, and interior design can be detailed down to the smallest elements.
However, this system also has a downside. The interface feels overloaded—especially for beginners—and the starting furniture catalog is still modest. Furthermore, players encounter bugs: objects can get stuck in the air, and characters do not always interact correctly with the environment. The potential is huge, but without further refinement, the editor seems raw.
Image: ensigame.com
Should you play inZOI now
If you enjoy fiddling with character editors, building houses, and experimenting with customization, inZOI can already captivate you. But if you want a lively, eventful life simulator, it currently feels unfinished. The developers promise to fix the AI, add more random events, and improve social mechanics, so in a few updates, inZOI might become the game that life-sim fans have been waiting for. For now, it’s a promising yet undercooked experiment that will either grab you or quickly bore you.
Main image: ensigame.com
0 comments