Julia "Yuuki" Guzairova
InZOI is a recently released game from Krafton, which many have dubbed the killer of the famous predecessor from EA, The Sims. After the title entered early access, players began criticizing it for focusing too much on the visual side, while, as it’s said, leaving no room for the soul. Let’s compare inZOI with its competitor and see if this is truly the case.
Image: ensigame.com
Character Creation
Character creation in The Sims 4, for example, was ahead of its time and offered users a vast selection of customization options, including tattoos. During character creation, Sims would play around, making faces and displaying incredible facial expressions available in the game. Fans loved spending hours in the editor, creating the exact Sim they wanted to play, or uploading them to the gallery for other players, in case they had created characters resembling celebrities.
Image: ensigame.com
In inZOI, things are a little different. Certainly, the world of 3D is constantly evolving, and many things that were unavailable in The Sims are now possible in Krafton's title. For example, the game can capture your camera feed, and Zoi has learned to mimic your emotions. If you open your mouth, the character will mimic you; if you wink, it will do the same. However, it's fair to say that this mode is not perfect, as automatic character creation from a photo is still unavailable, unlike how it works with the Unreal Engine.
While players enjoyed the character creation in Sims, in inZOI, the process feels like an ordinary routine, and many of the features available in the game seem like mere checklist items created for the sake of it.
Image: ensigame.com
Game World
The worlds in The Sims always had their own unique charm: some cities were fairly empty, but with updates and new features, the game became better and more engaging. Locations were gradually filled with new characters, and players could form not only new friendships but also create love stories or even entire harems of lovers.
Despite the abundance of graphics and the presence of new control elements, it's hard to say that there’s anything in inZOI that significantly sets it apart from The Sims. Сharacters still have an endless supply of food and can cook whatever they want without ever needing to visit a supermarket. Due to the vast number of empty houses, the city often feels like deserted, abandoned districts with nothing to do. Yes, we still have the option to visit amusement parks and parties, but does it feel special?
Image: ensigame.com
It gives the impression that we are in a world where graphics take center stage. Unfortunately, when it comes to gameplay and the variety of activities, the developers either seem to forget about them or leave it up to the players to figure it out themselves.
Character Relationships
Relationships in The Sims were never anything extraordinary. It was the usual clicking through emotions and achieving your goal, especially if you wanted to become a werewolf, turn into a mermaid, or even donate blood to a vampire. However, what was most striking was the unpredictability. Fights were a regular occurrence, and death was nothing that could surprise anyone.
Image: ensigame.com
When there is no unpredictability, and only kindness exists — doesn't it feel boring to live in such a world? This is the question players ask themselves in inZOI. Despite the stunning graphics, as mentioned earlier, the locations feel empty. The friendly atmosphere and the inability to stir up any trouble make the world feel artificial, taking away the very restlessness that made The Sims so beloved.
Perhaps in future updates, the developers will add something of their own, but for now, this world seems little more than just another artificial product created to generate profit.
Image: ensigame.com
InZOI is a game with enhanced graphics in a daily life simulation mode, which recently exploded within the gaming community. Unfortunately, despite all the advantages of the game, at the moment it cannot be said that the project from Krafton is one where the soul has been poured in, or a game players can return to in order to find refuge and peace from their everyday troubles. However, perhaps everything will change with future updates. What do you think about the new life simulator?
Main image: ensigame.com
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