Irina "Zemlia" Sukhanova
The long-awaited release of the life simulator arrived on March 28, something millions of players had been eagerly anticipating. Many expected the game to "kill" the two-decade-old The Sims franchise even in its early access phase. Let’s see if the Korean developers succeeded, and my inZOI review will help with that.
Character Editor
Image: ensigame.com
We won’t dwell here too long, as I’ve already covered customization in detail in another article.
I’ll say that I really liked the editor, as did many other players who immediately began recreating various celebrities, characters from movies, games, anime, and so on.
Last time, I mentioned the AI that generates textures; now, there’s a neural network that creates any emotion based on a picture. However, it doesn’t quite work correctly yet—I requested a blowing kiss, but the title made my character kneel instead. I think the developers still have some work to do here.
Life Simulation
Image: ensigame.com
Now, let’s look at the most important part, since inZOI is, after all, a real-life simulator.
Considering the game wasn’t in development for too long and the title is only a few days old, it turned out decent overall—but it’s boring. That said, I’m speaking as someone who’s been playing The Sims for 20 years. For a new player, it might be quite interesting.
Personally, I’ve been having fun in build mode and creating outfits in the character editor, as the actual simulation hasn’t been particularly enjoyable for me.
But again, this is just early access, and I have no doubt the developers will polish their ambitious project. Still, let’s take things one step at a time.
Economy
Image: ensigame.com
This is one of the most important elements for me (and, I think, for many other players too). At the start, you’re given way too much money, which, in my opinion, ruins the economy. Items are too cheap—you can even buy a car right away. There’s also nothing meaningful to spend money on. As a result, the only reason to work is to buy a new house, which, frankly, isn’t very motivating.
I hope this gets adjusted soon and that the early-game economy was intentionally made this way so players could explore everything freely.
Cities
Image: ensigame.com
Only two cities are available so far, with a third coming later. The cities are undeniably beautiful and realistic. I liked both locations—they’re especially stunning with seasonal changes. Detailed environments, great graphics, and well-implemented lighting make you want to stroll slowly through the streets and take in the sights.
However, everything feels too empty: there are few Zoi around, no additional interactions, and the events are dreadfully boring because there’s nothing to do. You can’t even eat at a restaurant.
From what I understand, this is still in the works. The developers gave us a preview to admire, but I’d still add a few more activities to make exploration more engaging.
Autonomy
Image: ensigame.com
Autonomy is handled well here. I ran an experiment, leaving my character unsupervised for a full in-game day. In the end, my heroine took care of herself: she ate, slept, cleaned, used the computer, attended an event, and admired paintings (since she’s a creative type). In short, she didn’t die—and that’s what matters.
Karma
Image: ensigame.com
Each time, the helper cat will remind you that your character needs to improve their karma. Your character can be either good or bad, and this will affect their karma. It’s not a reputation system but rather a choice: either you take the light path or the dark one.
Be careful with this, because bad deeds can leave your Zoi as a ghost after death, forced to settle unfinished business. It’s a great deterrent against playing as a complete jerk.
Interactions with Other Characters
Image: ensigame.com
New players will find plenty of interactions here. Unlike The Sims, the characters don’t have annoying, exaggerated gestures or erratic emotions—though there are still some emotion-related quirks, noticeable even during character creation, but that’s just inZOI’s style.
Still, you can not only talk to characters but also text them via phone—even while driving, which is a nice touch.
The game constantly suggests potential partners, which gets a bit irritating since literally any Zoi of the opposite sex can become the love of your life, as the game heavily implies.
Driving
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I’ve separated this into its own section because many players loved the fact that characters can finally drive. You can do this in either third-person or first-person view. As I mentioned earlier, cars are cheap, and the starting budget is enough to buy one. Alternatively, players can use a money cheat, which I covered here. Car-sharing might be added in the future.
Goals and Wishes
Image: ensigame.com
The virtual characters here also have their own goals and desires. It’s worth indulging their whims because you’ll earn special "meow" rewards, which can be exchanged for donuts. What’s the deal with the donuts? Remember the various potions in The Sims—like the love elixir or weight-loss potion? Here, tasty donuts serve the same purpose.
You can also choose a life goal for your character (e.g., "dreamer") and gradually work toward it. Pay attention to the special circle meter, which shows how capable your Zoi is of performing certain actions at any given moment.
Image: ensigame.com
The more you satisfy your character, the better their mood becomes.
Schedule
Image: ensigame.com
Another feature I don’t consider bad overall. You can set a personal schedule for your character to follow. Some things can be turned off, like those intrusive events your hero is always eager to attend at any hour.
Interface
Image: ensigame.com
Now we come to the interface, which many found unintuitive or even confusing. I admit it took me a while to figure it out (and I’m still learning), but I wouldn’t call it inconvenient.
Players need to click around a lot to find the right section or information. Many even struggled in build mode, though there’s a search function that works perfectly when you type in a keyword.
Character Control
Image: ensigame.com
New players might find this normal and understandable, but longtime Sims fans won’t be thrilled. My feelings are mixed—now, instead of clicking, you move with WASD.
The upside: it makes you feel more connected to your character and their life, fully immersing you in the simulation.
The downside: if your character is sleeping, eating, or using the toilet, pressing WASD will make them drop everything. This keeps happening to me because I instinctively try to move the camera like I do in The Sims.
Smartphone
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I’ll also separate this into its own section because a big part of your virtual characters’ lives revolves around their phone.
It includes a city map, bills, contacts, food delivery, service orders, secondhand sales, and, of course, careers.
There are several professions to choose from: game designers, lawyers, firefighters, journalists, teachers, celebrities—pretty standard stuff. Interestingly, each has specific requirements, so you might even get rejected. For now, it’s only based on age, but skills will likely factor in later.
Career
Since we’re on the topic, let’s dive deeper into careers. One key feature is full career control.
You must guide your character through their workday via a task system: once you arrive at the office, a to-do list appears with tasks to complete before a set time. For example, an agency intern must do two dance rehearsals, strength training, vocal practice, study production materials, and change into a uniform.
If you complete everything, the work performance meter fills up, and you’ll get promoted in a few days. This is a major difference from The Sims, where self-improvement drives promotions. Here, you just need to do your job.
Bugs
Since this is early access, bugs are expected—many of which occur because players don’t meet inZOI’s hardware requirements. Some try running the game on weak systems and then complain about constant lag.
However, there are also typical early-access bugs: characters getting stuck, unloaded textures, walking through objects, food disappearing during cooking, and more.
It’s a bit frustrating, but the developers are actively fixing issues. For example, they patched a bug where cars could run over children—a great sign that they listen to players, unlike certain others who still haven’t fixed basic FPS issues in 11 years.
Neural Network
Yes, I’ve mentioned this before, but it deserves its own section. This game makes excellent use of neural networks! Textures, emotions (which improve if you upload a video), a 3D printer… About the last one: the items aren’t as polished as expected, but many players have already created masterpieces—furniture, toys, and even 18+ objects.
Canvas
Image: canvas.playinzoi.com
This isn’t directly tied to gameplay, but I’m in love with Canvas. It’s an official platform where players share their creations: built houses, rooms, custom characters, and clothing. The best part? You can download and add them to your game. I’ve been doing this myself, and it’s heartwarming to see people enjoy my creations!
Just browsing, you’ll find thousands of player-made works—each deserving admiration.
System Requirements for inZOI
Image: ensigame.com
Let me be clear: this is a demanding project. I’ve covered the system requirements in this article.
From the start, inZOI was called a Sims killer. Is it really? Well, in some ways, it already surpasses its rival: stunning graphics, realism (no more cartoony style), an impressive character editor, built-in AI, and more.
But in many areas, the Korean life simulator still falls short, so EA can rest easy—for now.
However, even in its current state, inZOI has won over thousands of players worldwide. Once mods arrive, the game’s competitiveness will only grow. I’d say EA should pay close attention and finally fix their own game—otherwise, winning back fans will be extremely difficult.
Main image: ensigame.com
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