‘InZOI’ Is Like ‘The Sims’-Lite, and for Someone Like Me, That’s Exactly What I Want (Hands-on Impressions)

From its inception, many thought InZOI would be The Sims killer. But in a world where games can coexist side by side, I think it would be more fitting to call InZOI a complementary piece next to the veteran franchise. While never formerly comparing itself to The Sims, this Korean life simulator bears many striking resemblances to it at first glance, but as I peeled away at the admittedly gorgeous surface layer, I found a game that was more suited for a slower playstyle. InZOI is still a work in progress, but it’s an impressive one at that. And it feels like this may be the life simulator for me.

Creating an Zoi in inZOI — Screenshot: Shaun Cichacki

In-Depth Character Creation Helps Everything in ‘inZOI’ Look Fantastic

One of the first things players will do in InZOI is create their Zoi. This process allows players to get incredibly in-depth, allowing them to shape their Zoi in any way they so desire. For this part, seeing as I don’t have the patience for it, I handed over the reins to my wife and let her go wild with it. And by the time she was done, we had two fairly close representations of ourselves. Now, it was time to get invested and ready to go.

Videos by VICE

The biggest sales pitch about InZOI that had me interested was the fact that I could take direct control over the Zoi of my choice. Using the WASD keys, I could walk around the bustling suburban city and into many buildings. Once inside, I could do things for my mental and physical health. Walking to a park would let me work out using a variety of different machines. Going to a Karaoke bar or gaming cafe would let me play games and just enjoy myself. And it’s a genuinely gorgeous city to explore.

But some parts of the game are a little confusing, but can be fixed via patches and updates. Needs are often given but without much further detail. My Zoi, for example, wanted a gourmet burger. So I went to different restaurants in town, trying to find a burger. By the time I finally found a place, that need was gone. Maybe some ideas as to where we should go, as well as how to accomplish the goals, could help players struggling to locate specific items. At the same time, that could take away some of the excitement of exploration.

Playing a game at the Game Cafe in inZOI — Screenshot: Shaun Cichacki

The Flow of Time Is Cruel and Slow in ‘Inzoi’, and I’m thankful for that

One thing players might need to watch out for is the slow pace of InZOI. While it’s been a while since I’ve religiously played The Sims, I always remember that game moving rapidly. On the other hand, InZOI is quite slow in comparison. And depending on who you are, this could be the best selling point, or the most annoying thing possible. Certain parts of the game were frustrating in that regard. The time wouldn’t start automatically accelerating if I went to sleep unless it was after Midnight. And even then, it still went rather slow compared to other life-simulation games.

It gave me time to explore the world around me. Enough time to make a freshly cooked meal and enjoy the animations. Time to chat with random people in the park. This slower pace was a Godsend. I could let my Zoi live out their life on a second screen while I didn’t want to be in control. They’re smart enough to live their own life, even if they did tend to greet people sarcastically a little more often than I would have liked them to. But even then, a broken friendship is easy to mend in InZOI. Daytime is when this slower pace is welcome.

Speaking of conversations, some of the options are WILD. Speaking with someone I just met, I could carry on the conversation like a normal human being. Or, I could go completely off the rails and tell them that my life is being monitored by a cat. I’m glad that InZOI isn’t afraid to get weird and meta with itself, meaning that I could lead the most normal or bizarre life I wanted. And that’s not even the weirdest part of it all.

Driving a Hyundai branded car in inZOI — Screenshot: Shaun Cichacki

The FUture is Brought To You By Hyundai, Samsung, And LG in ‘inZOI’

Oh yeah, baby. We’ve got product placement here. It doesn’t matter if I want to hit the road and cruise in my new Hyundai. Or if I wanted to deck out my house with the latest gear from LG or Samsung; they’re all here, and it’s unabashedly hilarious. Maybe that’s where part of the budget came from, and how the game can look as good as it does for an Early Access release. Maybe they just wanted to instill a few “real world” brands into this alternate reality. But regardless, I can’t help but laugh a little bit at how out of place some of this stuff is. Thankfully, they’re not any more expensive than the “in-game” brands on display.

But, one thing I’m not exactly a fan of is the fact that there is a ton of generative AI used in InZOI. There’s a 3D Printer object that I could use to create basically anything I wanted, even if the AI model wasn’t exactly the most accurate. Making AI Actions, including emotes, means I could drop an MP4 of the Griddy from Fortnite and watch my Zoi doing that. It feels like the future, but I’m not sure where I stand on it just yet. I’m typically against the idea of AI in games. But since InZOI is trying to mirror real life, maybe its inclusion could have a proper use? I don’t know, something about it doesn’t sit right with me just yet.

Still, I can’t hit the Griddy in The Sims, so that’s at least one good use of AI, right? Right? I guess it’s better than charging for a swimming pool…

While it May Not Be ‘The Sims’ Killer That Some Folks Wanted, It’s Still an Entertaining Game With Room To Grow

There are a lot of interesting things going on in InZOI, and as long as you’ve got the PC specs to power this Unreal Engine 5 life sim, you’re going to have a good time. My wife isn’t an avid gamer by any means, but I’ve had a very hard time peeling her away from my PC so I could test out InZOI. She’s been a fan of The Sims for many years, and this still found ways to surprise even her.

You expect growing pains, especially with a game that requires as much of an undertaking as InZOI. Right now, it’s in a pretty commendable spot, especially for its asking price. There are some Quality of Life features I’d love to see added in the future, but as it stands? It feels like a single-player MMO in all the right ways. If we got a multiplayer feature, this could be that return to something that feels like PlayStation Home I’ve been dreaming about for years.