You know how the old saying goes: you wait 25 years for a The Sims competitor and then three come along at once. Lo-fi delight Tiny Life is already out in early access, and cosy contender Paralives arrives later this year. But first, there’s South Korean development giant Krafton’s InZoi – an ultra-slick, mega-budget spin on the classic life sim formula that mostly seems to be selling itself on its seamless worlds and glossy, photorealistic looks – but is that enough to usurp the genre king? Based on a half dozen hours or so with the game, I’m not so sure.
On paper, mind, InZoi ticks all the right boxes. There’s little new here, admittedly, and even less in the way of fresh ideas – apart from perhaps a poorly explained city wide karma system I’m still struggling to understand. But it’s a generous, slickly produced package that feels far more like a successor to Maxis’ ambitious, much-loved The Sims 3 than the official sequel series fans eventually got. It’s there in inZoi’s seamlessly traversable worlds, even if the scale of its spaces versus its scant few meaningful points of interest – a shop, a library, a café, perhaps – means the novelty quickly wears off. And it’s there in InZoi’s extensive customisation options: virtually every item can be reimagined with player-defined colours, patterns, and materials; public areas can be furnished and remodelled just as effortlessly as homes, and even city streets can be given a more personal touch, switching out flora, billboard displays, night-time celebrations, and seasonal decor. If anything feels like an ace up InZoi’s sleeve it’s these impressively granular customisation options, and the thrill they’re likely to bring to more creatively minded players.
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And yes, InZoi is undoubtedly a looker, albeit in a blandly nondescript sort of way. As the sun gleams off the towering ultra-modern skyscrapers and trim, tree-lined streets of downtown Dowon, or slowly bathes the beaches of Bliss Bay with golden hues as the day draws to a close, it’s hard not to be a little bit dazzled by its Unreal Engine 5 powered stab at photorealism. It creates a far more grounded mood that immediately sets InZoi apart from its peers. And while it’s an aesthetic that’s unlikely to withstand the technological advances of a decade in the same way The Sims 4’s more stylised approach has, there’s an air of Rockstar-like verisimilitude to InZoi’s lavishly constructed worlds that helps create a convincing backdrop of life – especially when you’re directly controlling your Zois at ground level.