There wasn’t anything quite likeThe SimsuntilInZOIshowed up. It promises a life simulation experience with an impressive amount of customization options, meaningful interactions between the player and the various NPCs, and a needs and wants system, all just like inThe Sims. Fortunately,InZOIdelivers on almost every front, offering a truly comparable experience toThe Simsin a perhaps surprising move. It is also cheaper, at least when one factors inThe Simsmany expansions, which is a huge plus.
InZOIis already very popularwith fans ofThe Sims, garnering impressive reviews from critics and players alike. It is great news, especially as the game is in Early Access and, therefore, has plenty of room to grow and add in any requested features. However, as amazing asInZOIis,it has one inherent flaw that it can’t really change, which could spell its downfallor, at the very least, make getting its foot intoThe Sims-sized door a little harder.
InZOI Beats The Sims In A Lot Of Ways
It’s A More Customizable Experience
It does bare mentioning just how goodInZOIis and how, in many ways, it isbeatingThe Simsat its own game.InZOI’sridiculous amount of customization, from the character creator to building a home, is incredibly impressive and by far the highlight of the entire experience so far. That’s not to say that the relationship mechanics and intricate AI working behind the scenes aren’t great, but thatInZOI’sgreatest strength, especially overThe Sims, is its robust customization options, which add a significant amount of longevity to the experience.
It is also a truly open-world experience, allows players to directly control their Zoi, has a lot of clothing and furniture options, the ability to implement your own designs as well as have AI cook up a new one, and so much more.The Sims 4features some of this but still manages to fall behind, despite being over 11 years old at this point. Additionally, being in Early Access also meansInZOIis constantly updated, with the developers promising a slew of new features that, if executed well, would drastically improve the game.
InZOI’s Visuals Are Too Graphically Intensive
Its Requirements Are Very High
However,InZOI’smajor flaw undoes a lot of its amazing accomplishments, at least for a certain group of players.InZOI’sridiculous graphical requirementsare so high that even some high-end PCs are struggling to run it. While it does admittedly look incredible and significantly better than its direct competition,InZOI’sabsurd PC requirements make it completely unapproachable for those on lower-end computers. While it’s hard to say just how manySimsplayers have powerful PCs, one has to imagine that the cozy gaming community typically plays on less impressive hardware.
inZOI Has Just Stolen The Steam Wishlist Crown From None Other Than Hollow Knight: Silksong
The upcoming life sim inZOI just topped the Steam charts as the most wishlisted game, stealing the position from the highly anticipated Silksong.
Cozy games are by nature not demanding experiences, both mechanically and graphically. They tend to skew towards pixel art or stylized visuals overInZOI’sphotorealistic aesthetic. As a result,cozy gamers have never needed to upgrade their hardware, at least not to the extent thatInZOIrequires. That could be to its detriment, especially as a large portion of people who actively want to playInZOIare within that cozy community. It is easily one ofInZOI’sbiggest problemsright now, but it also isn’t one that can be easily fixed.
The Sims Is More Approachable For Cozy Fans
It’s Easier And Simpler To Run
If there’s one way in whichThe SimsbeatsInZOI, it is in its accessibility - well, aside from the ridiculous cost of buying all ofThe Sims 4’soverpriced DLC.The Sims 4may not look as good asInZOI, butthe fact that it still is playable on lower-end PCs gives it a significant advantage over it. While cozy gamers may consider upgrading their PCs in the long run to eventually be able to playInZOI, for now, those who’ve hung onto their less-powerful laptops or PCs as they didn’t need anything better will miss out on it.
While fancy visuals are certainly a drawcard for some, and many would like to see a more realistic life-sim, cozy games rarely, if ever, feature such intensely realistic visuals.
It makes one question whyInZOIlooks as good as it does. While fancy visuals are certainly a drawcard for some, and many would like to see a more realistic life sim, cozy games rarely, if ever, feature such intensely realistic visuals.This focus on photorealism could end up hurting InZOIin a way that perhaps developer inZOI Studio wasn’t expecting. It is possible that cozy gamers do all have powerful enough rigs, or InZOI Studio manages to lower the requirements. It remains to be seen, but I believe thatInZOI’svisuals will be a barrier to entry for many.
