Inzoi vs The Sims: All similarities and differences explored

Inzoi is the latest addition to the life simulation genre. Developed by Inzoi Studios and published by Krafton, the game revolves around building your custom character called a Zoi and exploring the open world. It is a title that seems to compete in the life-sim genre against another IP that has dominated the category for some time, The Sims.

This article explores some similarities and differences between both IPs.

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Similarities between Inzoi and The Sims

1) Creating a custom character

Both games feature a robust character creator (Image via Krafton)

A major element of both the games is to create a custom character and control how they interact with other characters and their surroundings. This taps into the role-playing concept, where players essentially live a virtual life in a somewhat grounded setting where they can control all the factors. This allows them to experiment with the game or just have fun playing as a particular character.

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2) A focus on social interaction

Both games put an emphasis on social interaction (Image via Electronic Arts)

The main focus of these game is seeing how your created character dynamically interacts with other NPCs. Players are not just limited to one character but can also create families. Each person can then branch out into the outer world and create new relations, follow a career path, explore new surroundings, or just simply create chaos.

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3) Open-ended gameplay

Both games drop players in a neighbourhood or a city (Image via Krafton)

Life-sim is the genre of both titles, and they don't have any linear paths. They instead drop you into a vast sandbox and let you follow any destination you like. As such, these aren't concentrated experiences with defined goals and are instead treated like living a second life.

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Differences between Inzoi and The Sims

1) Graphics and Artstyle

Environments and houses in The Sims 4 (Image via Electronic Arts)

The Sims features more cartoonish and stylized visuals. Characters can often look like clay models. The color palette is vivid and saturated. While it may be a bit too stylized for some players, it helps create a unique identity for the game, where even otherwise unrealistic elements like the Grim Reaper fit in neatly.

Inzoi, on the other hand, features high graphical fidelity and follows a more grounded art style. This also includes the clothing trends or the architecture that better follow modern times. This is a great aesthetic choice that allows players to get further immersed in the life simulation.

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2) Camera Angles

The latest life-sim title still uses isometric angles to showcase your Zoi inside buildings (Image via Krafton)

The Sims games feature an isometric angle as the main field-of-view in the earlier games, while its fourth mainline entry added finer controls. In the titles, the camera often acts like its own entity, separate from the character. This helps create an overhead birds-eye view of all the characters and their interactions with the surroundings.

On the other hand, Inzoi features a more closed-in camera that is usually attached and moves with the character's body. It is great for finer character control and suits the more realistic direction of the game.

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3) Interaction with the open world

The developers are still releasing expansion packs for The Sims 4 (Image via Electronic Arts)

The Sims games aren't graphically intensive titles, but that also means how the players interact with the world of the game feels limited when compared to its competition. While there is a ton of content to explore in the game, when it comes to experiencing unique and varied interactions with the world, The Sims gets left behind.

Inzoi, being a newer and more graphically intensive title, includes numerous unique interactions that add variety to the gameplay. Players can sit on roller coasters, play basketball, go to a fair, etc. However, when it comes to the amount of content and pure replayability, it cannot beat the years of work Maxis has put into The Sims IP.

Honorable Mention: Players who want to try a life-sim game can download The Sims 4 base game for free (but the majority of its content will lie in the DLCs), while Inzoi carries a $39.99 price currently.

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Check out our other guides on the Krafton life-sim:

• Does Inzoi have multiplayer?
• All career options in Inzoi
• How to get a job in Inzoi