InZOI: City Builder in Disguise?

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Many players who enjoy life simulation games have warmly welcomed the Early Access of InZOI. It sold an impressive one million copies within its first week, and has received a very positive average rating from reviews on Steam. One reason InZOI’s launch has created such excitement in the community is that it represents the first game to provide significant competition for The Sims 4 in a genre where many games find it challenging to thrive.

While InZOI shares characteristics common to life simulation games, it also possesses elements that could position it as a contender in other genres. In this game, players assume the role of an intern at AR COMPANY, a company specializing in virtual reality overseen by cat deities. As part of their training, players are granted control over a city and its residents. The customization options for cities within InZOI suggest that it could challenge other games in the city-building genre.

InZOI’s Playable Cities

InZOI shares some characteristics with The Sims 4, like managing characters’ needs, a Build & Buy mode, character customization, and gameplay aspects such as marriage, employment, education, and death. However, InZOI offers unique features that set it apart from The Sims 4. One of the key differences is its karma system, which influences not only the player-controlled Zois but also the entire city’s dynamics.

In the game InZOI, you can explore and play in two distinct cities: Dowon and Bliss Bay. Dowon takes after Seoul in its design, while Bliss Bay resembles Santa Monica along the coast. Despite their similarities, these cities exhibit noticeable differences, particularly in their architectural styles. Dowon is characterized by a dense urban landscape filled with towering skyscrapers, whereas Bliss Bay presents a more suburban vibe.

In the game InZOI, players can personalize each of its cities in various ways. While it’s not yet possible to alter the city buildings, there are still numerous customization aspects available. At present, players can manage factors such as sanitation levels, fire prevention rates, maintenance schedules, safety measures, health standards, dream frequency of residents, types of local fauna, and maximum resident population limits.

InZOI’s City Customization

These adjustable options significantly alter the visual aesthetic and gameplay dynamics of every urban center. Setting the sliders at lower levels might give a city a desolate, post-apocalyptic vibe, whereas higher settings create a utopian environment. The karma system, which is affected by the inhabitants’ behavior, is another key factor that can reshape reality. If the populace performs good deeds, the city’s karma rating rises, but bad actions lead to deteriorating karma levels. Although the full implementation of the karma system is still under Early Access, future updates are planned to include ghostly entities and the possibility for more new residents, including babies, to join the city.

In a departure from conventional life simulation games, the variety of city customization options in

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2025-04-11 01:33