Summary
If you’re a fan of life simulation games, then chances are thatThe Simsis likely one of your favorite series. The first game in the series was released in 2000 and, since then, EA has released multiple titles and updates to keep players hooked.
Despite that, fans are always on the lookout for games to try that offer something better or more. A worthy rival forThe Sims 4is Krafton’sInZoi. The game has many elements that are better than The Sims 4 and may be just what the doctor ordered if you’re tired of buying countless expansion packs.
9Narrative
The Sims 4
InZoi’s approach to the narrative and character interactions is significantly different from The Sims 4. The Zois is InZoi are made to be more realistic, but at the end of the day, they feel fake and mechanical. For instance, the Zois want to continue to follow their set schedule regardless of how they feel. Things are too set and rigid, which makes the game bland because there is no spontaneity.
The Sims 4, on the other hand, feels more natural because the Sims act and react in a way that doesn’t look forced. The Sims show emotions when needed, which adds more depth to the narrative. This difference may be because InZoi uses AI to generate many things and that may cause the Zois to react more like a computer than a human simulation.
8Immersion
InZoi
InZoi has many things that let you completely immerse yourself in the simulation game. You can manually drive the car that you personally choose according to your preference. Relationships matter more in the game and your karma dictates how other characters interact with you. InZoi is so immersive that you shouldn’t be surprised if you spend over an hour just customizing your character.
The Sims 4, in comparison, keeps you confined to a specific location without seamless travel in the game’s world. The character interactions also feel less intimate than they should be. Time moves significantly faster in The Sims 4 compared to InZoi, which makes it harder for you to properly immerse yourself. Your character could be a toddler learning their first steps and then dying of old age in just a couple of real-world hours.
7Content/Support
This is one of the most important elements players consider when comparing games and The Sims 4 wins without a doubt. EA hasreleased countless expansion packsand DLC for the game to ensure you don’t get bored and have new things to try. If that’s not enough, the community also supports the game and there are aplethora of modsyou can use to better or modify your gameplay.
InZoi lacks expansion packs and mods, so you will have to play the game as-is. The base variant is nice, but when you compare it to the beefed-up The Sims 4 it will feel lacking really quickly. However, if you want to purchase every The Sims 4 expansion pack,the bill will stack up real soon.
6World Design
Krafton has managed to awe people with the amount of customization it allows in InZoi’s world-building. For instance, you can select how poor or rich your world is and how much and what type of vegetation is common there. You can create a world in InZoi exactly how you want by changing almost any imaginable aspect.
If that’s not enough, you can access the world completely and traverse around it by walking or driving your car. This is a stark difference from The Sims 4, which features a neighborhood system instead of a proper open world. In The Sims 4, you can only load specific lots, and the game utilizes a sandbox system. You must manually select and load into different sandbox areas every time you want to travel.
5Gameplay
Tie
A noticeable difference between InZoi and The Sims 4’s gameplay is that the former has an open world, and you don’t have to manually load different areas. Another change is that you may manually drive your vehicle or use public transport to travel within the in-game world. This may seem like a small thing, but in a simulation game, these things add up and make the experience better.
The Sims 4 excels in its character development by providing better interactions between the Sims and household members. InZoi lacks in this department and the relationships feel too forced because of the presets. The Sims 4 handles children better by developing and aging them more appropriately. InZoi’s children’s age progression system is too volatile, and you can’t teach your baby basic things like crawling or walking.
4Build Mode
Krafton has done great work with the build mode in InZoi. There are presets that you’re able to use, or you can manually build everything according to your preference. For instance, you can buy a fully customized house, or you can purchase an empty one and then design it however you want.
This isn’t knocking on The Sims 4’s sandbox, which is significantly more intuitive and user-friendly. The Sims 4’s sandbox building has few limits, and you can practically tear everything down to rebuild, but it lacks the detailed customization offered by InZoi. This is why, if you want to play interior designer and customize every minor thing to your liking, InZoi takes the cake.
3Performance/Optimization
The minimum specifications required to run The Sims 4 are significantly lower than InZoi, and you should be able to play with a steady FPS even if your PC isn’t too high-tech. The Sims 4 is more optimized for lower-end hardware, which is why the game performs better than InZoi.
InZoi requires a higher-spec PC if you want high performance. With a minimal or more humble PC, you will notice the performance starts to drop. To tackle this, you may need to make sacrifices by lowering the game’s performance, graphics, and other settings to make up for your lack of hardware shortcomings. If you want to get top performance, then you’ll have to invest in better hardware.
2Graphics/Realism
This is a no-brainer and InZoi easily wins in the graphics department compared to The Sims 4. Not only are the characters extremely lifelike, but InZoi also makes the world look beautifully real. From as small as the cars on the road to your home in the game, everything feelslike you’re in the real worldand not playing a video game.
In comparison, the characters of The Sims 4 feel bland and lack the customization that makes InZoi’s characters more realistic. The interactions in The Sims 4 feel exaggerated compared to the more sophisticated approach of InZoi. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as The Sims is known for cartoonish interactions between characters and giving players the freedom to do anything they want. However, if you want realism, then InZoi takes the cake.
1Verdict
InZoi is Krafton’s response to things you may have wanted to see in The Sims 4. The developer doesn’t want the game to become a rival to The Sims but manages to bring a beautifully crafted game that is arguably better than the competition. If you want a more realistic simulation game that allows you to customize almost all elements of the in-game world, then InZoi is the clear winner.
There are things The Sims 4 does better, but overall InZoi may impress you enough for you to make the switch. Krafton has shown its seriousness in making the gameplay betterby releasing updatesand, with continued improvement, the game should only get better. Ironically, this is one of the most liked and disliked things about The Sims 4, as expansion packs increase the longevity of the game but also increase the amount you must spend to own them all.
