I grew up playingThe Sims- namely, The Sims 2 and The Sims 3 at launch - so I understand how bare-bones these games could feel without that big stack of additional expansion discs installing one after the other. Who could even live without The Sims 2 IKEA Home Stuff pack?
So whenInZoilaunched in Early Access, I was eager to take a look at it. I know you’ve read the title, and so to preface any further assumptions: I do like InZoi. I have no issue with the game itself, and I can’t wait to see how it evolves and grows over time.
That said, it definitely needed a little more time to cook.
13 Hours In, And I’m Not Doing Much
I don’t want to sound like an entitled white man in this industry - we all know there’s enough of those - I can still appreciate the approximately 13 hours I’ve spent playing this game already; I’m not seething, wallet in hand, screaming to the gods that I’ve been well and truly bamboozled. I’m just excited for this game, and so I kind of wish I were still anticipating it rather than playing it.
Bamboozled. Good word. This is my job, btw.
There’s a lot to the foundation of this game, and it works well, all things considered. That’s more than can be said for a good number of Early Access titles, so I don’t have any doubt around the development studio for this one in particular. The character creation is impressive, easily rivalling The Sims 4 - as well as numerous other in-depth creators - and I spent a couple of hours playing around with that alone.
But after that, once I was set off into the world, I fell a bit flat.Part of it is my own tendency of isolation with games like this, but it’s a bit too bare-bones to continue playing at this point, even in just the day-to-day life simulation that it manages to pull off.
The Maps Were An Important Thing To Get Right, Too
One of my biggest disappointments - and we’ll use that word loosely - was with the maps. They’re good, but there’s not much going on. There are three areas to choose from, with a third ‘coming soon’. I’ve played around with both of the available ones so far, but in each, I found that the locations and activities - and honestly, life - are just a bit empty. It doesn’t help that you are currently unable to travel between these maps, either for visits or permanent residence.
There are some cafeterias, workplaces, or even the Santa Monica Pier-esque fairground, but after a quick look around, I’d seen it all. There’s not a lot to do or places to visit; There’s not a lot of life to actually live. I just ended up in a cycle of home maintenance, eating, and working.
Actually, that’s pretty accurate to real life.
Either way, I’m excited to see where this game goes next and how it looks even a few months from now. I don’t dislike it; I’m a fan, but I wish we had longer to anticipate it while the devs continued working on the foundation a bit more, so that we could have had a launch with more longevity.
