inZOI, a life simulation game being developed by Krafton, was unveiled for the first time at G-Star 2023.
The life simulation genre, made famous by EA's "The Sims" is a genre that hasn't been explored by Korean game companies before. Interest in the game was so high that the queue to try it was over three hours long. Many users even described it as a "K-Sim.” We were lucky enough to try out InZOI at the event.
Because it's made with Unreal Engine 5, the graphics are arguably the best in the genre. When I first created my character, Zoi, I was able to customize my first and last name, temperament, and appearance. You can also add family members, but no children, just a married couple or a domestic partner.
There are five temperament options: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and emotional stability, each of which is further subdivided into five or six categories. Selecting one of these will activate your temperament as you age and your personality develops.
The appearances are preset and customizable, and there's even an item for creating outfits, with looks ranging from young to old. You can also apply your own face with facial capture.
Once you've created a Zoi, you'll need to decide where she'll live. In the trial version, I had two cities to choose from. After that, I could choose a house from options that varied in price and size, depending on the type. The interiors of the houses were also of a realistic quality.
Once the game starts, your Zoi begins to take on a life of her own. Since players are the God in the game, you can tell her what to do, or you can change her settings to automatically fulfill her needs. As her needs gauge fills up and she becomes satisfied, her emotional state changes.
Movement can be done with a keyboard and mouse, and the view supports both quarter and solder views. There's also a free viewpoint, but it loses all UI. The screen is photorealistic by default, but it also supports various filters such as cartoon, black-and-white film, screentone, pixelation, fisheye lens, notes, posterization, and stardust.
Zois live human lives and can experience birth and death, marriage and childbirth, as well asd a variety of professional activities. They can also form relationships with other Zois. As modern humans, the Zois have smartphones, which they can use to communicate with other Zois and perform other activities.
Because God is omnipotent, he can do many things: he can change the passage of time, the weather, and the shapes of cities. There's also actor and crowd editing, but it isn't possible in the demo, and city editing is in the works, with billboards, trees, grass, cat populations, crowds, city stability, and more. Of course, you can customize the interior of your house, and there's a huge selection of furniture - but you have to pay for it.
After a quick playthrough, I can say that “inZOI” has the potential to revolutionize life simulation games. As it is still in development, only a few things have been fully implemented, but the foundation has been laid. I'm looking forward to seeing how it develops further.
김태만 기자 ktman21c@gamevu.co.kr