InZOIhas a lot of unique features that not many players expected to see. While there is still a long way to go for the game, it’s nice to see the gaming straying from the formula laid down byThe Sims.
EA’s franchise has stagnated so ifThe Simswants to do better, it should take some features thatInZOIhas.
10InZOILets Players Go to Jail
The jail feature inInZOIintroduces an interesting gameplay mechanic that could make playingThe Simsmore realistic. Right now, when Sims misbehave, the only real consequences are that other Sims might not like them as much, or they might miss out on certain opportunities. It’s one of the reaons thatInZOImay be the game you’re looking for.
InZOI’s system takes things further by adding a real, physical punishment: jail time. If a Sim does something bad enough, like repeatedly destroying property, stealing, or being violent, the police will step in, arrest them, and send them to jail for a set amount of time.
While in jail, a Sim wouldn’t be able to go to work, maintain relationships, or do any of their usual activities.InZOI’s system lets Sims sleep, eat, and take care of basic needs while locked up, but they don’t get any extra benefits or special activities during their sentence. Since jail time is only temporary, it doesn’t ruin the game by being too harsh, but it still makes players think twice before having their Sims break the rules.
9Non-DLC Jobs That Let You Work in Them
InZOI’s career system is a big step up fromThe Sims’ usual “rabbit hole” jobs, especially when looking at the base game DLC. Many Sims players feel annoyed by how little they can do while their Sim is at work. Right now, the workday is boring. Your Sim leaves home, and the game fast-forwards until they come back with money. However, you never get to actually play out what happens while they’re on the job.
8Zois Can Drive Functioning Cars
Adding working cars toThe Simsgames, like the system inInZOI, would make the game more fun and realistic. InInZOI, players can buy different cars, change how they look, and pick between automatic or manual driving.
This gives players more control, letting them go on road trips and explore, making the game feel bigger than just staying on one lot. Being able to drive manually makes the game feel more realistic. Crashes can happen, too, which makes driving feel more risky and realistic.
7There Are House Presets to Choose From
TheInZOI"House Preset" feature makes owning a home much easier, and this kind of system would be a big improvement forThe Simsgames. Right now,The Simsplayers either have to spend a lot of time building a home or get stuck with an existing house to fix up. This can be annoying, especially for players who care more about playing the game than spending hours on construction.
InZOI’s solution gives players a set of ready-made houses, sorted by style and size, that can be placed on any empty lot right away. This removes the boring work of building or remodeling, letting players quickly fill their neighborhood with different kinds of nice-looking homes. When a player picks a preset house, they get all their money back for the cost of the lot itself. This means there’s no risk if they change their mind or want to try out different house styles.
6Players Can Make Their Own Animations
Making your own animation inInZOIis pretty flexible and lets players design custom animations for their Zois by using pictures or videos. This is a big improvement overThe Simswhich offers nothing like it. Players have to stick with the animations that are already in the game.
InInZOI, players can take a full-body image of a single person and turn it into a still pose or use a video to make a short animated gesture. This gives players a much higher level of personalization thanin The Sims, where players are stuck with a small set of pre-made animations and gestures.
5Walking With WASD Around the Town
WhileThe Simscan teach your more than your college degree, it can’t teach you to use WASD. TheInZOIfeature of WASD movement is a significant upgrade toThe Sims' traditional point-and-click locomotion. Currently, Sims navigate their world with a somewhat clunky system that often feels restrictive and unnatural. The direct control afforded by WASD keys allows for smoother, more intuitive movement.
The Sims 2on consoles used to have a similar feature where players could effortlessly guide their Sims through environments with the controller. For some reason, that’s gone.
4Bring Create-A-Style Back
The Create-A-Style feature inInZOIlets players customize clothes and colors in ways thatThe Simsgames don’t.The Sims 3had a very similar feature, but it was removed inThe Sims 4, probably because it let you do whatever you wanted without DLC. If this feature were added back intoThe Sims, it would make the game much better.
InInZOI, players don’t have to stick with the default clothing options; they can change colors using a full-color wheel, tweak the shade, intensity, and brightness to make any color they want. This detailed control also works for patterns, letting players design their own styles or even upload their own pictures to use as repeating patterns on clothes.
3InZOIHas a Karma System
TheInZOIkarma system is an interesting feature that could make playingThe Simseven more engaging. InInZOI, every Zoi has a personal karma meter that changes based on what they do. Being kind and helpful raises karma while being mean or breaking the law lowers it.
A Zoi with high karma might get more help from others, get better job offers, or even get random good luck. On the other hand, a Zoi with low karma could be ignored by others, miss out on opportunities, or even get arrested. This used to be a big feature inThe Sims 3on consoles, but it is nowhere to be found inThe Sims 4.
2Longer Days Than Sims' Short Sprints
InZOIlets players make in-game days much longer than inThe Sims, which has several big benefits for the franchise. InInZOI, players can choose how long a day lasts, whether 48 minutes, 90 minutes, 4 hours, or even a full 24 hours in real-time. This gives players much more control over how fast or slow the game moves. One of the biggest complaints aboutThe Simsis that time passes too quickly, making it hard to enjoy everything the game has to offer.InZOIfixes this problem by letting players slow things down.
With longer days, players can take their time and really get into the game. They can enjoy small moments, carefully plan their Sims’ daily routines, and watch events play out over a longer period. This makes the game feel more real and helps players feel more connected to their Sims. Longer days also make character growth feel more natural.
1Altering City Elements Easily
InInZOI, players can easily change many parts of the city, which is a big improvement over how city customization works inThe Sims. InInZOI, there’s a special menu where players can use simple sliders and selection tools to quickly adjust how the city looks and works. They can change the weather (sunny, cloudy, rainy, or snowy) and even control how strong the weather effects are. They can also decide how much greenery appears in the city, choose which animals show up more often, and add fun decorations, like huge inflatable pandas.
Another feature lets players control how clean or dirty the city looks, affecting things like trash on the streets or broken-down buildings. They can even personalize billboards by adding their own pictures or videos, making each city feel one-of-a-kind. Right now,The Simsdoesn’t have this kind of quick, city-wide customization.
If EAadded these features to a newSimsgame, it would completely rejuvinate the series. We’ll have to wait and see how the company responds toInZOI’s success.
