InZOI will release in Early Access on March 28, 2025. A newcomer to the life sim genre, InZOI will include all the features that have become staples of life sims, including a character creator, build mode, jobs, life stages, relationships, and an in-game messaging system. InZOI released a demo of its character creator in 2024 to an overwhelmingly positive reception.
With its hyperrealistic art style, different life stages, and a completely different personality system to its closest competitor, The Sims 4, InZOI has a chance of establishing itself as a leader in the life sim space. InZOI allows players to create individuals, called “Zois” in-game, with a variety of customization options and features. There are enough customization tools to make countless Zois look physically very different from one another, but another important part of life sims is the amount of personality and individualism that is possible.
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What is the Enneagram System?
The Sims 4 have personalities based on traits that the player chooses for them from a list. Sims can also gain additional traits through gameplay. The Sims 4‘s base game has a set of traits, but players can add more traits to their game with add-on content and The Sims 4‘s Reward Events. The unique combination of individual traits results in a Sim with a personality that sets them apart from everyone around them.
InZOI‘s personality system will be completely different from The Sims 4. Instead of being made up of a combination of individual traits, a Zoi’s personality appears to be based on the Enneagram system. The Enneagram is a personality-tying system that classifies personalities into nine interconnected personality profiles. Enneagram typing typically uses a main profile, then one or two wings, or subtypes, which add nuance to an individual’s profile.
Using Personality Typing in Creative Mediums
Enneagram personality typing is widely considered a pseudoscience, but it’s useful in creative pursuits such as storytelling. In character creation, using personality profiling such as the Enneagram or MBTI can be a great way to build a personality for a new character. It’s also a good way to predict how a character will behave within a story. In a life sim game like InZOI, where storytelling is a popular gameplay style, establishing a personality is a vital feature.
InZOI’s Trait System Explained
InZOI‘s character creator specifically uses two wings for each of the nine Enneagram types, with eighteen personality types in total. While they are inspired by the Enneagram, with similar personality profiles and structuring, a Zoi’s personality profile is not identical to the Enneagram.
The InZOI traits are:
- Expert
- Explorer
- Adventurous
- Entertainer
- Mediator
- Dreamer
- Socialite
- Go-Getter
- Authoritarian
- Leader
- Collaborator
- Safety-Conscious
- Perfectionist
- Social Activist
- Volunteer
- Charmer
- Artistic
- Individualist
Each of these traits comes with its own description, keywords, values, and key characteristics. Some of these characteristics are not necessarily positive, which results in a more balanced Zoi. For example, an Adventurous Zoi often feels excited, is passionate, and is often cheerful. However, when they do get bored, that feeling tends to persist than Zois who have a different personality type.
The Drawbacks of this System
Using the Enneagram for InZOI‘s personality system is a great way to create Zois that are balanced and feel real. Eighteen personality types may not be enough, however, and more may need to be during InZOI‘s Early Access, especially as players are unable to mix and match personality traits.
