InZoiis a life sim made by South Korean studio KRAFTON. Ademo ofInZoiwas recently released for a limited period, which featured its character creator. While only available for a limited time, it was enough for players to get a grasp on the mechanics, graphics, and tone that KRAFTON is going for withInZoi. The demo received a largely positive reaction, andInZoiseems on track for a late 2024 release.
InZoi’s genre as a life simulator draws comparisons to the dominant life sim on the market:The Sims 4.The Simsseries offers a very different art style toInZoi’s, in that it’s highly stylized and cartoonish, rather than hyperrealistic.Project Rene’s character creator hasn’t been released yet, and the art style for its Sims could lean toward either more stylized and cartoonish or realistic. Cartoonish and stylized art styles stand out more and tend to age better than hyperrealistic games, while realistic games often translate to better graphics and interest.
The Different Options for Project Rene’s Character Creator
The veryfirst game inThe Simswas released in February 2000, when video game technology was not good enough to reach the level needed for a hyperrealistic art style. Instead, the series adopted a more cartoonish style that it retained throughout its sequels. Although much of the art style changed overThe Sims 2,The Sims 3, andThe Sims 4, the developer leaned into the cartoon art style, rather than attempting to move away from it.The Sims 4has a very distinctive art style, with simple shading and blocks of color, and is even more removed from any semblance of realism.
Project Renehasn’t revealed its character creator or too much of its art style yet. Modern game engines can now accommodate more realistic art styles, andProject Renecould embrace a more realistic style likeInZoi’s, which has already received a positive reception from those who played its demo. Hyperrealism also means a high level of graphical fidelity, which is often a draw for players.
Changing the art style forProject Renewould also help set it apart fromThe Sims 4, which will still be supported whenProject Reneis launched. With two ofThe Simsgames available side-by-side, it would be useful to have a distinct identity thatProject Renecan own.
The Drawbacks of Hyper-Realism in Project Rene’s Character Creator
However, hyperrealistic graphics also have their drawbacks. The art style can age quickly, and it can be difficult to form a distinct visual identity. AsProject Reneis a game in a series, it would also be odd to have such a dramatic departure in art style from previous games inThe Sims, as none of the previous games were hyperrealistic. While adifferent art style would distinguishProject RenefromThe Sims 4, having it stand completely apart from the other games inThe Simsand be unrecognizable as aSimsgame would also not be a good thing.
Hyperrealism also has limitations for character creators, as it runs a greater risk of entering the uncanny valley. The uncanny valley happens when something looks close to human, but something feels off. As character creators allow adjustments to important facial features such as the eyes, nose, and mouth, it’s very possible to create characters that look unsettling. A lot of effort would need to be put intoProject Rene’s character creator to avoid the uncanny valleyif it were to adopt hyperrealism.
