A free virtual world to explore
IMVU is a free online game where you create an avatar and enter chat rooms, discover open spaces, and share clothing with friends and other players. There are a wide variety of ways to interact with other people. This title also has a great customization menu with options for hair, attire, tattoos, and more.
A full suite of options for your unique character
When you download IMVU, there are a few options you go through before you start. The first task you have is to select a gender. Next, you scroll through different outfits for your top, bottom, shoes, and accessories. The menu system is smooth and easy to navigate. Once you’ve made your choices, you can link your Google or Facebook account, and you’re ready to explore.
Just like in Second Life, the gameplay revolves mostly around social interactions. Many of these are locked behind microtransactions. However, you can sift through quirky emotes and poses for free. The first two you can unlock are the high-five and handshake. Others appear in different areas you enter.
Your primary method of interaction is via chat rooms. The variety is astounding, and they’re out of this world, both literally and figuratively. You can fly through space, dance on the beaches of Ibiza, or share a special moment in a glamorous city while you spark friendly conversation with others. The possibilities are endless because players create many of these maps.
Rooms and interactions
Different chat rooms contain unique player interactions. These emotes, dances, and chat options are available to all players. This skips the paywall for free players, so they can join in on the fun. This title offers more freedom than most other games with its map creation and the ability to link emotes to them.
Every room you can join has different locations that you can click on. These are the focal point for player interaction. You can move your character when you select these yellow dots. You zoom and pan around each area with your mouse and use configured or default hotkeys to quickly access different actions.
How does IMVU support chat?
When you meet people that you enjoy conversing with, you can add them to your friend list. You can join different types of rooms. These involve private and public locations. Your added contacts can join your private locations to avoid interruption from other players. If you need to find someone, you can use the name checker.
Wonky controls
Where games like Roblox, a multiplayer game where you can socialize, have a common control scheme by keyboard, IMVU is limited to movement with a mouse. In fact, you have to click to specific locations and cannot roam freely. This is a negative aspect of this title and definitely needs improvement.
Does IMVY offer customization options?
There’s an economy in this game for creators and interested buyers. If you sign up for creators, you can design and sell your merchandise to other players for in-game currency. The average person, however, will mostly set out to buy products. For this, you can enter the marketplace and browse many different styles of attire.
Clothing is a hallmark of this title. However, character customization doesn’t end there. This game has everything you need to stand out among other players. It boasts an extensive set of skin colors, tattoos, earrings, glasses, hats, watches, wristbands, and more. Different colors are available for fingernails, eyes, makeup, and lip gloss.
It’s important to note, though, that there are quite a few options blocked behind a paywall. This is the IMVU VIP system. This is far from a pay-to-win title, however. You can unlock many different pieces of attire through free actions and over various periods. The currency grind is tedious.
Where can you play IMVU?
You can play IMVU on PC, Mac, and many browsers. You don’t have to worry about losing any progress because it saves in the cloud and links to your account automatically. It runs well on an average piece of hardware, and the browser version is pretty limited.
A unique chatting adventure
If there ever was an application with a smooth interface, easy-to-use set of features, and great customization, this is it. Overall, only a few issues are worth critiquing in a sea of many positive highlights. The IMVU site has all the details you need to get started, and the download is fast and simple.
In the latest update, the developers added a few new features. There’s a new set of clothing options as well as unique accessories. They’ve released previously paid options and made them free for all players. There are also new options for map customization.
