AI: The Somnium Files: Review
Players familiar with the series Zero Escape, know how talented the screenwriter is Kotaro Ochikoshi (Kotaro Uchikoshi). Creator of amazing 999 and wonderful Virtue’s Last Reward stumbled a little Zero Time Dilemma, completed the trilogy and left many questions unanswered, but it was still interesting what this crazy Japanese would offer next time. All his stories are filled not only with memorable characters, but also with unexpected twists — largely because Otikoshi writes stories from endings to introductions. Here we go AI: The Somnium Files will leave the same vivid impressions as Zero Escape.
The case will be solved
Like the screenwriter’s previous creations, the new product is a mixture of a visual novel and a puzzle adventure. However, they did not completely copy the structure — differences from Zero Escape there are plenty here, and many of them are related to the protagonist’s occupation. He is a detective who visits the scene of every crime, communicates with the accused and their acquaintances, and also uses modern technology, with the help of which it becomes much easier to get to the truth. Sometimes the game reminds Ace Attorney (even the music is sometimes similar), only there is no inventory with dozens of pieces of evidence, and the case does not come to court.
The plot begins in an amusement park, where the corpse of a woman was tied to a horse on one of the carousels. Detective Date, who became the main character, arrived there with the boss (that’s what her name is throughout the game) and found in the park not only a dead lady and busy police officers, but also a hidden girl with a bladed weapon in her hands. From this point on, Date finds himself drawn into a complex story with many forks — make one decision instead of another, and some character will die. Either something else will happen to him, or you will even get to the joke ending.
Be that as it may, watching one finale will not help to fully understand everything that is in AI: The Somnium Files is happening. To get a complete picture, you will have to return to the completed episodes and do something differently, and a very convenient diagram in the menu will allow you to see the forks and quickly restart the desired moment. Characters can end up revealing themselves in a completely different way — if you thought one thing about someone, after five or ten hours you will see something that you did not expect at all. Therefore, even by the 15th hour there will be many blank spots in the plot. However, over time they will fill up.
Any clarification may be a spoiler, so take my word for it — the story here is very exciting, and fans of intricate thrillers and detective stories will be delighted. Once again Otikoshi proved his skill and created about a dozen characters with whom you spend time with great pleasure, even if at first they seemed uninteresting. You want to click on all the lines in the dialogues, study the entire environment to hear their comments, and when something happens to them in the finale, your heart breaks just like in Zero Escape.
The main star here is Date, https://sistersitescasino.co.uk/casinos/rise-casino/ a lover of women, an avid reader of porn magazines and a professional. He is perfectly complemented by Aiba, a talkative artificial intelligence inserted into his skull instead of one of his eyes. Other characters include a pretty granny who never leaves her diner, a charming idol girl and other characters who will remain in the memory for a long time after completing the game. With everyone there are funny episodes in which the humor will really amuse, and heartbreaking moments that make AI: The Somnium Files an excellent emotional attraction that I would like to recommend to everyone.
Sound sleep above all else
There are no special gameplay mechanics here. You arrive at a new place (or return to an old one), look at your surroundings, click on the selected person and take turns asking him questions or discussing something. Date sometimes uses Aiba’s help, turning on X-ray vision or using the zoom to study a distant object or figure. You cannot make such decisions on your own — only when the game asks you to do so. And in general, it’s impossible to miss anything important here — you simply won’t be allowed to leave the location until you find an important item or ask the necessary question.
Much more action is required from the player in episodes related to the Psync Device — this is a machine that allows Data to literally climb into the mind of a sedated person and study his dreams. In our dreams, as you know, sometimes a complete mess happens — old school friends meet with current comrades, and superstars whom you have seen a couple of times on TV communicate with you. So it is here — while a person sleeps, he observes episodes from his life that, for one reason or another, he remembers. Thanks to them, Date learns much more details, including about connections with other people — in a dream, you can’t find someone you’ve never seen. True, it is not entirely clear to what extent digging in dreams is legal.
If during travel and investigations we move the cursor over locations, then in dreams we take control of Aiba (she turns into a girl) and move freely through rooms and premises, interacting with objects. For each action you have to spend seconds — for example, you can pick up or smell a flower pot, and if one action costs 5 seconds, then another can cost as much as 40 or even 80. In total, Date has six minutes, after which the visit will have to be interrupted — as explained in the game, otherwise serious brain damage will be inevitable for both participants.
We have to hurry
Logic in a dream usually does not work — both in real life and here. Therefore, solving puzzles often turns into a guessing game — first try to throw an object, then move it, break it, or even talk to it. Open the door, listen or lock it. Drink liquid from a bucket, put your hand in it, or put the bucket on your head. Date and Aiba are almost an ideal couple, and the most absurd situations are certainly accompanied by their funny comments, thanks to which these moments do not turn into routine. True, some jokes are repeated several times and can get boring.
In a couple of cases, the six-minute limit doesn’t work as well as we’d like. The fact is that, although for most actions you are given bonus rewards that allow you to reduce the cost of the next step to several seconds or several times, for some actions there is a penalty. And the presence of a fine does not mean that the move was wrong — it often turns out to be correct. But because of it, next time you will have to spend twice or three times as many seconds — if the move costs 60 seconds, you will be taken away 180, and this is exactly half of the six-minute segment.
Fortunately, dream sequences are full of save points, and if you fail, you can quickly return to any moment. And if you need to start the episode over again, the fast forward button will take you to any point in a couple of minutes. Therefore, despite the problems of these levels, they are not so annoying — they are interesting to spend time in and watch the reactions of the heroes. However, if Otikoshi plans to use this mechanic in future projects, it is better for him to correct it — the second time it will be more difficult to be so loyal to it.
Otherwise AI: The Somnium Files delights. Although the first chapter, in which you meet the characters, may seem drawn out, after it it becomes impossible to part with Date, Aiba and other characters. In terms of graphics, the game can hardly be called outstanding, but the atmosphere in it is excellent, and the characters are well drawn. And the English dubbing can be set as an example for other localizers — the voices fit everyone so perfectly and the actors play so amazingly that you quickly become attached to all the characters.
The main advantage of all Zero Escape, Danganronpa and other games with crazy plots is that they are very niche and it is almost impossible to stumble upon spoilers for them. On the other hand, this means that too few people will want to get acquainted with them — either they don’t have time, or they don’t even know about the existence of such games. But at least you are now aware — if you want to see an exciting story that throws up surprises every half hour, AI: The Somnium Files will quench your thirst and give you several unforgettable evenings.
Pros: a great, intriguing story with great characters, lots of surprises and unexpected twists; great voiced characters; pleasant atmosphere; good humor for the most part; many funny episodes in dreams.