AI: The Somnium Files
Genres: Puzzle, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Story Rich, Adventure
Play modes: singleplayer
Release Date: 17-9-2019
Developer: Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
Our verdict
8/10
- Difficulty: Medium
- Players: 1
- Playtime: 25–30 h
AI: The Somnium Files is a detective visual novel from Kotaro Uchikoshi, writer of the Zero Escape series. In near-future Tokyo, detective Kaname Date investigates a murder in which the victim's left eye was gouged out, splitting time between crime-scene investigation and Somnium sections where he enters witnesses' dreams under a six-minute limit. It suits solo players who enjoy Ace Attorney, Danganronpa or Zero Escape and long, branching stories.
Players mostly praise the cast and the voice acting, with Date and his partner Aiba a favourite double act, and a mystery full of twists that pays off across several routes. The tone swings hard between grim murders and goofy, often crude humour, which some find endearing and others find grating. The dream puzzles split opinion too: some love their surreal logic, while others call them trial and error.
Caveats from reviews: the gameplay is light, some jokes and translations land badly, and a few players report random freezes. Several suggest Japanese audio over the English dub. Expect 25 to 30 hours to see every route. If you like story-first mystery games and can handle the humour, it is well worth it, especially on sale.
Pros
- Twisting murder mystery that pays off across branching routes
- Strong voice cast; Date and Aiba are a memorable duo
- Timed dream-diving Somnium puzzles set it apart from other VNs
Cons
- Crude, goofy humour clashes with the grim murders for some
- Somnium puzzles can feel like trial and error
- Some players report random freezes and weak translation of jokes
About
In a near-future Tokyo, detective Kaname Date is on the case of a mysterious serial killer. Date must investigate crime scenes as well as dreams on the hunt for clues. From the mind of Kotaro Uchikoshi (Zero Escape series director), with character design by the Yusuke Kozaki (NO MORE HEROES, Fire Emblem series), a thrilling neo-noir detective adventure is about to unfold.
STORY
One rainy night in November, a woman's body is found at an abandoned theme park, mounted on a merry-go-round horse. She had been stabbed repeatedly, and her left eye was gouged out.
Kaname Date of the Metropolitan Police Department arrives on the scene. He recognizes the woman. Suddenly, he hears a noise from inside the merry-go-round.
He breaks into the merry-go-round's central column to find a young girl. And in her hands, she grips a bloody ice pick...
