AI: The Somnium Files
AI: The Somnium Files | |
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Single-player |
AI: The Somnium Files
The game was written and directed by
AI: The Somnium Files was positively received, with praise for its story, art direction, and characters, while some criticized the game's tone and
Gameplay
AI: The Somnium Files is a
Investigation sections take place from a
Somnium exploration plays out in
Synopsis
Setting
The game takes place in near-future Tokyo, and follows detective Kaname Date of the top-secret police department ABIS (Advanced Brain Investigation Squad). ABIS, led by Boss, investigates crimes through a method called "Psyncing", in which Psyncers explore the Somnia of subjects via the Psync Machine. Psyncing is a powerful process that can retrieve clues the subject is subconsciously aware of, but is limited to a maximum of six minutes for the Psyncer and subject's safety. Any longer than six minutes can damage the brain of both the Psyncer and subject, resulting in death. Date is assisted by an artificial intelligence housed in his cybernetic left eye named Aiba, who can communicate with Date, provide him with enhanced vision modes, and hack various electronics. Aiba also assists Date's dream world investigations by acting as his avatar in Somnium.
Date, who lost his left eye and all his memories six years prior, is called to investigate the murder of Shoko, whose left eye was removed. He finds her daughter Mizuki at the scene, unable to speak. Date investigates Mizuki's Somnium to find out what she witnessed, and the plot branches based on the player's choices.
Plot
In Mizuki's left branch, Date finds evidence implicating Renju, Mizuki's father, before discovering his body with a missing left eye. Boss reveals that she suspects the killer to be
In Iris's left branch, Iris's friend Ota knocks Date unconscious. Date awakens to a
In Iris's right branch, Iris's murder is livestreamed, and Date fails to arrive in time. Date learns that the original Cyclops Killers were a duo: yakuza chairman Rohan, and prisoner "#89". Date interrogates #89, who tells the story of "Falco". Falco worked for Rohan, but left for Hitomi, Iris's mother. After Boss appears in #89's Somnium, Date searches for her. He discovers a video of Boss shooting So on her computer, locking the route.
In Mizuki's right branch, Date sees a frozen corpse that looks like Iris. Date learns that Renju was involved in a car crash and escaped from the hospital. He then witnesses So leaving a warehouse, and discovers Iris's frozen body inside. Date Psyncs with So, in which he saves Iris's life. After Psyncing, he finds Iris alive, and wonders if he altered reality. Date interrogates #89, who escapes with Renju's help. Iris joins Date in pursuit, but the two are attacked by mercenaries.
Iris believes she is being targeted by a secret organization. Date Psyncs with her to determine the truth. After the left branch, Date learns that Renju attempted to take Iris to a chemical plant. At the plant, Date finds a stolen Psync Machine. Iris collapses, and Date attempts to save her by Psyncing, but fails. After the right branch, Hitomi reveals that Iris has a brain tumor causing her delusions. Iris goes missing, and Date finds her body in the warehouse. Aiba says the body is not Iris's, but Manaka Iwai's–Hitomi's old classmate. Date learns that Manaka is Iris's birth mother, and was killed 18 years ago by So's son, Saito. Date also learns the truth of the Psync Machine: Psyncing past the time limit causes the Psyncer and subject to swap bodies. Hitomi reveals she knows Iris's location, taking Date to the chemical plant where #89 knocks him out. The story locks, unlocking the previous route.
After watching Boss shoot So, Date finds and Psyncs with her. In her Somnium, he realizes that the murders were committed by one person, using the stolen Psync Machine to swap bodies with each of the victims. Their eyes were removed because it was necessary for the machine to work. The killer identifies himself as Saito, and explains that the murders were revenge against Date for taking his body six years ago. Date's true identity is Falco, and #89 is Rohan in Falco's body. Saito threatens to kill Hitomi unless Date swap bodies with him. Date complies, but Saito kills Hitomi anyway. Aiba stuns Saito and Date blacks out, unlocking the final route.
Date confronts Saito, who is now in Falco's body having swapped with and killed Rohan. Saito forces Date to switch bodies. In his original body, Date regains his memories and recalls how he attempted to save Iris and Hitomi from the yakuza by switching bodies with Rohan, and discovered the truth of the Cyclops Killings. Saito learned about Psyncing and used the machine to swap bodies, but an accident caused them both to lose their memories. In the present, Saito prepares to murder Iris and Hitomi, but Date activates Aiba's self-destruct function to kill Saito. With the case resolved, the police pay for Iris's treatment. Iris takes Date to the warehouse where Aiba appears. It is revealed that Aiba survived by recompiling her personality in the cloud. The cast celebrates with a dance party.
Development
AI: The Somnium Files was developed by Spike Chunsoft,[9] and was written and directed by Kotaro Uchikoshi with character designs by Yūsuke Kozaki.[10][11][12] Kozaki was approached by Uchikoshi for his role as character designer due to being an internationally known artist, and how Uchikoshi wanted the art to have a worldwide appeal.[2] The game was developed with a higher budget than that of Uchikoshi's previous work, the Zero Escape series, which allowed him to express his concept for the game in a way that he was unable to with Zero Escape.[3] Comparing AI: The Somnium Files to Zero Escape, Uchikoshi described the game as being made more with adventure game fans in mind, in contrast to Zero Escape's heavy use of cutscenes.
Two of the game's core themes are eyes and "different types and expressions of love", reflected in how the title AI is pronounced "eye" and in how "ai" (愛) is the Japanese word for love.[13][14] The title also has additional meanings in that it is pronounced like the English word "I" and is short for "artificial intelligence",[13][2] and the "Somnium" in the subtitle is taken from the Latin word for "dream".[13] The idea of entering characters' dreams to solve cases was proposed by Iizuka. Uchikoshi thought it was intriguing, so he decided to use it in the game.[12] The game's investigation-based puzzles are intentionally designed to be less difficult than those in the Zero Escape series,[12] and are described by Uchikoshi as a modern take on the style of Hideo Kojima's 1994 adventure game Policenauts.[3] Other influences on the game included EVE (1995) and The Silver Case (1999); Okada additionally mentioned Life Is Strange (2015), Detroit: Become Human (2018), Heavy Rain (2010) and The Walking Dead (2012–2019) as influencing his work on the game.[15]
The game was first teased at a Game Developers Conference 2017 press event under the working title Project Psync,[9] with a piece of artwork depicting an eye.[16] Spike Chunsoft announced the game the following year during an Anime Expo 2018 panel, and released a first teaser trailer introducing Date.[13][17] In January 2019, Spike Chunsoft started promoting the game with a YouTube and Twitter account for the character Iris.[18]
The game was released in North America on September 17, 2019, in Japan on September 19, and in Europe on September 20
Reception
Aggregator | Score |
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Nintendo Life | 8/10[26] |
Nintendo World Report | 8/10[5] |
AI: The Somnium Files received generally positive reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic,[22][23] and was the 12th best reviewed Nintendo Switch game of the year.[27] Reviewers generally praised the plot and strong writing to the game; they noted it was simultaneously cerebral and thought-provoking while remaining accessible and understandable.[26][28] The voice acting was also considered "superb", with the actors bringing life to the characters.[29] The dream sequences were also praised as creative and inventive.[26] The art and character designs received approval as well.[30] There was also some light criticism of certain "sleazy" jokes as being not particularly funny and painting Date as less sympathetic and more of an "oaf" than he was presumably intended to be.[29][28]
In Japan, the game failed to chart in the
The game was nominated for "Best Adventure Game" at the Famitsu Dengeki Game Awards 2019.[35]
Sequel
A sequel,
Notes
References
- Siliconera. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
- ^ a b c YamaChan (March 22, 2019). "[GDC 2019]CERO Zの推理ADV,「AI:ソムニウム ファイル」には,打越鋼太郎氏の全力が盛り込まれている" [GDC 2019: "AI: The Somnium Files," a Z-rated mystery adventure game, unleashes the full power of Kotaro Uchikoshi]. 4Gamer.net (in Japanese). Retrieved March 26, 2019.
- ^ a b c Galizio, James (July 16, 2018). "AI: The Somnium Files Interview - A Look Behind the Scenes with Kotaro Uchikoshi". RPG Site. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
- ^ Romano, Sal (April 12, 2019). "AI: The Somnium Files details Somnium Parts, ABIS members". Gematsu. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
- ^ a b c Theriault, Donald (September 12, 2019). "Ai: The Somnium Files (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on September 13, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ a b Higham, Michael (April 8, 2019). "AI: The Somnium Files, A Trippy Detective Adventure With Zero Escape's Spirit". GameSpot. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "AI: The Somnium Files Review - Eye Love You". Gamespot. September 13, 2019. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
- ^ Voll, C.S. (May 5, 2023). "Wisdom in 'AI: The Somnium Files' Sprouts From a Hated Character". Super Jump. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
- ^ a b Frank, Allegra (March 2, 2017). "Zero Escape director teases next project". Polygon. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
- ^ a b Romano, Sal (March 21, 2019). "AI: The Somnium Files launches July 25; interview with director Kotaro Uchikoshi and designer Akira Okada". Gematsu. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
- ^ Shigeta, Yuichi (July 6, 2018). "打越鋼太郎が手掛ける本格推理ADV『AI:ソムニウム ファイル』がPS4/Switch/PC向けに発表!" [Full-scale mystery adventure game "AI: The Somnium Files" by Kotaro Uchikoshi is announced for PS4/Switch/PC!]. IGN (in Japanese). Retrieved July 6, 2018.
- ^ a b c Allen, Robert (July 8, 2018). "Q&A With AI: The Somnium Files' Kōtarō Uchikoshi". Tech-Gaming. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
- ^ a b c d Romano, Sal (July 5, 2018). "Kotaro Uchikoshi announces AI: The Somnium Files for PS4, Switch, and PC". Gematsu. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
- ^ O'Connor, Alice (July 6, 2018). "Zero Escape director reveals AI: The Somnium Files". Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
- ^ Snyder, Gabby (March 21, 2019). "A.I. The Somnium Files Interview with Mr. Kotaro Uchikoshi and Mr. Akira Okada—Where, oh where, has A-Set gone?". Medium. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
- ^ Wales, Matt (July 6, 2018). "Zero Escape director reveals new murder mystery adventure AI: The Somnium Files". Eurogamer. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
- ^ Frank, Allegra (July 6, 2018). "Zero Escape creator's next game is a mysterious detective story". Polygon. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
- ^ Higham, Michael (January 30, 2019). "Zero Escape Director Reveals Virtual Pop Idol From Upcoming Game". GameSpot. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
- ^ Romano, Sal (May 17, 2019). "AI: The Somnium Files launches September 20 in Europe". Gematsu. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
- ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (September 6, 2019). "AI: The Somnium Files Game's N. American Physical Release Delayed to September 24". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
- ^ Tolentino, Josh (September 30, 2021). "AI: The Somnium Files and Scarlet Nexus Join Xbox Game Pass". Siliconera. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
- ^ a b "AI: The Somnium Files for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Archived from the original on October 19, 2019. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
- ^ a b "AI: The Somnium Files for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
- ^ "AI: ソムニウム ファイル (PS4)のレビュー・評価・感想". Famitsu. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
- ^ Swalley, Kirstin (September 24, 2019). "Review: AI: The Somnium Files". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
- ^ a b c "AI: The Somnium Files Review (Switch)". Nintendo Life. September 12, 2019. Archived from the original on September 13, 2019. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
- CBS Interactive. Archivedfrom the original on February 19, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
- ^ a b AI: The Somnium Files review Archived November 18, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, TechGaming
- ^ a b "AI: The Somnium Files review - a bizarre story, masterfully told". Eurogamer. September 17, 2019. Archived from the original on November 18, 2019. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
- ^ Review: AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES Archived November 18, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, Japanator
- ^ "[Japan] Famitsu sales for Week 38, 2019 (September 16th – 22nd) [Top 30]". Perfectly Nintendo. September 27, 2019. Archived from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
- ^ "【週間ソフト販売ランキング TOP50】『ゼルダの伝説 夢をみる島』が13.2万本(9月16日~22日)". Dengeki Bunko (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. September 26, 2019. Archived from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
- ^ "Best of 2019: New Releases". Steam. Valve. December 26, 2019. Archived from the original on December 28, 2019. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
- ^ "A Look Back - The Best of 2019". Steam. Valve. December 26, 2019. Archived from the original on December 28, 2019. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
- ^ Sato (April 18, 2020). "Here Are the Winners of the Famitsu Dengeki Game Awards 2019". Siliconera. Archived from the original on November 20, 2020. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
- ^ "新作『アイ:ソムニウムファイル ニルヴァーナ イニシアチブ』2022年春発売決定。打越鋼太郎氏の推理アドベンチャーの続編が登場". Famitsu (in Japanese). Kadokawa Game Linkage. July 1, 2021. Archived from the original on July 1, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2021.