Review: AI: The Somnium Files – nirvanA Initiative
destructoid.comThough AI: The Somnium Files – nirvanA Initiative is a mouthful of a name, visual novel fans are likely familiar with the writer behind it. Kotaro Uchikoshi is back for this follow-up to 2019’s AI: The Somnium Files with a new case, new investigators, and a story so good that it, at times, eclipses its predecessor.
Getting a mystery story right is tough. A good detective thriller has to carefully thread a needle, leading the player along without tugging too hard or leaving too much slack. Nirvana Initiative does so quite well, composing the kind of bending, twisting story you’d expect from the writer behind Ever17 and the Zero Escape series.
The story gets both comedy and drama just right, while also presenting some very well-crafted puzzles and pseudo-escape rooms. AI: The Somnium Files – nirvanA Initiative takes a foundation, cleans up its rough edges, and then builds something spectacular on top.
AI: The Somnium Files – nirvanA Initiative (PC [reviewed], PS4, Xbox One, Switch)Developer: Spike ChunsoftPublisher: Spike ChunsoftReleased: June 24, 2022MSRP: $59.99
It doesn’t take long for AI: The Somnium Files – nirvanA Initiative to get going. The story takes place in two parts, past and present. At two points in time, two halves of the same body appear in different locations. six years apart. The player takes on the role of two investigators, Mizuki and Ryuki, in order to discover the how and why, as well as put a stop to any more killings.
Across the timeline, the player plays both characters in their respective threads to uncover greater truths. Both are investigators at ABIS, a police division that utilizes high-tech AI companions called AI-balls (that are, yes, placed in the eye) and a machine that lets their
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