AI: The Somnium Files

[Drathnoxis]

AI: The Somnium Files is the latest game from Kotaro Uchikoshi, director and writer of the Zero Escape series. Honestly, I think this is the best of his work that I've played. I like it even more than 999 which was, until now, my favorite. This game was just so fantastically entertaining. The tone jumps wildly between crime thriller and comedy anime and I love it! The mystery is consistent and intriguing, without containing the dumbest plot twist ever written (ZTD I'm looking at you). It actually has a satisfying resolution unlike 50% of the Uchikoshi games I've played. The humor was enjoyable to me and I was laughing out loud quite a bit, and the final ending sequence was just so fantastic and silly it may be one of my favorite endings I've ever seen in a game.

The main gameplay sections involve exploring dreams and using what you find to solve murders. It's not so much puzzle solving as it is interacting with points of interest and watching humorous character interactions, which is far better than solving trivial puzzles in my opinion. The 3d animation and character models were also far better than Zero Time Dilemma.

All in all, I liked the game a lot and think anybody with anybody who likes visual novels should check it out.

Has anybody else here actually played the game?

 

[Dreiko_v1legacy]

I'm aware of this game, not gotten around to playing it but I definitely plan on playing it at some point. I hadn't looked into it enough to know it was from the 999 guy though, though it looks crazy enough that that's instantly believable haha.

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

Fyi, to anyone interested in this game and who might check things out on Metacritic, don't pay the User Score too much mind. The game got review bombed. Not really clear why, but there's speculation on reddit it's because there's one pro-LGBT scene [https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/comments/ezces4/ai_the_somnium_files_got_review_bombed_on/].

Haven't played the game, nor planning to, but just learned about this and thought I'd tell.

 

[Schadrach]

Not really clear why, but there's speculation on reddit it's because there's one pro-LGBT scene [https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/comments/ezces4/ai_the_somnium_files_got_review_bombed_on/].

That's...not accurate.

https://archive.ph/eY1z8#selection-881.0-922.0

Apparently one determined asshat was behind it, to both demonstrate that metacritic user scores are easy to manipulate and also to shit on a game whose fandom he had issue with. Certain folks just made an assumption because it allows them to "start a conversation."

The mystery is consistent and intriguing, without containing the dumbest plot twist ever written (ZTD I'm looking at you).

The camera perspective one, or something else? Because I'd assumed there was a camera perspective twist from the very beginning (like the previous two games in the series, 999 where the top and bottom screens are different times and VLR where it would be ruined by getting to look at yourself whatsoever), but what it turned out to be was dumb.

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

snip

That's...not accurate.

https://archive.ph/eY1z8#selection-881.0-922.0

Apparently one determined asshat was behind it, to both demonstrate that metacritic user scores are easy to manipulate and also to shit on a game whose fandom he had issue with. Certain folks just made an assumption because it allows them to "start a conversation."

Never said it was accurate. But, deary me, the full story is so much more ... internet. Whatever other excuses the culprit conjured up, it really looks like the core reason was a fanboy getting butthurt cuz people don't like his waifu enough or something [https://www.resetera.com/threads/ai-the-somnium-files-was-review-bombed-on-metacritic-from-8-2-to-1-9-in-1-day.169064/page-3#post-28953714].

 

[Drathnoxis]

The mystery is consistent and intriguing, without containing the dumbest plot twist ever written (ZTD I'm looking at you).

The camera perspective one, or something else? Because I'd assumed there was a camera perspective twist from the very beginning (like the previous two games in the series, 999 where the top and bottom screens are different times and VLR where it would be ruined by getting to look at yourself whatsoever), but what it turned out to be was dumb.

That's the one.

Spoiler

It's ridiculous. It's as if in a Sherlock Holmes mystery at the end he whirls around and shouts "it was you!" pointing at the camera when it pulls back to reveal that Moriarty was standing beside Wattson the entire time.

I just don't believe that none of the characters would ever have an outright conversation about the comatose old man in the wheelchair they presumably have to have been wheeling around beyond "But Q, he's..." Just makes you wonder what else might be just off screen that it just happens nobody mentions.

 

[Schadrach]

Like I said, I was expecting some perspective trickery, given the previous two games. Honestly, "game is from perspective of security camera feeds going directly to mastermind's eyes" is still not as bad as VLR's "protagonist never looks at themself." To be fair, I also guessed the "who's in the armor" twist from VLR the first time they mentioned Schrodinger's Cat.

It's also noteworthy that the old man is shown in several scenes, or at least his chair is - almost like his team hauled him into each room to keep an eye on him out of pity but otherwise treated the blind, deaf, and mute old man in the wheelchair as useless, as luggage they had to drag around - what's to discuss, really? There's also a few spots where if you check the status screen you can catch some neat things, like the ending where the only survivors are trapped and eventually have kids - look at status right after they're born. And of course, you can also pick the old man when deciding who to shoot, since he is there...