AI: The Somnium Files - nirvanA Initiative

 Switch
AI: The Somnium Files - nirvanA Initiative Image
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83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 68 Ratings

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  • Summary: Six years ago, the right half of a corpse was discovered under mysterious circumstances. The left half was never found...until six years later, when it was discovered completely fresh with no signs of decay, as though the victim was alive until just recently.

    Now, newly-appointed Special    Six years ago, the right half of a corpse was discovered under mysterious circumstances. The left half was never found...until six years later, when it was discovered completely fresh with no signs of decay, as though the victim was alive until just recently.

    Now, newly-appointed Special Agent Mizuki and her AI partner Aiba are tasked to solve the bizarre Half Body serial killings...    … Expand
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AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES - nirvanA Initiative Story Trailer

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. GamingTrend
    Jun 24, 2022
    95
    Spike Chunsoft has done it again with AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES nirvanA Initiative. They tell an incredible murder mystery that’s a ton of fun to figure out, all while solving brain-bending puzzles and talking to a colorful cast of endearing characters. There are a lot of performance issues and bugs, but those are nitpicks compared to just the sheer joy of diving into people’s minds to solve the case.
  2. TouchArcade
    Jun 29, 2022
    90
    AI: The Somnium Files – nirvanA Initiative may not be the unexpected surprise that the first game was, but it lives up to the impressive bar of quality set by its predecessor in a way few games of its genre manage to. This Switch version has a few technical issues, but nothing that should keep you from enjoying the game here if this is where you want to play it.
  3. God is a Geek
    Jul 25, 2022
    90
    AI: The Somnium Files - nirvanA Initiative tells a fascinating story with some weird and wonderful characters and more than a few twists and turns.
  4. Gamersky
    Jun 30, 2022
    84
    Kotaro Uchikoshi continues his style in AI: The Somnium Files - nirvanA Initiative, which is also one of the best AVG games of the year. It uses a dual narrative thread to create two worlds that are six years apart, yet closely connected, and gives the players enough surprises with a super plot twist at the end. The renovation of the investigation mechanism and the increase in pseudoscience content make this game seem more "detective style". Excellent characterizations, as well as a large number of interesting memes, all give the players a different type of emotional experience. The addition of more mini-games also brings a lot of different kinds of fun to the game. Unfortunately, the connection between the two protagonists in this game is too weak. In addition, the new protagonist Ryuki seems to be difficult to attract the attention of the players. Moreover, this game ends too hastily, failing to push the player's experience to a climax at last. This makes this game a little short of a masterpiece, unable to stand out among the many excellent works of Kotaro Uchikoshi.
  5. Nintenduo
    Jun 20, 2022
    82
    AI: The Somnium Files - nirvanA Initiative is a worthy sequel to its predecessor, improving in all areas and incorporating new features that fans will greatly appreciate. With a new story full of mysteries and plot twists, colorful characters and a refined gameplay, we have been delighted with a title that, although it is designed for a very specific niche of players, knows how to do things right.
  6. Metro GameCentral
    Dec 19, 2022
    80
    Fans of gripping mysteries and intriguing puzzles will love the eclectic storytelling, but not necessarily the pervy humour, in Kotaro Uchikoshi’s most fascinating oddity.
  7. Starbit
    Mar 4, 2024
    70
    Because it takes such risks with its plot and delivers very engaging puzzles, this sequel successfully musters from its sources an absolutely mind-blowing ending, which more than makes up for the game's flaws that include poor quicktime events and an over-reliance on sexualized humour that quickly loses its track. Fortunately, everything comes together and works out nicely in the end.

See all 15 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 19
  3. Negative: 3 out of 19
  1. starwand2007
    Aug 5, 2022
    10
    This is a truly wonderful sequal. Not that you have to play the first one to play this game but when this game is so good why wouldn’t you?This is a truly wonderful sequal. Not that you have to play the first one to play this game but when this game is so good why wouldn’t you?

    Excellent game. The characters of course really shined in this game. This series has really succeeded in making good you care deeply about the characters. I don’t even typically play visual novel type games but the story and game elements are so good i make an exception.    … Expand
  2. SaintLux
    Jun 27, 2022
    10
    Great game, would recommend playing the first before jumping into this one but its not required since an explanation of events is given.Great game, would recommend playing the first before jumping into this one but its not required since an explanation of events is given. Chances are if your even taking the time to look into it, it's probably for you.… Expand
  4. Gala1998
    Jun 26, 2022
    10
    Great sequel and a must buy if you enjoyed the original. Built upon the ideas and mechanics of the first with an intriguing story once again.Great sequel and a must buy if you enjoyed the original. Built upon the ideas and mechanics of the first with an intriguing story once again. Small switch performance issues aside there is a lot to like here.… Expand
  5. tom974
    Jan 7, 2023
    9
    For those who liked the first game, this is an absolute must play. It is better than the first in every aspects, and the story is stillFor those who liked the first game, this is an absolute must play. It is better than the first in every aspects, and the story is still captivating and brilliantly brought. The only (small) cons I have are the performances on the Switch : framerate drops and the navigation in the menus is not smooth.… Expand
  6. keatto
    Nov 25, 2022
    8
    Once more, a reminder to fans of the zero escape series, with about as many sprinkles as they've come to expect from the latest release fromOnce more, a reminder to fans of the zero escape series, with about as many sprinkles as they've come to expect from the latest release from Chunsoft. Newcomers looking for an interesting take on interactive fiction will find the previous title holds up strongly and helps carry characters over to this title. Many will say you don't need to play the first, but I disagree. The two titles are as strong as one another, so if you do enjoy this one as a first, try the prequel. A larger! cast of characters than game one, detailed backgrounds, but a lot of reused tracks. Voice acting is still as entertaining. Skipping text and scenes helps the impatient reader/player/fra*** progress faster *wink*

    A lot of the plot has many points where you may find yourself frustrated with character actions illogically done for the sake of pacing around some very very bizarre narrative mechanics. Don't pull out any notes for plot purposes, a lot of it is convoluted and constantly shifting with little rhyme or reason. Now the puzzles both in and out of somniums (the game's dream world zones, taking up half the gameplay) are excellent and some required note taking for escape room enthusiasts. Particular end game content made for a great callbacks and improve on the 999 puzzle room formulas. The dreams are far more parodying pop culture in a mix between psychonaut mind dives and game mechanic experimentation. They're far more forgiving and can have multiple solutions to progress.

    RPG fans will once more find themselves scanning every background item for every nugget of flavored dialogue and humor. Hidden endings and a flowchart with plenty of routes and extras made this feel like a nostalgic romp for the developers and its fans alike.    … Expand
  7. elpsycongruent
    Aug 5, 2022
    8
    Absolutely worth playing, 110%. If you haven't played the first one, go do that. If you have, definitely give it a whirl. It's a solidAbsolutely worth playing, 110%. If you haven't played the first one, go do that. If you have, definitely give it a whirl. It's a solid Uchikoshi game, with twists and turns to match. I thought the story was a little weaker than the previous game, but I still loved it.

    My issues with it pretty much all stem from the attempts to make it spoiler-free for the first game. Yeah, you can opt-in for spoilery bits, but there are still several major things that feel like they undo the ending of the previous game, you know?    … Expand
  8. Nintendist
    Aug 24, 2022
    0
    this game has a annoying music all the time. the menus are so bad, i dont like anything here

See all 19 User Reviews

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Awards & Rankings

34
#34 Best Switch Game of 2022
38
#38 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2022

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