AI: The Somnium Files - nirvanA Initiative

 Switch
User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 68 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 56 out of 68
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 68
  3. Negative: 9 out of 68
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  1. Cobalt_Red
    Jul 13, 2022
    6
    Twitter is not the world, I'm writing this and I'm wasting my time on this because I cared about the series, note the past tense used in the sentence.
    I've tried not to do spoilers so I won't touch on all the problematic points.
    Theres a ton of little problems that put together recreate a mediocre experience. Ryuki and Tama feel solid but I was pretty disappointed because you only get    Twitter is not the world, I'm writing this and I'm wasting my time on this because I cared about the series, note the past tense used in the sentence.
    I've tried not to do spoilers so I won't touch on all the problematic points.
    Theres a ton of little problems that put together recreate a mediocre experience.
    Ryuki and Tama feel solid but I was pretty disappointed because you only get them for the first part of the game.
    The somniums are better than the first game accompanied by the new VR sections that are quite good and it is better optimized than the first one in the technical compartement (almost no frame drops) with the audio voices top notch both in english and in japanise, however in a game that makes story its centerpiece it is not enough to excuse the flaws of the writing.
    Story which honestly seemed more interesting in the beginning than the one in the first game, but soon gets trite and rehashed.
    Mizuki and Aiba's dynamic is alot worst than Date and Aiba. The former fell pretty flat for me compared to the latter.
    My main problem is that Mizuki didn't really have much of a character arc.
    Gimmicks aside you could swap her with anyone and the game would still work, nothing changes story wise.
    It's amazing how much of a step back she is to her first game appearance.
    Her chemistry with Aiba is kinda ok, but there's not really any deep bonding going on like Ryuki and Tama, who shoulda have gone back to being the leads in the last act since they had more to overcome.
    The pacing was worse than the first game.
    It would really help to make the game shorter and the plot tighter without all the bloat like the constant pointless detours or especialy the parts where the characters just keep repeating the same plot points over and over.
    Localization cut some stuff whitout motive, i can guarantee that the in game voice of a certain tool misses pieces of info (which I won't mention for spoilers).
    I liked the first AI game and this one felt lackluster compared to that.
    Still, it is worth checking out if you enjoyed the 1st game, at 20 euro no more than that.
    it's not the disappointment that ZTD was but it's closer than I expected.    … Expand
  2. Tortor
    Oct 22, 2022
    5
    was so desperately trying to force myself to like this game. The charm however is just not there with the characters this time around

    The plot also dragged on and wasn't terribly interesting. The only thing keeping my going was a lot of really fun factoids with philosophy and science were explored and implemented in the plot in ways I didn't expect. What the plot did with what could    was so desperately trying to force myself to like this game. The charm however is just not there with the characters this time around

    The plot also dragged on and wasn't terribly interesting. The only thing keeping my going was a lot of really fun factoids with philosophy and science were explored and implemented in the plot in ways I didn't expect. What the plot did with what could have been a cool premise though just failed to be exciting and felt like it was overly fluffed out with so much uninteresting garbage that i was constantly combating with myself on not wanting to go any farther but being committed because I was such a fan.

    The characters, although familiar because most are returning from the prior game. They just all arnt as likable anymore. It's clear that the writers expected you to play the first game because you're sorta given the developed characters from the first game and they just stay that way. The returning characters sorta lost their charm because not a lot of exploration into who they are happened as deeply as before. The newer characters explored just wernt very interesting either and I found them all so unlikable.

    For a plot focused game this was disappointing. I was such a fan of the first game that I seriously recommend it to everyone. I think however the game just have been a stand alone and there really was no need at all for this sequal. This just felt like it was trying to do plot twists as good as before and constantly trying to one up itself but honestly nothing came across as shocking. Some of the mysteries constantly were so vague that I just found it so boring when some of the less interesting stuff was explored.

    What infuriated me the most about this game was the over-use of the 'their phone is off' plot device. Like.... Everyone had a phone that's off somehow and this is used as a plot device constantly to get your character to visit every single area to scope out that character that isnt anywhere and only gets revealed once you visit everywhere.

    This is so incredibly annoying when it's done over and over and over and over and over again. It felt so forced and uncreative. I would have loved a more natural feeling of movement from place to place.

    The reused assets were also annoying. So much was reused from the previous game that I was exhausted seeing some of these places again that I've already seen so much of from the first game. Combine that with the previous complaint of visiting areas over and over, ugh, this was bad.

    This sequal really didn't need to happen.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. 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.
    Read full review
  2. 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.
    Read full review
  3. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Nov 9, 2022
    80
    Even with its narrative failings, I consider my time with nirvanA Initiative well spent. Whether or not it surpasses the original is entirely down to personal preference, but either way it's a must-play for both veteran and budding visual novel aficionados. [Issue #62 – November/December 2022, p. 72]
See all critic reviews »