AI: The Somnium Files

 Switch
User Score
8.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 603 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 527 out of 603
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 603
  3. Negative: 56 out of 603
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  1. Leiaviathan
    Jan 27, 2023
    10
    The first 2 hours or so felt really slow and I kinda forgot about the game after that. However I continued playing about 2 weeks later and I was hooked! The last couple of days I didn't wanna play anything other than AI - The Somnium files and after ~25 hours playtime I completed the game and immediately ordered NirvanA Initiative. I usually wait for games to go on sale but if the secondThe first 2 hours or so felt really slow and I kinda forgot about the game after that. However I continued playing about 2 weeks later and I was hooked! The last couple of days I didn't wanna play anything other than AI - The Somnium files and after ~25 hours playtime I completed the game and immediately ordered NirvanA Initiative. I usually wait for games to go on sale but if the second part is anything like the first I won't regret paying full price for the psysical copy.… Expand
  2. tom974
    Sep 19, 2022
    8
    To be brief : great story, nice artistic direction, original gameplay but poor technic and optimization. The game lacks a bit of polish on certain aspects (technic, optimisation, rythm, somnium phases gameplay) but it really is a must try at least for those who like the visual novel genre.
  3. MaximMillennia
    Sep 12, 2022
    10
    A game that can make me genuinely laugh my ass off must be a good one. And it is! Obscurity, eccentricity, degeneracy. Everything I need and like in my games when I need to cool off my brain during the day.
  4. Sunshadow87
    Aug 7, 2022
    9
    No soy especial fan de las Visual Novels, aunque he disfrutado algunas, por ello este juego ha pasado por debajo de mi radar hasta recientemente, poco antes de lanzarse la secuela que descubrí que el desarrollador era el mismo equipo detrás de la saga 999 y me lance a por ella.

    He de decir que a nivel de historia, seguramente sea una de las mejores VN, poniéndote en la piel de un    No soy especial fan de las Visual Novels, aunque he disfrutado algunas, por ello este juego ha pasado por debajo de mi radar hasta recientemente, poco antes de lanzarse la secuela que descubrí que el desarrollador era el mismo equipo detrás de la saga 999 y me lance a por ella.

    He de decir que a nivel de historia, seguramente sea una de las mejores VN, poniéndote en la piel de un detective con un trasfondo de ciencia ficción que te tiene dando vueltas y comiéndote la cabeza durante todo el juego, mientras hace buen uso del "efecto mariposa" en las distintas bifurcaciones que podemos tomar. El juego te mantiene activo mentalmente intentando encajar las piezas del puzzle y resolver el caso hasta el increíblemente apoteósico final verdadero, donde ya sabes como va a acabar todo y aún así es imposible no emocionarte. Eso sí, hay algún personaje que se me hizo bastante insoportable durante el juego, sobre todo en algunos caminos...Ota...

    Sin embargo, como digo no soy especialmente fan de las VN, y aquellas que más he disfrutado son las que son capaces de integrar de forma orgánica el gameplay de la VN con otro genero, generalmente el de puzzle. Esto es algo que la saga 999 hace a la perfección (así como otras como la saga ace attorney o el profesor layton). Sin embargo, aquí la dinámica de puzzle esta integrada cuando entramos en los sueños de otros personajes. Esta mecánica orgánica es, pero justamente al trabajar en sueños, las soluciones de los puzzles resultan realmente aleatorias, y la mayor parte del tiempo los resolveremos por prueba y error (aunque hay excepciones, y hay algunos sueños realmente interesantes). Aparte de esto, el juego incorpora momentos de "quick-events" que le aportan variedad y resultan cuanto menos cómicos.

    Otro problema de mecánica (y este si que es de la parte de VN) es que la habilidad de pasar rápido el texto no esta del todo bien implementada... solo permitiendonos pasar una línea de texto si la hemos escuchada en la bifurcación que actualmente estamos, pero no si ya la escuchamos en otra, haciendo la exploración de varias rutas un tanto tediosa a veces (aunque la capacidad de saltar al momento que queramos de las rutas desbloqueadas se agradece a cambio). También existe un bug que aparece a veces que te permite saltar texto que NO HAS VISTO previamente. No es molesto, pero si no te das cuenta puede hacerte pasar líneas de dialogo importante y hacerte abrir el backlog para leerlas.

    También cabe mencionar, de que aunque no influya apenas por el tipo de juego que es, la versión de switch al menos tiene problemas de rendimiento. Ocurren a veces, que tarda unos segundos en mostrarnos la siguiente línea. Solo ocurre en algunos momentos en algunas rutas (especialmente hacía el final), y sí que puede llegar a resultar algo molesto a veces.

    Así pues, el juego tiene fallos, y personalmente esta por debajo de 999, pero no en su historia que es en última instancia, la parte más importante aquí.    … Expand
  5. KanmuriDavid
    Apr 22, 2022
    10
    Great character design, awesome soundtrack, gripping story with plenty of twists!
  6. Ventu
    Apr 9, 2022
    8
    AI: The Somnium Files es una novela visual muy interesante y con un marcado sentido del humor constante. La jugabilidad es más amplia que lo habitual dentro del género, ya que podremos investigar los escenarios y resolver los puzzles del Somnium. La historia sigue siendo guiada, y no puedes saltarte nada importante, más allá de las habituales rutas para diferentes finales de este género.AI: The Somnium Files es una novela visual muy interesante y con un marcado sentido del humor constante. La jugabilidad es más amplia que lo habitual dentro del género, ya que podremos investigar los escenarios y resolver los puzzles del Somnium. La historia sigue siendo guiada, y no puedes saltarte nada importante, más allá de las habituales rutas para diferentes finales de este género. Los personajes son muy carismáticos y bien desarrollados, siendo lo mejor del juego. Los gráficos son muy buenos dentro de este género, con unos controles y músicas muy correctos. Lo mejor, la historia y los personajes, con un gran final, y siendo necesario hacer todas las rutas para comprender la historia en su totalidad. Lo peor, las fases del somnium, al ser necesario ensayo y error en nunerosas ocasiones, se pueden hacer pesadas, y durante toda la historia las bromas sexuales son continuas, aunque en su mayoría pueden resultar graciosas, a veces se siente excesivo. En definitiva, totalmente recomendable si te gusta este género, ya que implementa mecánicas novedosas y originales, acompañadas por una buena historia y grandes personajes.… Expand
  7. IcyRice
    Feb 15, 2022
    10
    Really quickly only have 2 slight issues with AI: The Somnium Files. The pacing can be a bit slow rarely and the game can get a bit buggy but it honestly doesn't happen to often. Shame it got review bombed at release.
    If you haven't played a vn yet start with something easy like Ace Attorney before diving into this, if you have played a few vns you will appreciate how much of a    Really quickly only have 2 slight issues with AI: The Somnium Files. The pacing can be a bit slow rarely and the game can get a bit buggy but it honestly doesn't happen to often. Shame it got review bombed at release.
    If you haven't played a vn yet start with something easy like Ace Attorney before diving into this, if you have played a few vns you will appreciate how much of a masterpiece this game is.
    The story, characters, dialogue, suspense, twists, gameplay, soundtrack and puzzles are incredible. This is a very psychological driven story with complex characters who are unique, honestly enough said. I rarely say a game is perfect, but damn this is oh so close to that. Spike Chunsoft games in general are well done. Since this game is so complex (multiple endings, non-linear format etc.) someone new to vns may not understand certain elements well    … Expand
  8. Bakuganfan69420
    Dec 15, 2021
    9
    Huh? What was that? No you! Just let me have this!
    oh~ sorry, I was talking to my eye ball girl friend. Yeah, haha, we've been goin steady for like 23 hours now, (cuz thats about how long it took me to beat this game fyi). But, I do consider myself a 'professional' game reviewee, so ill try to stay on track! No babe, Im just writing a review! haha sorry about that!
    Anyway! This game is    Huh? What was that? No you! Just let me have this!
    oh~ sorry, I was talking to my eye ball girl friend. Yeah, haha, we've been goin steady for like 23 hours now, (cuz thats about how long it took me to beat this game fyi). But, I do consider myself a 'professional' game reviewee, so ill try to stay on track! No babe, Im just writing a review! haha sorry about that!
    Anyway! This game is super dee duper good! Wow! Im so thankful that my good pal borrowed this to me! Mostly cuz the game was really fun! But also, so I didnt have to pay for it. (You know how switch games are! I mean can you believe Nintendo? Its like a bigillion years old, and its probably like $60 still! ((Which, after playing, I think is a reasonable price!)) Disclaimer: I havent actually looked up its current price. Im just assuming, so dont flame me on Tw!tter!)
    Anyway! I was Hop Hop Hoppy Happy to play through this game! A genuine culinary delight! *slurp noise* (Almost as good as that catfish I had in Nawleans)
    Anyway! The story is super good! I wasnt sure what to expect, but man, like a piping hot $5.99 two topping dominos medium pizza, it most certainly delivers! The characters are great! This game would actually be a Bakuganfan69420 first with a 10/10 if not for that bleh ending. Speaking of the ending, [SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!] that dance sequence might have made me laugh so hard that I..... uhhhh nevermind.
    Anyway! Best girl was Breets! *Kreygasm* (Thats the nickname my chat came up with for that SMOKIN' secretary! Aw yeah!) That ending where we take her to wherever we took her, (I forgot the name, someone look it up for me and write it in the comment section. Also dont forget to subscribe and like this review and click that bell for more Bakuganfan69420 reviews in the future!)
    Kaniza dude! What a chad! Hes my best friend! Kaniza dude!
    The gameplay was pretty good! lots of different aspects to the dreams really made this game shine like an expensive, beautiful, Christmas tree topper! (Happy Christmas Everyone! *hype emoji*) I particularly enjoyed that sweet Shovelforge one! With the dancin, and the singin! INVINCIBLE RAINBOW **** nice!
    Anyway! To conclude, This game is very good! Super fun! Lots of bright colors! The story is engaging and I recommend this to everyone who owns a Nintendo Switch! Ill bet it even looks nicer on the OLED model! (I couldnt tell ya, cuz Im not fortunate enough to own one of those but hey Christmas is riiiiight around the corner! teehee!)
    Anyway! Thats about all I have for this game! Definitely give it a go! Even if it is still $60! Again I havent looked it up to confirm the price, but its defs worth it at that price! Ill be getting the squeequal when it comes out next year! 9/10, I probably wont play it again but I wish I could lose my memories of the game in a somnium scan (activate!) so I could relive this game in all its glory!    … Expand
  9. nicktlk
    Oct 29, 2021
    10
    wow. I've been putting off this game for way too long until I finally gave it a try. And I've been blown away. At first sight the game looks simplistic, but the story is just so amazingly written you just cannot get enough of it. Even after several hours in, you still have no idea what exactly is going on. Curiosity and the masterfully crafted plot keep you glued to the screen.
  10. Tortor
    Oct 25, 2021
    10
    Probably the best interactive story game I've ever played.

    It was a chunky one too, took me several weekends to finally get through it. The gameplay can be a bit tedious though, wasn't a huge fan of the system set up to dive into someone's mind. Everytime that would occur I kinda dreaded it because sometimes these can get lengthy for a sliver of plot that you get in return. Also I'd be    Probably the best interactive story game I've ever played.

    It was a chunky one too, took me several weekends to finally get through it.

    The gameplay can be a bit tedious though, wasn't a huge fan of the system set up to dive into someone's mind. Everytime that would occur I kinda dreaded it because sometimes these can get lengthy for a sliver of plot that you get in return. Also I'd be constantly worried that I'd get myself killed and have to repeat something. Once I started understanding how the branching paths worked though this got a lot easier to speed through. The game did a good job letting you know what decision caused it to branch out.

    The story and character in this, I absolutely loved. The story is absolutely bonkers. It's all sorta confusing at first and I can totally seeing it being nonsensical at first but towards the end things make sense. This also took some story paths that I did not see coming and was pleasantly surprised with. It waz very drama heavy but broke up that drama with some humor.

    Humor is super subjective but I found the humor used here was amazing. I definitely laughed out loud a few times with some of the jokes and cuteness. It got kinda silly in such a fun, high camp sort of way. If you appreciate camp then this will definitely work for ya.

    Overall I had such an amazing time with this, I felt so fulfilled by the end with my experience. You know it's good when months later I still recall how fun of an adventure this was.    … Expand
  11. PigMacLord
    Sep 27, 2021
    10
    To start I'd like to explain that just because I gave the game a 10 doesn't mean that the game is flawless. It's just that from my perspective I find it to be a masterpiece. AI: The Somnium Files is one of my favourite games/game experiences of all time. To start I'll praise what the game did undeniably well. As expected of Kotaro Uchikoshi, the writing of this game is superb. Both theTo start I'd like to explain that just because I gave the game a 10 doesn't mean that the game is flawless. It's just that from my perspective I find it to be a masterpiece. AI: The Somnium Files is one of my favourite games/game experiences of all time. To start I'll praise what the game did undeniably well. As expected of Kotaro Uchikoshi, the writing of this game is superb. Both the unraveling of all the story elements as well as every single mystery in the game was mind-blowing. If you like the mystery genre even a little, this game has a fantastic one to offer you. Now I'd like to talk about the other elements of the game that had a mixed reaction with the general public. Personally I've found the characters to be very strong. Each of them had a quite complex personality that shown through in their interactions with one another throughout he game. However, I've noticed many people have had a problem with the characters. I do see their perspective as some of the characters could be found annoying, or foolish at times throughout the story. But in my opinion this made them seem someone more believable than characters I've found in other stories, as it seemed that the characters' perspectives on situations were wholly unique. There are also many emotional moments that resonated with me and that's why I didn't dock anything when it came to characters. Next, I'd like to explain the humour in this game. This seemed to be another divisive point when it came to this game as there are a TON of perverted jokes when it came to this game. Now I wouldn't say that I am personally a huge fan of perverted jokes but I'm not a prude when it comes to them. When it comes to the humour in this game I feel like it was really well done. Let's take a look at another game in the mystery visual novel genre, Danganronpa. I am a big fan of the Danganronpa series but one thing that bugged me was the humour. Often times the serious moments would be thrown off course in the middle of them with random bits of humour. I found that this was very intrusive, and a fault of the game as it wouldn't let some emotional moments resonate. However in AI: The Somnium Files, despite a dark gritty theme, the humour is properly timed and kept out of areas of the game that it would be inappropriate. Actually, I found that the humour was actually beneficial in AI: The Somnium Files due to the timing as it alleviated the tension when needed. Even if the humour is not to your liking, it played a great narrative purpose and so I believe it to be another good point. The gameplay wasn't anything incredible, but the interactivity of the puzzles added a certain layer of immersion. Whether it be the funny bits between Date and Aiba during the Somniums, or the emotional impact of other moments (which would be spoiler-ish if I mentioned them), I found the gameplay, while not particularly impressive, to be nice.

    TLDR
    So despite the minor kinks in an otherwise amazing game, since the theming, mystery, characters and humour were all to my liking. I found AI: The Somnium Files to be a masterpiece and it has definitely secured a spot as one of my favourite games of all time.    … Expand
  12. igolrum
    May 25, 2021
    10
    Very good characters, humor and a "wtf is going on?" kind of murder mystery story that still manages to make sense in the end.
  13. capedavenger
    Apr 20, 2021
    10
    I make it quick. This is an absolute masterpiece. Incredible. It's tough and gruesome to get through (emotionally)...but believe me it's a journey you should make...and you have to make it to the very end. That's all.
  14. Yunadesu
    Feb 13, 2021
    10
    Loved the story and plot twists for this game. If there is anything I feel like that could've been better its probably the gameplay during the somnium. Since everything was random it makes the playthrough tedious and frustrating.
  15. SagiR1
    Jan 24, 2021
    9
    AI: The somnium files is an awesome games. Great direction and great story. Lots of twist and turn. This game is futuristic of our time and could be said to be Ai: The Somnium Files 2077

    Story: It is amazing story that you should play by yourself. The branching path story with several endings. A little predictable but when it all come together. You will felt surprised and even impressed    AI: The somnium files is an awesome games. Great direction and great story. Lots of twist and turn. This game is futuristic of our time and could be said to be Ai: The Somnium Files 2077

    Story: It is amazing story that you should play by yourself. The branching path story with several endings. A little predictable but when it all come together. You will felt surprised and even impressed by the creativity and innovativeness of the story.

    Gameplay: It is visual novel style when progressing the story but turned into escape room during somnium or dream world investigation phase. Visual novel phase is similar to Professor Layton where you can touch to learn more about it which also lead to funny and unexpected dialogue. There are quick button press event that is wacky and very fun to watch. Anything is possible which make it funny and make you felt wow. It is true meaning of Cyberpunk if you ask me. For somnium world is the reason to play this game. Aiba and Date interaction in this phase is full of emotion with every choice you make. Every choice are full of references. Somnium dive are awesome as every somnium is different. I always want to play this mode more and more. It is very creative and innovative for this mode.

    Music: Overall composition and song during gameplay are great and match to all story. Yes, the one song with lyrics is quite a cringe. They try to make VTuber style character but lyrics and the song is no match for each other. The lyric is important as it tells story but please make the song listenable next time for English audience. I played this game in Autumn 2019, if I knew VTuber such as Hololive or Nijisanji exist at that time. I would just open their song on tops of it happens. They have one in the ending as well which is double-edge sword, you want to listen to it because it is the ending song and lots of interaction between characters in the game but the song is just screeching to the ear and make my music sense worse for 3 months after listening to it.

    Conclusion: This is true cyberistic experience, Many impossible things became possible, Unique and intense story and gameplay which will blow your mind. Funny and humorous game but can be get tense and full of emotion. It is MSG of gameplay that will spice things up and make it looks awesome. Awesome game    … Expand
  16. Pheenic
    Jan 21, 2021
    10
    God, please play this game. When I played it at the end of 2019, it was a long while since a game sucked me in like this one did. Hell, I haven't had a game SINCE this one that drew all my attention. The characters, the music, the story are all phenomenal! And the TWISTS. I won't bring it up but man... MAN.
  17. HuTTreses
    Jan 8, 2021
    10
    Great game perfect gameplay and beautiful graphics, the game has a good story I recommend you play
  18. Overprogi
    Oct 15, 2020
    9
    You can always trust Taekoshi Kotaro-this genius producer can always bring us amazing works, such as this game. The exquisite plot setting and funny language bring a brand new experience.
  19. caysjose
    Oct 5, 2020
    9
    GREAT GAME, I picked this while on 50% sale. I would really like to have amnesia just to play this game again! The story is Dark with some surprising twist. Sometimes complicated but very interesting and the game try their best to tell you so you won't get confused. There's a lot of joke too, and it's hilarious and random. If you try to interact with everything in this game, you may beGREAT GAME, I picked this while on 50% sale. I would really like to have amnesia just to play this game again! The story is Dark with some surprising twist. Sometimes complicated but very interesting and the game try their best to tell you so you won't get confused. There's a lot of joke too, and it's hilarious and random. If you try to interact with everything in this game, you may be rewarded with jokes and sometimes it's pop culture jokes u may reckon from another things. The Gameplay is a thing u can't find anywhere else. Mainly, You'll play in a "Somnium" where you must interact with something to trigger a Memories of someone in cost of Time, Time out you lose. The character is memorable. I love Mizuki! I love the Music and A-Set Song. The VA is also very good, but I always prefer Japanese to make authentic experience.

    There's a minor problems tho. Sometimes the graphics looks blurry (Switch), I think this is the area where game dev can actually make more efforts. In a cutscene where you'll move to another location, hiccups framerate will happened (Switch), but this won't affect your gameplay. I mentioned earlier that this Story is complicated, Some people may not enjoy and can't follows the plot. Some may be will complained with lack of gameplay.

    But overall this is GREAT, if you're looking for Story based game / Visual Novel kinda like game with Unique gameplay! I really hope they'll make a sequel with more added engaging gameplay...    … Expand
  20. SeeSunRun09
    Sep 5, 2020
    9
    An engaging and entertaining mystery story. Has a bit of a slow start; and it can at times feel tonally jarring, switching between scenes of cartoonish action and horrific drama. The ending brings it all together, and it retroactively makes the story/game feel much more cohesive and satisfying.
  21. Bromareo
    Aug 23, 2020
    10
    To put it simply, a beautifully crafted game. This game makes you feel every emotion there is in a stunning story with characters that feel like real individuals.
  22. RedXVIII1987
    Aug 15, 2020
    10
    This is the only VN that i have liked, not just liked, i really enjoy it so much, and love the ride of emotions this game has. All the characters are interesting and well written. I love how the 3D characters interact or react to comments or while others are talking. The mystery in this game is so good, you will enjoy trying to figure the case, the music is amazing too. This game is moreThis is the only VN that i have liked, not just liked, i really enjoy it so much, and love the ride of emotions this game has. All the characters are interesting and well written. I love how the 3D characters interact or react to comments or while others are talking. The mystery in this game is so good, you will enjoy trying to figure the case, the music is amazing too. This game is more for mature people , yes it has ridiculous jokes but is necessary to balance the sad moments. This became my favorite game and my favorite game ending.… Expand
  23. kayaahiko
    Jul 30, 2020
    10
    This game is going straight to the top of my favourites. You can see that so much love and effort has been put in this game, with great dialogue between characters (the comedy was great), a gripping story line/mystery and enjoyable puzzles between. Would definitely recommend.
  24. Anonime
    Jul 10, 2020
    9
    Its authors succeeded again, another great game.

    Although it does not measure up to Zero escape, this game gets you hooked just the same, with its puzzles, its timelines, its charismatic characters, its very good soundtrack ... There is little that can be negative about this game , perhaps that made me a little predictable in some things, and that its ending left me with a WTF face ...    Its authors succeeded again, another great game.

    Although it does not measure up to Zero escape, this game gets you hooked just the same, with its puzzles, its timelines, its charismatic characters, its very good soundtrack ... There is little that can be negative about this game , perhaps that made me a little predictable in some things, and that its ending left me with a WTF face ... In the sense of ... What am I seeing now?

    But hey, it's great, I highly recommend it.    … Expand
  25. catsi
    Jul 6, 2020
    10
    A wonderful cast of characters and a story that leaves you guessing up until the moment of truth, where the way everything comes together will make your head spin. I adored every moment of this game, and I'm going to be thinking about it for a very long time.
  26. kiyo_komaeda
    Jun 27, 2020
    10
    This game is 10/10. The plot, the characters, the music and the visuals are amazing. Gameplay was also really refreshing and nice. I really liked it. It is really sad that this amazing game is so underrated. Just play it you won’t regret. Especially if you like murder mysteries.
  27. Hiroshichen
    Jun 13, 2020
    10
    For the new comer who are interesting in AVG games, this one is worth to try. Extraordinary story and fascinating characters would not disappoint you.
  28. SatouSatou
    Apr 29, 2020
    10
    One the best games of uchikochi, the game is asome and the animation is best, the game is so long and the puzzles they are very well achieved
  29. Khaz
    Apr 29, 2020
    10
    This has become my favorite Visual Novel of all time. Having played Uchikoshi's other VNs I expected to like it, but I figured that there would be at least one character I didn't enjoy. Every character felt well developed, so that even the ones I didn't like I could enjoy disliking. Also, this game was so much funnier than I expected! I haven't laughed this hard in a long time. The storyThis has become my favorite Visual Novel of all time. Having played Uchikoshi's other VNs I expected to like it, but I figured that there would be at least one character I didn't enjoy. Every character felt well developed, so that even the ones I didn't like I could enjoy disliking. Also, this game was so much funnier than I expected! I haven't laughed this hard in a long time. The story is well developed and critical information is delivered at a good pace to give you the chance to make guesses and keep revising as you learn more. The important twists are well constructed, so that you have all the information you need to have guessed them and whether you did figure them out ahead of time or not the reveal is satisfying. All in all, it was a fantastic mystery experience front to back and I fully recommend it.… Expand
  30. DeltaPeng
    Apr 19, 2020
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Good story based game with mystery, horror, and mind bendy moments. I'll say compared to his previous works, tho overall it was perhaps a tad less intense than I expected (slightly, maybe cause other moments are more lighthearted), albeit the final reveal was not as shocking as previous games. I think it was a pretty good blend. Tho thinking back there are some very intense/gory scenes so it definitely gets it's M rating, and is not something I'd want someone to accidentally walk in on per the more intense moments, The ending was strong, albeit I managed to figure out parts of it. I like the somnium gameplay elements a lot more than I expected, you do have to reset a lot at times so some moments prob penalize you too strongly, but the witty dialogue and process of trial and error was a lot of fun. Some of it seems to make sense too from a loosely connected sense in how events may be interpretted in the dream/somnium world instead per the viewers pov. Some solid character writing, I particularly love Aiba, though Date, Iris, and Mitsuki are all voiced and portrayed quite well too. The English VA is a thing of beauty, fits the characters very well, n the devs did a solid job of making the character animations expressive and interesting, n keeping a tense atmosphere

    Per the parts that could use improvement, I do like the story branching, albeit a solid chunk of it (maybe 2-4 hours) felt like a rehash because of similar events. So some parts of the story felt like I had to sludge through it / the pacing was way too slow or repetitive, but the overall story and payoff and reveals is pretty solid and is tied up pretty well. It makes some sense as some of that is laying the groundwork, but I was playing with a friend at the time and the rehash didn't seem to add much at first glance, mayhaps cause it was played too closely together. Clicking on non-important items in the environment was mostly worthless and a waste of time to click on, instead of having witty dialogue, it mostly just blandly described the item. I.e., clicking on a tv or banner on the wall would say something dull like "This is a tv" or "A banner hanging on the wall". Felt lazy and tbh a waste of time, items shouldn't be clickable if it has no purpose and adds nothing to the lore of the world or to flesh out the character's perspective. Would've been better to not have it and give the illusion of things to do when there was none, i.e. playing with my friend, seemed a waste of time when he played and tried to click through everything bc the flavor text was so bland. The jokes on Dates reaction time was way over used and got tired, and the quick time events segment were also pretty meh. Not that I care that much about it, but I feel the pacing and everything would've been better to either just leave it out, or to make it simpler. It's already dead simple, so having to hold a button or track an item for 5-10 secs is about as fun as...wait, it's not fun or challenging. That said, either it should've been fleshed out or just ignored/simplified to just a button press or a quick point and click. As is it didn't add much, but that's fine, the meat and potatoes is of course the story and somnium gameplay, the other stuff should instead, imo, just be streamlined to progress the story. As mentioned before, some somnium element penalties could have been lessened to reduce the number of restarts, and to encourage more exploration/trial of non-essential elements. There isn't a ton of replay value once you've beaten the game I think, I mean it'd be interesting to go through some parts of the story to see nuances, but it's a long story based game. Idk if it's be worth it for the little nods. The somnium portions might be fun to run through again, primarily though if a no penalty/invincible mode existed. It'd be more interesting to replay if you brought someone new in to explore it, probably.

    (spoiler alert!!)
    One character I had to suspend some disbelief, it may've been nice if their ability had some kind of explanation, but didn't really happen. (M's power.) I guess the motive for another character in some paths is not really explained much either. (P's motivations)
    (end spoiler alert)

    Overall, the story is cleverly done with likable characters, who are well voiced and fleshed out well. The ending wraps things up pretty nicely, and the overall story is interesting with good attention to detail. The way things unravel helps keep the mystery elements pretty strong throughout. Not much in terms of replayability, but overall another interesting, mind bendy, unique work of art by the dev.

    I'd give it like a 88. A bit more streamlining to keep th story flowing, n less rehash wld help. If they could find a way to add mor replay value it'd make it mor worth th full $60, as I got about the avg complete time frm it 27 hrs or so, tho the production qualities r certainly improving. I'm open to seeing more work from th dev in the future    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

13
#13 Best Switch Game of 2019
10
#10 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
86

Generally favorable reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. Multiplayer.it
    Oct 25, 2021
    83
    AI: The Somnium Files is another brilliant adventure from Kotaro Uchikoshi, that deepens its narrative structure at the price of loosening a bit of its puzzle design. All in all, it's a compelling interactive story that deserves to be played.
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  2. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Apr 30, 2020
    85
    After a comparatively slow couple of hours at the start, AI: The Somnium Files takes off and never slows down. [Issue #44 – January/February 2020, p. 74]
  3. GamingTrend
    Dec 31, 2019
    90
    With an endearing, violent, and engaging story, AI: The Somnium Files is an adventure game that fans of the visual novel genre should not miss. With a novel puzzle-solving mechanic and impressive voice performances, this game is a dream come true.
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