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. GRAFAIAI
    Sep 1, 2022
    0
    this game is so terrible, the gameplay is cheap, lazy and very terrible. very bad
  2. Rtheom
    Aug 16, 2020
    7
    I agree with most of the actual reviewers on here. I'm a huge fan of the Zero Escape games. Those were an interesting (if a bit muddled) story broken up by a series of (mostly) interesting mini-puzzle games. AI, however, is much more akin to a visual novel.

    There aren't really "puzzles" in this game and even the few that are there don't make much logical sense, so it's hard to really    I agree with most of the actual reviewers on here. I'm a huge fan of the Zero Escape games. Those were an interesting (if a bit muddled) story broken up by a series of (mostly) interesting mini-puzzle games. AI, however, is much more akin to a visual novel.

    There aren't really "puzzles" in this game and even the few that are there don't make much logical sense, so it's hard to really call them puzzles in the truest sense. You have control over the order you ask questions or the places you visit, but that has absolutely no effect on anything. There are branching paths, but the split points are so obvious as to be silly.

    Story-wise, AI is comparable to ZE, but not nearly as good. It's pretty obvious the writer knew that the two series would be compared, so he tried to differentiate them a bit but also come up with some twists that were mostly telegraphed a little too much. And some of the humor is WAY over the top, which sometimes utterly destroys what should be really serious, emotional or tense moments.

    Overall, if you're a fan of the ZE games, then sure, pick this up, but at a discount. If you haven't played the ZE games yet, just go play those. If you're not a fan of ZE, there's nothing here for you.    … Expand
  3. yusep
    Jan 28, 2020
    7
    It is inferior to the zero escape saga. But still very good. Good story, average gameplay.
    History is pretty much ok at the start but it ramps up at the end where the twist makes it very interesting. Gameplay wise is short, the puzzle sections are mostly try and error and below zero escape saga.
    Recommended.
  4. keatto
    Nov 25, 2022
    7
    Fans of the zero escape series will get sprinkles of the series theyve come to love. Newcomers looking for an interesting take on interactive fiction will find this a great start. A large cast of characters with very detailed backgrounds. Soundtrack is very atmospheric, and voice acting is entertaining. Skipping text and scenes helps the impatient reader progress faster .

    Now psyncing    Fans of the zero escape series will get sprinkles of the series theyve come to love. Newcomers looking for an interesting take on interactive fiction will find this a great start. A large cast of characters with very detailed backgrounds. Soundtrack is very atmospheric, and voice acting is entertaining. Skipping text and scenes helps the impatient reader progress faster .

    Now psyncing is the other half of the game and it's a mixed bag . Part of this process is seemingly random, played by "dream logic". Its really hit or miss but keeps the experience fresh as every dream psync is a glance into another character's mind, like a soft take on psychonauts. Overall I enjoyed the experience and found myself scanning every background item for every nugget of flavored dialogue and humor. Theres even hidden endings if you persist with background options or the games certain points where you can refuse or accept ridiculous conditions. That all said, the 75% mark as you go fillin in the blanks can be confusing keeping track of what has or hasnt happened.about an hour of slugging through that could've been done a bit better by explaining briefly what happened in this path/point in the story. Overall a great game and a must play for fans of zero escape. It's as good as 999 but still not as good as the nonary games (a great start to the series)    … Expand
  5. ulundor
    Nov 16, 2022
    5
    The game story and characters are good, I really learned to like most of them, especially Moma.
    What's not so good in my opinion is the puzzles, pacing and dumb jokes. The game is really good when it's serious, but some parts are so cringy I wanted to just delete the game.
    The puzzles in the somniums are not very intuitive and they are annoying, since they're all within a dream. Also,    The game story and characters are good, I really learned to like most of them, especially Moma.
    What's not so good in my opinion is the puzzles, pacing and dumb jokes. The game is really good when it's serious, but some parts are so cringy I wanted to just delete the game.
    The puzzles in the somniums are not very intuitive and they are annoying, since they're all within a dream. Also, the somnium puzzles are timed, but even if you fail you can just retry as many times as you want, so what is even the point?
    Most of the investigation is just go to all places, click on everything, talk to everyone, and you progress. That's not a detective game, that's a VN. This is not even close to Nonary games or similar.    … Expand
  6. 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
  7. xiekaidream
    Sep 17, 2021
    7
    伊丽丝篇end戛然而止，貌似是打通的第一个AVG？ 有兴趣再玩别的结局， NS版时常掉帧，好在影响不大， 二次元味道很浓，各种恶搞低俗台词，但却不太反感，解谜部分天马行空，不过感觉第一关脑洞最大，后面逐渐不太行，有点虎头蛇尾
  8. Mimmu
    Mar 3, 2020
    8
    Fans of zero escape games will certainly like this one. I love the aesthetic and the voice acting (able to choose japanese voices with english subs!). The controls are good (although extra points would be given if you could play with just one hand entirely - 95% of it is playable one handed.. just from time to time the game forces me to try to find where i put the right joycon just so iFans of zero escape games will certainly like this one. I love the aesthetic and the voice acting (able to choose japanese voices with english subs!). The controls are good (although extra points would be given if you could play with just one hand entirely - 95% of it is playable one handed.. just from time to time the game forces me to try to find where i put the right joycon just so i can open up the map). Points are lost because the puzzles are often just trial and error. Overall story is a ‘page-turner’, and that’s the main thing!… Expand
  9. Gameoverlatam
    Apr 2, 2020
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Un cadáver es descubierto en un parque de diversiones abandonado, la víctima presenta numerosas perforaciones en su abdomen y le falta el ojo izquierdo. Las circunstancias del asesinato se asimilan mucho a unos asesinatos en serie que tomaron lugar 6 años antes de los acontecimientos del juego, donde también las víctimas aparecían sin un ojo.

    Así empieza la historia de nuestro protagonista Kaname Date, un detective que misteriosamente también le falta su ojo izquierdo, en el cual tiene un ojo prostético donde reside su compañera de investigación, una inteligencia artificial de última generación conocida como Aiba. Date es parte del departamento policíaco metropolitano de Tokyo perteneciente a la división conocida como ABIS que se encarga de infiltrarse en la mente de los sospechosos para conseguir información que estos no recuerdan o simplemente no quieren presentar.

    AI: the Somnium Files es el último juego del director Kotaro Uchikoshi, creador de la aclamada trilogía de supervivencia y misterio “Zero Escape”. Tu trabajo es descubrir quién es el culpable, investigando las diversas escenas del crimen e interrogando a los sospechosos aún si estos no recuerdan información valiosa para la investigación, pues gracias a tu compañera Aiba, puedes acceder a los sueños de dichos sospechosos para tratar de interpretarlos y sacar información valiosa.

    El juego se divide en dos partes, la primera consiste en investigaciones, ya sea de las escenas del crimen, interrogando a los personajes de la historia o simplemente dialogando con ellos para conocerlos más a fondo, tratando de sacar cualquier información relevante para la investigación. Lo bien escritos que están todos los personajes y las personalidades de ambos protagonistas (Date y Aiba) hacen que todos los diálogos tengan un humor increíble. Sin lugar a duda, parte de la magia de los diálogos está en los monólogos que suceden entra Aiba y Date.

    La segunda parte del juego consiste en entrar en los sueños de los sospechosos, donde puedes moverte libremente dentro de los mismos, interactuando con objetos, tratando de remover los bloqueos mentales que protegen la información que tanto estas buscando. Dentro de los sueños hay un límite de tiempo de 6 minutos bien justificado por la historia, pero no te preocupes, en caso de no poder solucionar el sueño siempre puedes empezar de nuevo sin ningún tipo de penalidad.

    Al igual que los otros juegos de Uchikoshi, tus decisiones cuentan y van moldeando la historia a tu alrededor, en varios momentos tus acciones abren diversos caminos, estos pueden verse en el “flowchart” del juego, una especie de línea temporal gráfica donde puedes ver por qué camino estás yendo y te permite saber fácilmente si otra decisión hubiera abierto otro futuro por donde pudiste haberte ido. Estos futuros son completamente diferentes el uno del otro, siempre dándote información relevante para tu investigación. En cualquier momento de la historia puedes ir hacia atrás en el flowchart y elegir otro camino, pero ten en cuenta que Date no recuerda lo que hizo en otra ruta tomada previamente

    AI: the Somnium Files es uno de los mejores juegos que he tenido la oportunidad de jugar en los últimos años, la historia me hizo lagrimear más de una vez y los personajes están tan bien escritos que encariñarse con ellos es solo cuestión de tiempo. La historia es extremadamente memorable, sigo pensando en el juego días después de terminarlo. Uchikoshi diseña su historia de una manera que siempre hay giros en la trama y todo lo que creías se va por la borda. Súmale a esto que los personajes fueron diseñados por el diseñador de Fire Emblem y la música te mantendrá enganchado de principio a fin.

    Ningún juego es perfecto, el límite de tiempo dentro de los sueños puede verse como una limitación molesta, pues siempre se puede empezar sin penalidad, esto sumado a que si eres una persona que no le gusta leer mucho, este no es el juego para ti.

    Me tomó aproximadamente 24 horas conseguir el true ending. Este podría ser el mejor juego que ha dirigido Uchikoshi, donde se nota que la pasión por su trabajo y la determinación de su equipo dieron fruto.    … Expand
  10. junepei
    Oct 22, 2020
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Here's a plain old, honest review. AI:TSF is a good game by all means. It's not trash, and it's not brilliant. The game starts out really interesting but tends to fall flat by not being able to decide whether it's a dark, adult-oriented mystery, or a comedy for high schoolers due to the near constant sexual jokes. The story isn't very emotionally gripping and the characters, for the most part, are annoying as hell, the only one I enjoyed seeing was Mama. Some of the Somniums absolutely suck, with one of them having basically only a SINGLE way to beat it. Getting the true ending is HELL unless you're patient (and it's a letdown anyway), because you need to complete EVERY ROUTE before you can get it which took me roughly 50 hours, and maybe 3 routes at the most were worth it. It IS made by the same guy who made the Zero Escape series, and perhaps if you're not sure if that's for you, give this a shot. 999 alone is already much better, but that's only my opinion. It's still worth a playthrough, just not at full price.… Expand
  11. LTWasabi
    Jun 28, 2021
    7
    FBI Special Agent Sean Archer survives an assassination attempt by freelance terrorist and homicidal sociopath Castor Troy, but the bullet penetrates Archer's chest and strikes his son Michael, killing the boy.

    Six years later, Archer's vendetta against Troy culminates in his team's ambush of Troy and his younger brother and accomplice Pollux at a remote desert airstrip. Troy goads    FBI Special Agent Sean Archer survives an assassination attempt by freelance terrorist and homicidal sociopath Castor Troy, but the bullet penetrates Archer's chest and strikes his son Michael, killing the boy.

    Six years later, Archer's vendetta against Troy culminates in his team's ambush of Troy and his younger brother and accomplice Pollux at a remote desert airstrip. Troy goads Archer with knowledge of a bomb located somewhere in Los Angeles set to go off in a few days, but he is knocked into a coma before Archer can learn more. Pollux, in custody, affirms that the bomb is real, but refuses to reveal its location. At the suggestion of his partner Tito Biondi and Special Ops specialist Hollis Miller, Archer reluctantly secretly undergoes a highly experimental face transplant procedure by Dr. Malcolm Walsh to take on Troy's face, voice, and appearance. Archer is taken to the same high-security prison where Pollux is being held, and slowly convinces Pollux that he is Troy, gaining information on the bomb's location. Meanwhile, Troy unexpectedly awakens from his coma and discovers his face missing. He calls his gang, and they force Dr. Walsh to transplant Archer's face onto him. Troy then kills Dr. Walsh, Biondi, and Miller, the only three who knew of the transplant.

    At the prison, Archer prepares to tell Biondi of the location but is surprised when Troy appears instead, with Archer's face. Troy goads Archer that no one knows of the transplant, and that he will take over Archer's life. Pollux is freed when he willingly tells Troy-as-Archer of the bomb's location, and Troy disarms the bomb in a dramatic fashion. Troy-as-Archer earns admiration from the FBI office and becomes close to Archer's wife Eve and daughter Jamie, whom Archer had been neglecting while chasing down Troy.

    Meanwhile, Archer-as-Troy escapes after staging a riot and retreats to Troy's headquarters posing as Troy. There, he meets Sasha, the sister of Troy's primary drug kingpin, and her son Adam, who reminds Archer of Michael. Archer discovers that Adam is Troy's son. Troy learns of Archer's escape and hastily assembles a team to raid his headquarters. The raid quickly turns into a bloodbath, killing numerous FBI agents and several members of Troy's gang, including Pollux. During this, Archer, Sasha, and Adam are able to escape. Archer's supervisor, Director Victor Lazarro, blames Troy-as-Archer for the numerous slayings. Troy, furious over Pollux's death, kills Lazarro, making it look like a heart attack. Troy-as-Archer is promoted to acting director as plans are made for Lazarro's funeral. Archer finds safety for Sasha and Adam. He then approaches Eve, and convinces her to test Troy-as-Archer's blood to prove his identity. Convinced of her husband's identity, Eve tells Archer that Troy will be vulnerable at Lazarro's funeral.

    At the ceremony, Archer finds that Troy has anticipated his actions and takes Eve hostage. Sasha arrives, and a gunfight ensues; Sasha manages to save Eve after taking a bullet. Archer promises a dying Sasha to take care of Adam and raise him away from criminal life. Troy flees the church with Archer pursuing him. Before killing two more federal agents, Troy briefly takes Jamie hostage, but she escapes by stabbing him with a butterfly knife that Troy had given her for self-defense. A speedboat chase ensues in which Archer forces Troy to shore by collision, then bests Troy in a melee fight. Troy mutilates his own/Archer's face to taunt and distract him, but Archer instead gains the upper hand and impales Troy with a spear gun, killing him. Backup agents arrive and address Archer by name, having been convinced by Eve of Archer's true identity.

    After the face transplant surgery is reversed, Archer returns home, adopting Adam into his family and keeping his promise to Sasha.    … Expand
  12. nahobino5_
    Jun 22, 2021
    6
    A great game overall. Interesting story, good characters. The mechanics are fun. I didn't love it enough to want to replay it though. This is a game that you play once, appreciate it for what it is and that's it. One negative thing, it starts lagging A LOT during video calls. That's a reason why I would recommend playing the PS4 version over this.
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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.
    Read full review
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