Eye spy.

AI: The Somnium Files is the latest offering from creator Kotaro Uchikoshi, whose Zero Escape Trilogy was widely appreciated for its unpredictable and innovative take on the visual novel genre. As a fan of Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward in particular, I was intrigued to see what kind of strange adventure AI: The Somnium Files would offer.

It turns out that strange is certainly an appropriate word to apply to this game. Whilst it takes a creative approach to key themes of observation and perception, it also has a tendency to lose sight of narrative cohesion. Nevertheless, there’s lots to discuss. But first…apologies in advance for any awful eye-related puns that may appear throughout this review. They were probably accidental.

With my little eye

The game’s opening scene takes place at a location named Bloom Park, where a body has been discovered. It seems a gruesome murder has taken place – the victim is affixed to a carousel and their left eye is missing. Kaname Date, a detective with the Advanced Brain Investigation Squad (ABIS), is responsible for investigating. This initial discovery forms part of the game’s central mystery: who is the killer, and what might he have to do with a previous case which Date can’t remember…because it’s soon revealed to the player that he has amnesia?

MSRP: $59.99
Platforms: PS4, Switch

The opening at Bloom Park establishes how Somnium Files’ investigations work. During the course of the story, the player will be tasked with interrogating witnesses and gathering evidence at various locations. Date is always in a fixed position for these scenes – through him, the player can observe other characters or start a conversation via the offered prompts. Choosing certain topics leads the conversation in a particular way which may reveal new information; but it is somewhat frustrating that all prompts have to be exhausted before the player can move on.

Date also has an artificial intelligence device named Aiba, which allows him to zoom in and enhance his observations with X-Ray vision. Aiba is actually one of Date’s eyes, and can even pop out of the eye socket allowing Date to view himself from a very unique perspective. Perception, memory and how they affect one’s interpretation of a particular environment are the game’s core themes. They’re big themes, and Somnium Files teases the player with frequent references to them – a character Date meets early on is called Iris, who claims to be able to see into the future; and the suspected killer is known as Cyclops. Unfortunately, this vision is never really realised, other than in one key environment within the game – Somnium.

Blurred vision

The surreal world of Somnium is a separate reality within the game, where the player must explore a dream in order to discover the subject’s hidden memories. This is made possible by a contraption known as the Psync Device, which is a crucial investigative tool of ABIS and allows Date – through Aiba – to interrogate the minds of other individuals whose insight may be of use to the case.

Somnium episodes often realise the game’s central themes in a more interactive and surreal way than the exposition scenes. As Aiba, the player must solve a series of ‘mental locks’ to acquire the subject’s vital knowledge, but this must be accomplished within a time limit of six minutes. To add to the challenge, time is fluid within Somnium – it’s expended more quickly whenever Aiba moves, and undertaking an action often comes with a time penalty. Sominium puzzles are incredibly odd and certainly unique – sometimes solutions follow a certain distorted logic and other times it’s a case of trial and error. That said, unlike other parts of the game, they are far from dull.

Eye roll

One of the biggest problems AI: The Somnium Files has is with narrative pacing. The game is over reliant on extensive – and often tedious – exposition, which isn’t helped by a thoroughly underwhelming opening two hours. The investigation scenes are often too bloated with redundant dialogue. Whilst a certain amount of reading obviously comes with the territory for this type of game, it shouldn’t feel intrusive or overstay its welcome.

The game also comes complete with the requisite moments of sexism, reductive portrayals of female characters and utterly cringe-worthy sexual innuendo. Other than Aiba, the remaining characters feel very cliched. Date is uninspiring and monotone; the cast of supporting characters are largely uninteresting or – in the case of the game’s younger characters – extremely annoying. Only Date’s boss has some sense of personality.

There’s simply too much monotonous process in place of captivating content here. Like the Zero Time games, Somnium Files also has multiple endings and numerous pathways to reach them via the game’s flowchart system – unfortunately, it’s a real test of endurance for the player who wants to repeat multiple parts of the game in order to witness them.

Out of sight

Ultimately, AI: The Somnium Files is a game that has moments of brilliance that are obscured by a disjointed narrative and investigative process. Aside from the Somnium sequences – which are, admittedly, very cool – the game failed to motivate me to truly engage with its overarching story. I just didn’t find it appealing. That said, it may be worth a look for fans of the genre (or detective stories in general), who are likely to feel at home here if not altogether blown away.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.

Good
  • Somnium sequences are great
  • Interesting themes
  • Content will feel familiar to fans of the genre
Bad
  • Tedious exposition
  • Underwhelming opening
  • Poor pacing
6.5
Decent
Written by
Sophie has been a gamer since that glorious decade known as the nineties. Her console of choice is the Sega Mega-Drive. She reads books, watches television, does academic stuff and likes tattoos.