It’s miraculous that a game like AI: The Somnium Files got made. Helmed by the absolute madman behind the Zero Escape franchise, Spike Chunsoft’s latest feels like something that would be right at home in the mid-aughts Nintendo DS library. The anime-infused cyberpunk thriller calls to mind quirky and obscure gems like Time Hollow and Lux-Pain, and its unique blend of genres defies most classification.
Indeed, AI is the sort of title that most gamers are going to bounce right off of. There’s a lot of reading, a lot of examining large environments for small details, and a general refusal to explain itself or fit neatly into any one genre. Not only that, but it’s a title that isn’t afraid to go from zero to grimdark in sixty seconds, to dump large bits of exposition on the player, or to raise the sorts of questions about humanity that’ll keep you up at night. A stringently focus-tested and accessible game, this is not.
It’s precisely because of all this, though, that I absolutely love it.
“Fighting Crime, In A Future Time”
This starts at a conceptual level. AI takes place in Tokyo, a little bit in the future from now, and follows the stoic Kaname Date. Date is a detective for ABIS – a special division of the police focused on bizarre and seemingly unexplainable crimes. ABIS uses a special device to dive into the subconscious of suspects and piece together enough evidence to indict them of crimes. Yes, this is, in fact, a lot like Paprika – and that thoroughly average knock-off of it that Christopher Nolan did.
The meat of the game’s narrative kicks off with a series of murders, in which people’s eyes are gouged from their skulls before their corpse is left strewn about. Date, whose own eye was taken from him six years prior to the start of the story, becomes personally invested in this case, as the first victim is a close friend. With the help of Aiba, a sentient A.I. that lives in his left eye socket (just go with it,) Date begins his hunt for the murderer.
What follows is a twisty descent into bizarre plot twists that ratchet up in strangeness with each passing hour. It’s rare that a modern video game’s narrative can still surprise and engross to the extent that AI does, but lo and behold, there’s no conceivable way to predict the absolutely bonkers places this story goes. With several, several branching paths and multiple endings, there’s a lot of ground to cover in this game, and all of it is suitably compelling.
You Got Your Visual Novel In My Escape Room
While not exactly the middle finger to genre that Nier: Automata was, AI is still very much a release that bucks conventional gameplay in favor of something more eclectic – and more interesting.
Most of the game is spent examining environments – clicking around on the smallest details possible a la Ace Attorney and interrogating people through branching dialogue trees. These moments are the most approachable and easiest to grasp, but even then, the circular menus, large environments, and often mandatory need to ask the same question multiple times aren’t the most mainstream decisions.
Nor is the font choice, as a lot of the game is in sort-of Comic Sans. Yowch. I digress.
When players dive into the mind of a suspect, they take control of the Aiba. Only, in his mind, the cybernetic eyeball takes the form of a cute anime girl in a skintight bodysuit, because of course she does. These sections are played in real-time with full player control, and are mostly timed escape room sequences. Players manipulate the environment to change things around, recreate character interactions, and engage in wacky comedy with Aiba. Yes, that last one isn’t a joke – AI is a game that isn’t afraid to delve into strange, esoteric humor in the middle of a brutal murder investigation. Frances York Morgan would be proud.
These escape room sequences are some of the most compelling parts of AI. While I’m an unapologetic lover of Ace Attorney and Jake Hunter, there’s no denying that endless scrolls of text and bouts of trial and error can take a toll on a person. AI seems to understand this, and by offering these timed sequences in which players can get the tactile satisfaction of messing with their environment while racing against the clock, things are prevented from becoming too similar. Much like 999 blended puzzles and visual novel elements with brilliant results, so too does AI go beyond genre expectations to deliver a diverse and compelling experience.
Future Perfect
Much of this review is full of vagaries because, frankly, most of AI: The Somnium Files is too good to get even close to spoiling. Its cast, comprised of sardonic police chiefs, bizarre tech nerds, and quirky Let’s Players, is among the most interesting in gaming this year. Its story, a dreamlike yarn compounded by gritty neo-noir stylings, is unlike anything else on the market. Its gameplay, a visual novel that makes huge strides in making the genre more interesting, is more ambitious and compelling than many larger titles with budgets triple the size. It’s a daring little game, and I’m hesitant to say too much about it, as it’s something that has to be experienced to be appreciated.
So, sure, AI: The Somnium Files isn’t a game for everyone. Its dialogue is too dense, its humor too obtuse, its ideas too oblique for many to enjoy. But for people like me, who grew up being weened on those weird Japanese games you found in bargain bins, the ones that slipped between the cracks and sold three copies, that buried treasure of local video stores… well, it’s close to perfect. It’s one of the more interesting titles of the year, and an audacious break from the Zero Escape trilogy with ample room to grow as a franchise.
Consider me completely on board for a sequel.
4 Out Of 5 Stars
A Switch copy of AI: The Somnium Files was purchased by TheGamer for this review. AI: The Somnium Files is out now for PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
AI: The Somnium Files