No Sleep For Kaname Date - From AI: The Somnium Files Reviews
Folks who enjoy AI: The Somnium Files and are waiting for the next Uchikoshi project might like No Sleep for Kaname Date, but it isn’t for anyone else.
While adding the very good Escape section to the series formula, No Sleep For Kaname Date feels a bit out of place in the trilogy, with a not so interesting story and some dubious continuity elements. In such a good year for gaming, it's hard to prioritize a game like this when you could buy much better titles.
Review in Italian | Read full review
No Sleep for Kaname Date offers a unique experience that combines puzzles, narrative, and charismatic characters in a cocktail as crazy as it is addictive, which if you haven't heard of the series, will surely leave you wanting more.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Juggling escape rooms, dream dives, and alien conspiracies while wearing a scanty bunny suit sounds like it shouldn't work, but No Sleep for Kaname Date somehow makes it all come together in a way that's equal parts ridiculous and compelling. The puzzles are clever, the cast is endearing, and the story—while occasionally overstuffed—remains hard to look away from. Even when the visuals lag and the exposition gets heavy, it will definitely keep you up late into the night to find out what happens next.
No Sleep For Kaname Date does not try to be a full sequel, and that works in its favor. It is a focused, gripping side story that builds on everything that made AI: The Somnium Files memorable. Longtime fans will appreciate the returning cast and deeper lore, while newcomers might find it a weird but fascinating entry point. It is not as sprawling or thematically rich as nirvanA Initiative, but it offers a more compact, puzzle-heavy experience that still packs a punch. At its core, this is a game about dreams, delusions, and the connections that transcend reality. It is all wrapped in a murder mystery involving aliens, sentient eyeballs, and idol songs. If that sounds like your kind of strange, don’t sleep on it.
No Sleep for Kaname Date - From AI: The Somnium Files is another great entry in this great series, now with added escape rooms.
No Sleep For Kaname Date – From AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES is a great game that bridges the gap between the first game and its sequel, nirvanA Initiative, while delivering a compelling story and new gameplay via the newly introduced Escape sections. The game doesn't take any risks with its narrative and features, but it offers a lot of content that AI fans will certainly appreciate.
No Sleep for Kaname Date – From AI: The Somnium Files is another strong entry in the hit visual novel series, once again taking players on a journey through strange and mysterious cases. All of its defining elements return, now joined by new gameplay features that put players’ skills to the test.
No Sleep For Kaname Date is a spin-off of the AI: The Somnium Files series, which focuses on sci-fi comedy with creative and challenging puzzles and escape rooms. The game stands out for its visual charm, striking soundtrack, and accessible, yet simple, gameplay. The story is eccentric and fun, but requires a good level of English. For fans of the series, it's a curious addition; for newcomers, it's a good (if strange) introduction to Kotaro Uchikoshi's unique style.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
I don't think my experience with this game was bad, but I was disappointed compared to previous titles. Still, my feelings are a bit conflicted, considering the positive surprise presented by the new gameplay segments focused on Escape Rooms. These are good moments, but they don't enhance the narrative as a whole, which in my opinion has always been AI's greatest strength.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Even if you’ve never touched AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES in any capacity previously, this is a solid entrypoint that might even be better thanks to pacing and plenty of extra reading to catch up on previous events. It’s captivating, it’s complex, and it’s riddled with intrigue and mystery. The moments you live are the moments you remember, and, though he is exhausted from lack of sleep, Kaname Date very much feels alive.
No Sleep for Kaname Date - From AI: The Somnium Files brings back the Investigation and Somnium gameplay from the first two entries while adding puzzle-based Escape gameplay as well. Tricky puzzles will keep escape game fans busy, while the story tells a smaller-scale but still enjoyable mystery.
No Sleep For Kaname Date – From AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES contributes to the franchise by tying up some loose ends from previous games and offering well-constructed dramatic moments. On the other hand, the campaign's linearity and lack of truly impactful plot points limit its potential.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
No Sleep for Kaname Date - From AI: The Somnium Files just feels more like a mediocre fandisc than a proper, satisfying entry of this series. It doesn’t need to exist, nor does it particularly justify its existence on its own merits. It’s too limited by being set in between the far more eventful games in the series, both in its plot and its characters. While Nirvana Initiative felt like it might have had a bit too much ambition and stumbled at the end for it, this title feels woefully lacking for any real ambition and stumbles the entire way. Most of the tension feels rather unconvincing, the comedy is a lot more one-note, and the cast of characters are at their worst in the trilogy. The game just doesn’t feel like it has enough trust in me as a player to actually solve its escape rooms myself, even when it ostensibly gives me a difficulty choice on how many (or few) hints I want.
No Sleep For Kaname Date is an excellent addition to the AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES series. Kaname Date takes on another adventure with brand-new Escape segments that include some devilishly difficult puzzles that escape room enthusiasts will love.
While it has excellent ideas, great character moments and the inclusion of escape rooms is extremely welcome, No Sleep For Kaname Date - From AI: The Somnium Files still leaves a bitter taste after its final stretch. And yet, even in the absence of its creator, it's still comforting to return to its world.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
It's still enjoyable spending more time with Date, Aiba, et al. and figuring out some engaging puzzles, but players shouldn't expect the same level of interwining of story threads.
Overall, No Sleep for Kaname Date was a charming and enjoyable return to the world of AI, a world that I never expected to actually return to. While I would have preferred a full third entry, this side game still retains every bit of the personality and storytelling deftness I've come to expect from the series, even with a new writer at the helm.