AI: The Somnium Files Reviews
AI: The Somnium Files is the perfect successor to the Zero Escape series and a must-buy for any fan of director Kotaro Uchikoshi.
Equal parts tense and unpredictable, this serves the kind of memorable experience that makes exploring branching storylines a joy.
The various twists and turns of AI's wild sci-fi, dream-exploring detective tale will keep you engaged and intrigued until the very end.
It's hard to go into what makes AI: Somnium Files so extraordinarily great without spoiling key elements, but it's truly a title that grips quickly and doesn't let go.
AI: The Somnium Files starts out slow but once you've traversed a few of its delightfully surreal Somnium dreamscapes and got to an ending or two, working your way back through your flowchart and striking out in different directions, it becomes an engaging and tense affair. Fans of the Zero Escape games will feel right at home here, and director Kotaro Uchikoshi's talent for putting the player into increasingly unsettling circumstances ensures everything takes flight in a very satisfying way as you work your way through the many strands of the loopy central mystery towards its various different endings.
AI: The Somnium Files has to be easily one of the best visual novels I've ever had the joy of playing, maybe even ranks as one of the best games I've played this year. With superb visuals, engaging gameplay, likeable characters, and a twist-filled story to rival that of M. Night Shyamalan, this is definitely not a visual novel to be slept on (sorry).
Investigating gruesome murders in AI: The Somnium Files is fun even though it's not particularly challenging. What really makes this game worth playing is its gritty sci-fi story and engaging characters. The mix of oddball characters work perfectly together to make you experience a rollercoaster of emotions, and piecing together all the threads of the story will reveal some surprising plot twists.
Even with its dumb jokes and insubstantial puzzles, AI: The Somnium Files is an engrossing mystery that twists and turns in ever-exciting directions.
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.
If you’re looking for a visual novel with a compelling plot, and are able to ignore lots of terrible dialogue, then AI: The Somnium Files is a no-brainer recommendation.
AI: The Somnium Files tells an often engrossing tale. It takes a couple of hours to really get going, but when it does, it blossoms into one of the most impressively executed visual novels on PS4. A range of characters, both surprisingly deep and brilliantly stupid, elevate an already intriguing and smartly paced story. It's just a shame that the dream sequences, with their frustratingly obscure puzzle solving, can really put a dampener on the experience.
Once again, Uchikoshi has come out of nowhere with an utterly crazy murder-mystery that explores the link between witnessing horrific trauma and how it affects how victims dream.The links above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Wccftech.com may earn from qualifying purchases.
AI: The Somnium Files is yet another winner from Kotaro Uchikoshi, expanding upon Spike Chunsoft's renown formula and pushing it in bold new directions. It can fumble in its visuals and mechanics, but look beyond a few of its weaker elements and there's a truly original adventure brimming with excellent ideas.
Despite a few frustrations, AI: The Somnium Files is one of the most immersive stories I've ever played.
If you were hoping for a worthy successor to the excellent Zero Escape series, this ain’t it chief.
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.
AI: The Somnium Files is a sureal new murder mystery game by Kotaro Uchikoshi, and might just be his finest work yet.
Many years have passed since I played the masterpiece that is Ever 17, and I'm still in awe of his ability to weave in so many strands, concepts, and plot twists and still create something that isn't just coherent, but also adrenaline-inducing and emotionally resonant. Every game is a team effort, but Uchikoshi's brilliance is what's made many of the visual novels he's directed and written become cult classics. AI: The Somnium Files isn't his best work, but it's entertaining from start to end and a game I'd recommend to anyone interested in visual novels, murder mysteries, or simply a great story.
This is the best work by Kotaro Uchikoshi to date and, considering the quality of the previous ones, this statement says much about AI The Somnium files. If only the puzzles were less obtuse...
Review in Italian | Read full review
For those who enjoyed the storytelling of Zero Escape and other works by Kotaro Uchikoshi, AI: The Somnium Files is a no-brainer purchase, and might just be his most solid game yet.