AI: The Somnium Files Reviews

AI: The Somnium Files is ranked in the 83rd percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
8 / 10.0
Sep 23, 2019

Date may not be a great detective, but there’s no doubting that AI: The Somnium Files is a great detective game. It blends humour and human horror to deliver an engaging, mind-bending experience that’s a cut above most visual novels.

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90 / 100
Sep 19, 2019

AI: The Somnium Files is a must have for Zero Escape fans and an excellent starting point for those that still don't know Uchikoshi's work. AI tells an excellent story with great characters and uses a novel concept which is uncommon in nowadays games and should be more valued. It's a game recommended to those who like to solve complex mysteries.

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8 / 10
Sep 19, 2019

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.

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Sep 19, 2019

AI: The Somnium Files features an excellent story which I can easily recommend to fans of the genre however some questionable game mechanics and hit and miss puzzle design hold it back slightly from being an experience I could recommend to everyone.

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9 / 10
Sep 18, 2019

AI: The Somnium Files is a sureal new murder mystery game by Kotaro Uchikoshi, and might just be his finest work yet.

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9 / 10.0
Sep 17, 2019

The wait for Uchikoshi’s next game was well worth it as AI: The Somnium Files delivers a fantastic murder mystery storyline. It’s dark, serious, and horrific yet also funny and charming at times too.

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10 / 10.0
Sep 17, 2019

AI: The Somnium Files is the standout game for me this year, and it was ultimately everything I wanted and more. I was afraid I was setting my expectations too high. However, this game took my expectations, loaded them into the cylinder of a gun, and shot them away into the heavens.

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ZTGD
Top Critic
6.5 / 10.0
Sep 17, 2019

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.

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Recommended
Sep 17, 2019

Equal parts tense and unpredictable, this serves the kind of memorable experience that makes exploring branching storylines a joy.

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58 / 100
Sep 16, 2019

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.

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7 / 10
Sep 16, 2019

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.

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Sep 16, 2019

AI: The Somnium Files is such a superior storytelling experience that its hit-or-miss puzzle action is hardly an issue. By turns witty, sharp, horrific, nasty, and even at times sexy, AI: The Somnium Files is one of those games that very few people will play, but an awful lot of people should.

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GameSpot
Top Critic
8 / 10
Sep 13, 2019

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.

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7.5 / 10.0
Sep 13, 2019

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.

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9 / 10.0
Sep 13, 2019

The game’s style is well realized, backed by a great looking, great sounding experience. Combined with a deep mystery, it is something to keep an eye on. If you like games of similar genres, or even VNs in general- we highly recommend it. Miss out? You must be dreaming.

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8 / 10.0
Sep 12, 2019

It pales in comparison to some of his earlier work, but AI: The Somnium Files shows that Uchikoshi still knows how to craft a compelling narrative that can take you in unexpected directions.

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Sep 12, 2019

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.

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Wccftech
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Sep 12, 2019

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.

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8 / 10
Sep 12, 2019

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.

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Sep 12, 2019

Despite a few frustrations, AI: The Somnium Files is one of the most immersive stories I've ever played.

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