AI The Somnium Files

This is thread for AI the Somnium files and it's sequel that was just announced.

Here's the trailer announcement for the sequel.

As someone who liked Zero Escape quite a bit, I didn't really click with AI. I think the core mystery and plot twists were done really well, but the constant sex jokes and the actual Somnium levels really turned me off from wanting to play it again, at least for a while. That said, I'll probably give the sequel a chance when it comes out, as I do enjoy Uchikoshi's writing quite a bit.

Never played the game myself, only watched a 100% playthrough, but yeah the sex jokes and stuff clashed with the rest of the game. I don't necessarily mind the inclusion of humor since the nonsexual jokes landed for me but the sex jokes were too much. I am looking forward to the sequel though. Mizuki tends to take things more seriously so hopefully the humor there will land better.

One thing I hope for is that Mizuki actually has flaws. I felt the game lionized her a bit too much in the original, even outside of her root.

I do wonder if we'll get an update on whether Date hooked up with Hitomi.

Watch Date end up being The Ghost with Mizuki and Aiba spending the whole game ripping on him in absentia.

There's a 0% chance we learn nothing about Date and Hitomi, because there's a 0% chance that this game isn't going to include Iris or try to write around the fact that she and the new protagonist may have the same adoptive dad.

...On the subject of dads, though, my biggest hope for this sequel is that we get to see Mizuki finally interact with her dad's last and (by all indications) truest love, Pewter.

I wonder if Pewter will be released from prison by the time of the new game.

nirvanA Initiative's box art

So looks like this time there's going to be a rival pair of Psyncers. Looks like there're a couple characters from the first game at the bottom there...including Saito!Date?

...I'm not even going to touch those two weirdoes on the right and left.

~Iniuria Talis I don't follow. Where do you get the impression that the two of them may have the same adoptive dad?

My post was before the male character was shown. I was referring to the fact that Mizuki, who was adopted by Date, may now be adoptive stepsisters with Iris via Date and Hitomi's romance.

Obviously a lot of out-of-context trailerbait, but there's certainly some weird stuff shown here. Ryuki, the co-protagonist, looks like he's primed to have a screw or two loose and, unless it's a placeholder to avoid spoilers, the victim who got cut in half appears to be one of Moma's two yakuza lackeys, the back-alley doctor.

I'm most curious about how the game's going to justify the presence of Saito!Date. The easiest thing to do is pull some Cutting Off the Branches and have this game be a sequel to a Broad Strokes version of the first one where somehow Saito was stopped before his chain of body surfing reached its end. That could even be a plot point given the multi-verse aspect. In the press release Uchikoshi claims there'll be a spoiler toggle of sorts concerning references to the first game, and I'd find it hilarious if all it does is change Date's model to his original body.

You can also see a figure wearing one of those spacesuits from Virtue's Last Reward.

That's one way to avoid late arrival spoiler.

New Character Trailer for the new game.

Huh, Amame must be getting the Ascended Extra treatment.

Komeji is totally going to be this game's Ota, isn't he? The clownish, obnoxious comic relief character who turns out to have one of the more real and depressing stories in the game.

Nirvana Initiative is currently out in most regions.

Been looking forward to playing it.

Got my copy earlier today. Only done the first Somnium so far though I think I'm about to start another one. Made it to the first Somnium in Chapter 2. Gonna retire for the night.

Edited by Chariot on Jun 25th 2022 at 4:08:21 AM

This is first time ever I'm playing Uchikoshi game at release so also first time I'm playing them 100% spoiler free so I'm having genuine Uchikoshi mind screw meltdown going on trying to understand "wait why did everyone suddenly start to speak weird"

My best guess so far?

My theory is that there are two Mizuki's one older one and one younger one. In six year's timet he younger one will look identical to older one who actually exists in earlier timeline (Aiba's secret mission is with them) and at one point while you play the future one the perspective shifts without warning to younger one so thats why people suddenly start talking about six years ago events as if they just happened.

Alternatively, its space time bullshit again

Edited by SpookyMask on Jun 26th 2022 at 10:29:30 PM

Okay so I've finished both the Komeji and Shoma ending and the Explosion ending. Now I can go back and redo Ryuki's Somnium. I've been spoiled on a few endgame spoilers, but I don't know the particular details. And while I do know Tearer's motive since they spelt it out in the Explosion ending, I still don't know their true identity or why their motive is what it is. Not to mention the mystery surrounding whether or not Date survived the cavein.

Still don't have any theory of my own though. I think I might take a break from the game as well though because it's one of the only peices of media I've been engaging with the past three days.

Edited by Chariot on Jun 27th 2022 at 5:07:43 AM

I've completed the game now and yeah loved this one more than the first game

My copy's delivery got delayed a few days but it was finally here waiting for me when I got home from work tonight so I can't wait to dive in!

EDIT: lol this explanation for why Date looks the way he does is simultaneously really dumb while straining my suspension of disbelief far less than the old Sigma reveal in VLR.

Edited by ComicX6 on Jun 28th 2022 at 9:20:35 AM

Finished the Ryuki routes and that was a clever trick they pulled with Tearer. Unlocking their profile in the files (featuring a picture with an iron mask) long before you actually meet them, in order to distract the player from the fact that Ryuki shouldn't actually know that Tearer wears an iron mask when it comes up.

Edited by Moth13 on Jun 28th 2022 at 4:25:49 AM

ATM I've gotten as far as Ryuki's first branch ending. nirvanA is definitely the VLR to the first game's 999 in terms of going heavier on the sci-fi pulp but if Shoma and Komeji's story is any indication what I felt were the strongest aspects of the first game, the more grounded character writing and stories, are still intact so all is good so far. Ryuki's shaping up to be a good (relative) straightman foil to the larger-than-life personalities of Date and Mizuki. It's also nice that the action QTE segments aren't revolving around one single, overused joke and the Somnium art direction is much stronger. Shoma's Somnium and Tokiko's Somnium alone outdo almost all the ones in the first game.

I think I have some idea of where everything's going based on the aforementioned pulpiness but nirvanaA's so far holding its cards a lot closer to its chest compared to the first game having Pewter make jokes about Date being the amnesiac Cyclops Killer or "Date" killing the victims in VaiN. I think I've seen almost everything that's been shown off in the pre-release material so I'm eager to see what's in store next!

Made it to the locked path of Mizuki's portion of the game and started the other path. While it's obvious in hindsight given that we knew from Ryuki's endings that Shoma was experimented on I still wasn't expecting him to be the one with eternal youth and life. I also wasn't expecting Tearer to be Jin. Especially after completing his Somnium.

I'm glad to be past Tear and the Masked Woman's Somnium's though. I had to cheese part of Tearer's it was so hard and the Masked Woman's was stressful as well. Especially the sleath section.

Taking a break from the game for now, but I'll go back to it later.