AI: The Somnium Filesis a visual novel from Spike Chunsoft andthe creator ofZero Escape, Kotaro Uchikoshi. The original game and its 2022 sequelnirvanA Initiativefollow special investigation team ABIS, who solve unusual murder cases by looking for clues in suspects' dreams. These dream worlds, which are called “Somnia”, are the primary focus of gameplay, requiring players to explore bizarre scenarios and interact with unreal objects that can act according to dream logic rather than the natural laws of physics.
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There are thirteen Somnia innirvanA Initiative(excluding the secret bonus). Each one takes place inside the mind of a different character and offers a rarely-seen window into each person’s life.As the heart of the series, each Somnium is an entertaining, sometimes challenging, spectacle. They’re all pretty interesting in their own way, but the best Somnia innirvanA Initiativestand out from the rest thanks to some of their unique elements and themes.
This list contains spoilers for the entirety of AI: The Somnium Files - nirvanA Initiative.
10Chikara’s Somnium
Director of Horidori Research Institute and obsessed with using gene therapy to achieve immortality, Chikara’s Somnium takes the form of an ethereal laboratory. In order to progress,the player must complete his unusual experiments. These take the form of combining the halves of two different people into a single, combined skillset.
The combinations of people, such as Warrior plus Astronaut for a powerful jump, are a fun feature, but their creation is predefined. There’s no actual experimentation, which makes the Somnium easier to complete and a little disappointing given the potential of the concept.
9Amame’s Somnium
A worker at a maid cafe, and friend of main cast member Iris, Ryuki enters Amame’s dream to uncover more information about an encounter with serial killer Tearer. What he ends up finding there isa twisted and macabre quiz show.
On its own, this Somnium is unsettling at best, but also pretty nonsensical. Its real strengths only start to become apparent during the player’s second visit to Amame’s mind a little later on.
8Ryuki’s Somnium
Ryuki’s Somnium is the first Somnium in the game. In an attempt to uncover information about a reemergent serial killer, Mizuki enters fellow agent Ryuki’s dream world. She finds a jumbled mess of confusion and self-loathing.
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As the tutorial, the initial playthrough is unsettling but still pretty simple. A later exploration expands its scope, however, amplifying Ryuki’s guilt and forcing Mizuki to battle against shadowy attackers.It’s a good intro, but also fairly simple.
7Gen’s Somnium
A local chef who gets caught up in the mysteries surrounding the Half Body serial murders. Gen always wears a mascot costume to prevent his deformed appearance from frightening people, so much of his Somnium is based around metaphors for self-loathing and confinement.
The standout feature of this Somnium, however, is the cook-off:an imagined competition between Gen and protagonist Mizuki. The player is able to exploit game mechanics to train for years in the space of one second, and can then use quick-time events to prepare increasingly elaborate dishes using otherworldly techniques. It’s a lot of fun, but it doesn’t really relate to the actual plot.
6Masked Woman’s Somnium
An enigmatic woman who keeps her face hidden, Mizuki has the opportunity to enter the Masked Woman’s dream in an attempt to learn more. However, the woman’s Somniumis practically a scene from a horror movie, based on the woman’s experience undergoing torturous experimentation. A caricature of Chikara pursues the player, forcing them to hide creatively and avoid making noise.
The dreamscape is nerve-racking and tells a dire story in a creative manner, but it can also be frustrating to play through. Certain stealth segments are difficult to bypass and might need to be attempted several times before players can get the hang of things.
5Komeji’s Somnium
Komeji is a struggling comedian with an oddly box-like head. In his dream, he imagines himself as the host of a variety show in which he’s followed by a cameraman as he practices comedy on the street. However, looking a little closer reveals the darker realities he wishes to hide.
This Somnium has a distinct style to it. The music, in particular, gives off a jaunty, yet sad clown feeling. The contrast between imagination and reality is a nice touch as well, such as when Komeji dreams of signing an autograph but is actually signing for a predatory loan. It’s just a shame that some of the finer points of Japanese comedy don’t always translate well into English.
4Iris' Somnium
Iris is a Streamer and internet idol who overhears a suspicious conversation and requires a Somnium expedition to retrieve its details. Story-wise, this Somnium is extremely basic: progressing through the dream reveals more of the secret conversation. Its framing, however, is a lot of fun. It’s set up as aPokemongame, specifically, aPokemon GOreference called “Kusemon GO,” which Iris had been playing.
The whole section is packed with little references, allowing players to form a team of characters from the series and even send them into a simplisticPokemon-style battle. It’s not strongly connected to the plot, and the time limit hampers the first-time playthrough enjoyment somewhat, but it’s great for what it is.
3Amame’s Somnium (2)
The second exploration of Amame’s dreams, and the last Somnium in the game, unlike other Somnia which can be replayed for different storyline changes, this one is distinctly separate from the first. The setting is simple, with the Somniumtaking place at the maid cafe where she works, but the target is much more serious.
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Despite being set at a humble cafe, the stakes are high from the start, as this Sominum is shown to have an unheard-of eight locks to bypass instead of the usual three to five. Its standout feature, though, is its recontextualization of the quiz questions from Amame’s first Somnium, forcing the player to ask themselves if they might have committed the same crimes as she did.
2Tokiko’s Somnium
Tokiko is the chairman of the Japanese branch of Naix, an organization that believes the world is a simulation and is committed to freeing humanity from its imprisonment. For someone with such a dramatic worldview, Tokiko’s Somnium is practically mild. It’s centered around a pure white versionof her already bare office.
The lack of detail makes for a good contrast when significant objects begin to appear. Skulls, eyes, and dogmatic tomes begin to decorate the office, topped off by deep pools of “red water.” It’s unsettling without being over-the-top. It ends with a striking scene of a long swim up into the light, blemished slightly by the real risk of running out of time halfway there.
1Tearer’s Somnium
Tearer is the main antagonist of the game. His Somnium gives a glimpse into his harsh life and is a rare look into the psyche of the game’s signature murderer. The standout feature of the Somnium is its division into several different escape room challenges. It feels a lot likeUchikoshi’sZero Escapeseriesand makes a nice reference.
Since it reveals that Tearer played escape room games while growing up, there’s a hint that he was literally inspired byZero Escape, as an extra twisted meta-reference. It’s spooky, it lets the player feel Tearer’s imprisonment first-hand, and it’s a neat throwback on top of that. As the complete package, it’s the best Somnium in the game.
AI: The Somnium Files - nirvanA Initiativeis available on PC, Switch, PS4, and Xbox One.
