We analyze AI: The Somnium Files, the new title distributed by Spike Chunsoft and directed by Kotaro Uchikoshi, responsible for the Zero Escape series.
With the appearance on Nintendo DS 999 years ago: 9 people, 9 Hour, 9 Doors, Kotaro Uchikoshi began what would become one of the most recognized names in the field of video games with this first title of a trilogy to which It would be followed by two sequels, Virtue's Last Reward and Zero Time Dilemma, both forming the entire Zero Escape series. Outside these leaders, the creative has also participated in another series of games known, although perhaps less than the aforementioned, such as Infinity, which includes titles such as Never 7: The End of Infinity, Ever 7: The Out of Infinity o Remember 11: The Age of Infinity, in addition to other projects such as the animated Punchline series, which was subsequently adapted to the video game for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita, and The Girl in Twilight (in Japan, Akanesasu Shôjo), which had a mobile title with an ephemeral life cycle. On this occasion, under the protection of Spike Chunsoft, we get his latest title, AI: The Somnium Files, an adventure that mixes touches of visual novel mystery with science fiction elements, some moments of action and also a hint of humor.
The game begins at the scene of a crime, with a woman, later identified as Shoko Nakami, tied to one of the horses of a roundabout attraction in an abandoned amusement park. His clothes are bloody showing stab wounds on his body and his left eye has been removed. The police cordon off the place and investigate possible evidence they may find, with the inspector Kaname Date, the game's protagonist, and his superior, Boss, members of the special ABIS investigation department being present. Using the support of Aiba, the AI he has implanted in his left eye, Date examines the scene for evidence, to the point that inside the pillar of the attraction he finds a person: Mizuki, the victim's daughter who in his hands he carries the weapon of crime. From this moment the adventure will begin in which several crimes will occur in which the suspicions will fall on the different characters that Date will know in his adventure, while speculating with the possibility that the murderer is replicating the murders committed years ago by another criminal: the murderer Cyclops.
The future of the game is developed through the perspective of Date in the first person, offering novel visual cutting phases with certain touches of graphic adventure in which to be able to examine the different objects of the locations in search of clues and at the same time questioning the characters to gather information about the case and its development. In between the game will offer different mechanics to help solve the investigation such as the phases of the Somnium or the interrogations, as well as some sequences of action with QTEs and also videos with the game engine to narrate important aspects of the plot. Depending on the course of the investigation, and the decisions made, it is possible that the course of it varies by offering different routes focused on specific characters to reveal information that will be transcendental to solve the case, although to access them you will have to play them in such a way that allow removing blockages that will get in the way and that will leave the investigation in a stalemate.
The investigation phases will take Date and Aiba to various locations, both crime scenes and places to get information, in which the main point will be to interact with the objects that are available while raising questions to the characters that are present until exhaust all possible options. The information obtained will be complemented through the data provided by Aiba and the deductions of Date, offering recreations and retrospectives of some relevant details of the case. Similarly, it may be the case that you have to use extra options such as temperature meter, x-ray or night vision to get additional information or discover important objects. The interrogation phases, meanwhile, offer the possibility of using the information obtained to cement an accusation against a character, although not decisively for the development of the case. For this, it will be necessary to use the evidences obtained and present them before the questioned character in such a way that their implication in the case is exposed, being able, previously, to consult the data of each evidence to know which one to use at each moment.
The interrogation phases will lead to entering the Somnium of the character where to investigate the subconscious in search of evidence or experiences through their dreams. In these phases the control passes to a human-looking version of Aiba, who must search among the objects that have available the options that lead to breaking the different mental blocks of the character in that dream, which will allow obtaining important details to solve the case . However, things will not be simple since on the one hand a time limit of six minutes of time is imposed to solve the puzzle, otherwise the game will end with the option to retry from different completed points, while on the other the actions executed when investigating will spend part of the time. To facilitate the development, time objects, or timies, will be obtained that can be used to reduce the time spent in fractions or set it by a certain amount, although it will also be possible for certain points to grant a time item of double expenditure which will be used mandatory at the next research point, complicating progress in a certain way. Note that in certain phases of the Somnium there will be two possible routes in which to solve the situation presented, which will depend on the actions presented and the choice of them, and that will lead to unblocking access to other research routes within the case.
The moments of action are not lavished in excess in the game, with just one sequence per route. In them the action is developed through different sequences that will require pressing a button or a sequence of them (also called Quick Time Events) to overcome them, which is not complex when it comes to overcoming them. As a result, spectacular sequences will be shown in which Date solves the encounters with the enemies following the steps dictated by Aiba.
The game options include a couple of interesting aspects to consider. The first one is the file that includes information about all the objects, terms and characters of the game with detailed information, including also some aspects of extra content such as sketches of character designs. All this information will be collected along the course of the game on the different routes until its conclusion. The second is the flowchart, a diagram that will show the development of the case at the same time that it will include, once they are unlocked, the different routes available in the line of investigation. The main function of this feature will not only be decorative but will allow access to information on each part and also start the game through different points of the game directly, being able to choose both specific parts and be able to go directly to specific locations through The options available. Note that the game offers a total of five routes each with its own conclusion, some of them leaving certain unknowns in the air, and that the information obtained in them will serve both to open access to other routes and to conclude the case of satisfactory way.
In the playable part, it should be said that the game offers acceptable playability. The mechanics of investigation are of a similar style to the point and click, which makes this title close to a graphic adventure, saving the obvious distances, through the interaction in search of clues of the different objects that are present in the locations . On the other hand, the phases of the Somnium offer something more of direct interaction controlling Aiba in developments with a certain surreal point, obviously being part of the dream of the people with whom Date is synchronized, which is, perhaps, one of the aspects most interesting in the game. Denote, also, that throughout the game the interaction of Date with the characters can lead to somewhat hilarious moments that are appreciated to offer a point of variety between serious moments of the game.
In the graphic aspect, the game does not stand out in excess. The models offered by the game show a marked manganime style whose true strength is the use made of them to show their different expressions through the portraits, giving a somewhat striking feeling of liveliness. On the other hand, the scenarios do not have abundant visual details. This is especially noticeable in the sequences in Date's car, revealing some details that overshadow the quality of the game, especially when seeing the lack of movement of the environment.
Finally, in the sound section, we have that the game offers sound tracks with different styles but mostly, except for a few that manage to highlight at certain times (with special interest the vocal theme that Iris sings in the game), they go completely unnoticed during game development As for the voices, the game offers the option of playing with dubbing in English or Japanese.
CONCLUSION
AI: The Somnium Files is, in general, an interesting playable proposal that attracts attention both for the intricate research that is carried out along the plot, told through each of the game's routes, and for the cast of characters that star, each of them apparently common to the naked eye but their backgrounds show aspects that hide much more than they show. To this add that the game knows how to mix the moments of mystery with certain doses of action, bloody scenes and even a hint of sense of humor. On the negative side, highlight the language of the texts, only in English, and that graphically does not stand out in excess with some of the locations that are scarce in detail.
THE BEST
- The plot, which, along the different research routes, will be charging interest until its resolution.
- Cast of interesting characters, with much more than what the naked eye offers.
- The phases of the Somnium, with a point of surrealism but that help to discover important aspects of the case and of each character.
WORST
- Texts in English.
- Graphically the game does not stand out in excess.
Good
It meets the expectations of what a good game is, it has quality and does not present serious failures, although it lacks elements that could have led to higher levels.
