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New Game System Details Revealed for AI: The Somnium Files – nirvanA Initiative

Mizuki holds a pipe menacingly against a red background.

AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES – nirvanA Initiative, the sequel to AI: The Somnium Files which released back in 2019, has had new game system updates revealed by developer Spike Chunsoft. This new entry in the series takes place six years after the events of the original, following the discovery of the right half of the corpse from the first game. See the recently released story trailer below.

New Gameplay Details For AI: The Somnium Files – nirvanA Initiative

Moving between Dreams and Reality to Get to the Truth – In AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES – nirvanA Initiative, the two main protagonists Mizuki and Ryuki are members of ABIS, a special investigation team inside the Metropolitan Police Department. Along with their AI-Ball partners Aiba and Tama they are tasked with solving the bizarre Half Body serial killings. The game consists of two parts. The “Investigation” part takes place in the real world. Here players will examine crime scenes and listen to testimonies. In the “Somnium” part, players enter the dream worlds of suspects and key witnesses. Moving back and forth between the two parts, players can obtain the clues that can help them solve the case.

Investigation Part: AI-Ball’s New Capabilities – During Investigation, the story unfolds as players navigate the real world, examine crime scenes, and conduct interviews with suspects and witnesses. The main protagonists Mizuki and Ryuki each have a prosthesis in their left eye socket. This prosthesis or “AI-Ball” is equipped with advanced artificial intelligence, as well as visual functions such as X-ray and thermal imaging that can help them uncover clues.

For the sequel, AI-Ball’s features will be expanded. New capabilities include “Virtual Reality” in which special visual functions are applied to an entire space, while “Truth Reconstruction” reproduces an incident as if it were a scene from a television drama. The new “Wink Psyc” function will let players easily read the thoughts of others. Recognizing the lies and concerns of other parties will help move the investigation forward.

Somnium Part: Who hasn’t dreamt of flying? – During a Somnium, players can uncover new clues. Agents or “Psyncers” use Psync machine to enter the dreams of suspects and key witnesses. In the dream world, Mizuki’s AI-Ball Aiba or Ryuki’s AI-Ball Tama appear as women and assist their agents by conducting investigations on their behalf. The Psyncer can stay in the subject’s dream for only six minutes. The dream world’s structure is based on the subject’s personality and memories, and each world has its own rules. The object of a Somnium is to enter the deep consciousness of a subject, and unlock “Mental Locks” that hinder the investigation, all within the time limit.

The Somnium parts of this game will introduce new aerial and underwater dream worlds. In the original title, players could only move about on land, but with the introduction of upwards and downwards movement, players will experience a much richer variety of dream worlds.

Source: Spike Chunsoft

AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES – nirvanA Initiative Purchase Options

The title is launching in both North America and Europe on June 24th, 2022 for Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and Steam. For those interested in pre-ordering the game, both the Standard Edition and Collector’s Edition are now available for purchase. The Standard Edition is available for $59.99, whilst the Collector’s Edition retails at $119.99.

AI The Somnium Files nirvanA Initiative Cover Art US Collectors Edition

For those purchasing the Collector’s Edition of AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES – nirvanA Initiative, the following collectables will be included:

  • AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES – nirvanA Initiative physical game
  • Exclusive Good Smile Company POP UP PARADE ~170mm PVC figure of the beautiful AI-Ball “Aiba”
  • SECRET OF THE WORLD: THE DEFIniTIVE ART BOOK featuring concept art and illustrations by Yusuke Kozaki
  • HARMOniOUS DISCORD official soundtrack by returning composer Keisuke Ito
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Tom Cox

Tom Cox

Tom is a News and Social Media Editor at RPGFan, with a love for Pokémon and One Piece. When he's not playing RPGs, he can also be found running, reading manga and watching anime.

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