AI: The Somnium Files - Nirvana Initiative

Come for the mystery, stay for the characters in this baggy but compelling visual novel sequel.

AI: The Somnium Files - Nirvana Initiative boasts a compelling story, along with some great plot twists that caught me completely off guard. Its investigations are intriguing, and its Somnium dungeons are both colorful and foreboding. Nirvana Initiative is an incredibly eccentric game, bursting with vibrant characters, mind-bending puzzles, and an abundance of strange sci-fi detours. And once it builds momentum, it doesn’t let up. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say I love it.

Impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash.

While nirvanA Initiative doesn’t stray too far from the formula established in the original, the gritty sci-fi story and likeable characters mean that it is a compelling adventure. Piecing together all the threads of the story will lead you on a rollercoaster of a journey and keep you guessing until the very end.

AI: The Somnium Files – nirvanA Initiative is one of the most interesting visual novels we've played through in a while. The murder mystery at its heart is brought to life by some great writing and quirky characters alongside the satisfyingly integrated, beautifully balanced Psync puzzle elements. Even with some minor control issues, there is a lot to love in this game even if you never picked up the original. Highly recommended if you're even a little bit curious.

Just like its predecessor, AI: The Somnium Files – nirvanA Initiative is full of heart, hilariously self-aware, and reflective on the style of writing that built the foundation that built the Somnium Files series. Both AI games are deeply personal, subversive, and reflective works, some of my favorite games in the genre. Now that we have one miracle sequel that ended up great, I could go for another one in a few years.

While AI: The Somium Files - nirvanA Initiative might be minor Uchikoshi, it's still Uchikoshi, which makes it worth experiencing for most fans.

A second series of serial killings is fair game in AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES – nirvanA Initiative, a title focused around the established world of the prior game with newcomers that are just as hungry for the truth as Kaname Date once was.

The original Somnium Files was a delight in every way and Nirvana Initiative follows that up without missing a beat.

At its best moments, AI: The Somnium Files – Nirvana Initiative was some of the most fun I’ve had playing an adventure game ever, even topping its predecessor on occasion. The characters are still fun, the game made me laugh plenty, the Somniums are similarly creative, and there’s still plenty of enticing mystery to go around. Unfortunately, while the first AI: The Somnium Files manages to pull its story together to a thrilling conclusion, I cannot say the same for its sequel. Outside of one particular part, its final act is immensely unsatisfying and does not hold up well under scrutiny, with a big twist that felt more to the detriment of the story than to its benefit. Some of its new characters are welcome additions, others are not, and the antagonists of the story don’t contribute much value. It also adds some unnecessary retconning that feels worse coming off the first game. The story is fun in the moment and has a strong first half, but doesn’t carry its own weight all the way through and feels lacking the same substance that made the first game so memorable for me long after I finished it. AiNi still has a lot going for it, but for a game where so much of the enjoyment is centered around its story, I really wish it could have brought it all home. It’s still a really engaging experience, it’s just substantially more uneven.