Rate top gamesAI: The Somnium Files
About
In a near-future Tokyo, detective Kaname Date is on the case of a mysterious serial killer. Date must investigate crime scenes as well as dreams on the hunt for clues. From the mind of Kotaro Uchikoshi (Zero Escape series director), with character design by the Yusuke Kozaki (NO MORE HEROES, Fire Emblem series), a thrilling neo-noir detective adventure is about to unfold.
STORY
One rainy night in November, a woman's body is found at an abandoned theme park, mounted on a merry-go-round horse. She had been stabbed repeatedly, and her left eye was gouged out.
Kaname Date of the Metropolitan Police Department arrives on the scene. He recognizes the woman. Suddenly, he hears a noise from inside the merry-go-round.
He breaks into the merry-go-round's central column to find a young girl. And in her hands, she grips a bloody ice pick...
System requirements for Nintendo Switch
System requirements for PC
- OS: 64-bit Windows 7
- Processor: Intel Core i7-3770 @ 3.40 GHz or better
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA@ GeForce@ GTX 460 or better
- DirectX: Version 11
- Storage: 30 GB available space
- Sound Card: DirectX compatible soundcard or onboard chipset
- Additional Notes: 2 GB VRAM
System requirements for Xbox One
System requirements for PlayStation 4
Where to buy
Top contributors
AI: The Somnium Files reviews and comments
To set the stage, this is an Anime based, brand new IP, from the studio that brought you Danganronpa.
For me, personally, those were each marks against my surface level interest in this game. But somehow I pushed past my predisposition and took the dive on this game.
It was worth it. A thousand times over it was worth it.
Why?
The voice acting, emotive, fitting with each characters role, emotion is brought out via inflection that nothing with an anime art style has done, in my somewhat limited knowledge has done, since Cowboy Bebop. Looking up a clip of "The Boss" (played by Allegra Clark) shooting the shit never fails to make me feel like I'm listening to a ""real"" person, with emotions and a purpose.
The gameplay. This is a noire detective story set in the near future. Where your prosthetic eye has a personality and can help you solve mysteries with the help of a machine that allows you to delve into suspects dreams, aka their "Somnium". This isn't an action game. This is very much more of a streamlined system akin to LA Noire. Find clues in a setting, with a locked camera. Use those things to build your case. Very well thought out and compelling gameplay on that front, but, there's another degree to this. I mentioned it before but, you enter your suspect's dreams. When you do delve into a Somnium, you're greeted with a completely new gameplay formula. A third person, over the shoulder puzzle game, where time is ticking down, and every choice you make in these "dream-logic" puzzles, ticks time down a little more. Think of the director's previous work on the Zero Escape series, in 3D space, for an example of that. Truly phenomenal.
The style. I personally love the style, designed by the character designer for No More Heroes. The somniums are a high point too. You'll see.
The writing. Characters just "work", you learn to LOVE how these people interact. You want to hear each character reacts to something you say. The writing is punchy and funny, sweet and emotional, and depressing and touching. It's a truly human game in an anime shell. Sometimes if you decide you want to press your luck with a certain dialogue option, sometimes the game with reward you with a fantastic little funny sequence.
The story. Surprisingly touching, surprisingly coherent, surprisingly poignant. Love this game's story. That's pretty much it. You'll feel happy. You'll feel fulfilled.