when I'm in a mediocre mystery game competition and my opponent is spike chudsoft

I don't know about this. I kinda like the plot, generally, and it's impressive that they managed to tie it all together, but it's also like... insanely immature? Tonally stupid?

The many overarching paths means several pieces of information you will simply read like 3 times. Luckily there's a skip button, but once you discover it it's hard to not use it constantly to skip the awkward facial animations and filler dialogue that takes forever to appear, and just use the log to read it instead. I'm usually a cutscene enjoyer, but maybe the fact that I expected like a modicum of any sort of gameplay (beyond 3 QTE sequences and trial-and-error-point-and-click puzzles with barely any logic behind them) when starting this cracked my patience, or maybe this game really does just keep yapping, or maybe watching too many Youtube Shorts finally fried my brain. I'll leave that up to the reader's imagination.

Nevermind the dance number at the end, every action scene being centered on a porn mag kinda really took me out of it. Not that I dislike heheh booby comedy, but it didn't really feel like they handled it well. It's weird. Also despite playing the game in Japanese the final dance number is completely in English, which only made it feel even more out of place - I'm not like allergic to English or anything, I swear, but it's suddenly completely different voice actors. Plus a character whose life was completely ruined is just uh, yknow, dancing. Just really weird. Odd game. I won't play the sequel. I wouldn't do that even if I liked it because everyone apparently hates that, but now you know. If you even care about me...

WOW this game was a trip. Ai the somnium files really scratched an itch for me, the slow drip feed of clues throughout the game really had my imagination running wild until all was revealed. I think that the way the mystery unfolds in this game is really well done, I myself predicted about half of the major things that unfolded, with the half I didn't predict still being hinted at by the game and being very well done reveals.

One of my biggest complaints about this game is the repetition of some plot points and the slow pace of some it's sections especially on the start of right side. Even with the poor pacing at times I'd say I loved almost every ending (and the only one I didn't love being Mizukis ending was still partly fantastic) and I really feel that the game stuck the landing overall.

The cast of characters is the other best thing about this game. Date and Aiba are a great main duo. Ota and his mum almost made me cry in their ending. Boss was also great and has a ton great moments with Date. Mizuki is such a well written kid character and Iris definitely grew on me over the course of the game. Moma was surprisingly great aswell, his appearance at the end of game genuinely made me scream. Also the English VAs did great overall honestly great performances all around.

The Somniums are the "puzzle" element of this game and overall they are a mixed bag. Some are really good, whether for being fun puzzles or driving the plot forward, but others don't push the plot forward or just aren't fun puzzles.

The humour in this game is the only thing I really disliked. The occasional reference got a laugh out of me but the constant mention of porno mags and Date's fetishes grew old really quick.

Overall, game slaps, fantastic characters and mystery but the slow sections and the humour hold it back a bit.

AI: The Somnium Files is another excellent detective game developed by Spike Chunsoft, these developers really are the masters at mystery solving games. The Somnium Files follows Kaname Date, a member of a special team on the police force called ABIS, which solves crimes by psyncing into people minds and entering their Somniums, which is a dream world reflecting their true thoughts. The main mystery you’re trying to solve is the new cyclops killer, a serial killer who kills by removing people’s left eyes. Gameplay has you investigating different places and talking to different characters in the real world, and controlling your robot partner Aida in Somniums. Aida interacts with the Somniums which uses up a specific amount of time, as you only have six minutes to complete a Somnium. The main draw of the game is the characters and multiple routes. I loved many of the characters like Date, Iris, Boss, Mizuki, and Aiba. I followed Mizuki’s route and I loved how her relationship with Date as her adopted guardian changes throughout the route. It really made me feel for these two characters, and I would love to go back and replay the other routes, specifically Iris’ route as I’m very interested in her character. The only aspect I can really complain about are the Somniums themselves. They can be kind of annoying when you don’t know what to do and run out of time, but the rest of the game more than makes up for their shortcomings. AI: The Somnium Files is a fantastic mystery game that I think almost anyone can enjoy, especially fans of Danganronpa.

Something I admire Spike Chunsoft for immensely is their sheer bravery to try new things. The end product isn’t always all that good, and believe me there’s some stinkers out there, but they have balls of steel. I'm happy to report that AI: The Somnium Files is indeed so much more than a stinker. It stands toe to toe with the Danganronpa series, one of my favorites of all time, while still having a completely distinct identity.

While Dangan is a detective story where you as the player have to uncover each and every crime for yourself, AI: The Somnium Files uses its detective genre as a tool to tell a story, and an exceptionally creative and neatly tied one at that. By the end I was stunned at the sheer amount of thought that was put into every detail of the story up to that point, which is why I'm pleased to say it has my favorite ending to any game, full stop.

It's also an incredibly charming game. While I have a softspot for the many Danganronpa casts and think specific characters in those games are written excellently, that series could never dream to have a cast this emotionally complex, fun, and generally consistent. It's also surprisingly hilarious at times, I laughed out loud repeatedly from start to finish.

It's still got some weaker elements, like a rather mixed bag of quality in the game's titular Somniums. They could be as emotionally resonant as Mayumi's, or as boring and confusing as #89's. I also wouldn't have minded some more required deduction on the player's end, though that's mainly just a symptom of a different approach to the genre compared to something like Dangan or Ace Attorney.

Would recommend to fans of detective stories, sci-fi, and visual novels alike. While Spike Chunsoft's future is comfortably uncertain, I'm praying this series sticks around.

The credit sequence came so out of nowhere it actually helped me properly appreciate the vibe the game was actually going for.

AI The Somnium Files is this interesting yet wacky puzzle game where you’re essentially trying to solve a serial killer case through some Sci-Fi gizmos and shenanigans. The actual science being used shouldn’t be taken too seriously, but it's logically coherent enough under its own premise that it's easy to get invested. This description can also apply to the rest of the game since despite the game dealing with some serious matters like child neglect, underworld dealings, and mental illnesses, there’s this whimsical atmosphere to it where the game never gets too depressing as it peppers itself with some light hearted moments. Many would argue that this is essentially the game having many tonal whiplashes, but maybe you’re just weak and can’t comprehend the erratic human nature.

Quite alright! The dream diving sequences are mostly just tedious and there's no reason to not just use a guide since the puzzle solutions are complete nonsense (there's no reasoning behind what option it is that makes you progress and you have a finite number of guesses). The story is cool, and then it isn't, and then it is again, and then settles somewhere in the middle. It's multiple routes but you're gated off some routes until you finish another one, so then you have some whiplash between "what was different in this storyline compared to the other ones?" that makes it hard to get too invested.
Coming into it I didn't expect me to have a complaint about painfully forced dance/song sequences that happen multiple times, but here we are. It can't really maintain a tone to save it's life and has to make repeated jokes that rarely if ever land. Little girl is incredibly strong and single handedly fights off a dozen bodyguards? Snooze. Protag is so incredibly horny that the mention of a porno mag sends him into a frenzy where his reaction time is multiplied? What are we doing here man?
Good voice work and music at least (besides the one song they use for each dance number and that the english VA can't quite pull off singing).

Also have to note that the dream diving machine is repeatedly stated to be Top Secret Do Not Tell Anyone About because it would cause a worldwide crisis, but anyone you dive into is aware of it and you frequently explain what it is to them. The only thing really maintained as a secret is his AI eyeball, for reasons? I'm not sure of an explicit reason to keep it a secret from everyone.

A really good murder mystery game with a fun cast of characters. Date as a protagonist is a carefree, unserious person, and his AI companion named Aiba is always there to keep him on track. The way certain characters react to Date is so hilariously realistic, mostly due to how cruel they can be. The gameplay mechanics are very similar to games like Zero Escape and Ace Attorney. Multiple different pathways to get to the truth make this game very unique, because the endings leave you with more questions than answers. Some of the writing may not be many people’s cup of tea, but it worked for me. I liked seeing little Easter eggs in the dialogue. Overall I really loved my time playing this game, and it kept me second guessing constantly.