Much like nirvanA Initiative’s pervasive theme of wholes split in half, this game has divided opinions across the board on its overall quality. It is rare to see a middling opinion regarding this game, with much of the fanbase taking a side to either attack or defend it. I won’t act like a centrist or pretend to be unbiased in this review: AINI is my favorite game of all time.

For me, media is much more than what it is in an isolated bubble. Every piece of media is an experience, whether it be a good or bad one. Part of that experience is the way you interact with it, share it with others, and build up to it in the first place. One of the many reasons I love this game so much is just that— everything other than the game itself, too. The ARG in the weeks leading up to release, allowing the community to come together every night and solve puzzles and react to the story that unfolded, was one of my favorite things about the release. Watching every trailer, preordering the game, being excited with everyone else, it was all so magical.

Then, the game released, and I binged it over the span of a day and a half. Needless to say, I was obsessed. The ensuing discussions, fanart, and content related also contributed to my love for the game. I found it interesting listening to drastically different perspectives, mostly because of how unexpected it was for me. The fan-made content has been phenomenal, and I cannot wait to see more in the future.

So, now that the non-game related stuff is out of the way, let me explain why exactly I love nirvanA Initiative so much, starting with: the characters. I adore how every single character in this game represents some half of a whole, even beyond the characters with specific endings. Ryuki and Mizuki are both halves of the story, and each of their relationships with their siblings are further halves that each of them have on their own. Date’s other half, Aiba, willingly left him, which most likely caused him to get hurt in the explosion ending and go missing for so long. I could go on, but these are just some examples of the main theme being represented in characters outside of the ones with endings. And all the characters in this game are completely phenomenal, and my issues with them are few and far between.

Ryuki amazingly subverts the classic detective trope by being a crazy, traumatized, unreliable narrator for half the game. Mizuki is incredibly meaningful to me, being one of my top comfort characters of all time. The Enda family is insanely well-written, with Shoma, Komeiji, and Amame each having their own emotional and unique stories. Kizuna and Lien show the importance of true love and faithfulness, even over time and even when the original spark is gone, as well as loving regardless of health or disability. There’s really too much to cover, but I do love each and every character so much.

And the main mystery itself, oooh I love it so much. The bodies being split in half is so clever, and the way that the owners of the bodies are so unexpected is so fun. This game is filled with conspiracy, lies and truth, and you as the player are constantly double-checking and confirming everything, because nothing ever seems quite right. I’ve seen many people suggest that the entire game should have just been with Ryuki as the protagonist, but I feel that would massively take away from the game overall. The two protagonists represent their half of a whole story, with the two intertwining timelines forming a double-helix much like DNA, which is also a major theme of AINI, one of humanity and genome editing, as well as learning to love someone despite their flaws. The point is, without the two protagonists, there is no timeline twist, there is no frayer, there is no Naix, there is no AINI. The entire game falls apart under that rhetoric, and is nearly perfect just as it is, with no need for removing the other half of that whole.

The visual design contributes heavily to this, with the art style being much more dark and grungy than AITSF, while still maintaining a colorful and fun vibe. The character models and expressions have been improved so much, along with the UI and rest of the presentation. The ARG-style videos also stand out as incredibly unique, really giving AINI a more special feel. Cutscenes and environments were always pleasing to look at, and had such a fantastic art direction that I personally loved so so much. Everything feels much more cohesive and thought-out, with the somnia also receiving a visual overhaul.

And that brings me to my next point: gameplay. The somnia of the first game were frustratingly random and were definitely one of the weaker parts of that game. In contrast to that, I was always looking forward to the next one in AINI. They all have much more logic and sense while maintaining the charm of what made somnia special in the first place. There are just as many funny and weird interactions, unique settings, and even more hidden easter eggs to find. I can’t thoroughly state just how much I really enjoyed every single somnium in AINI.

So, not only do I really vibe with the stakes and finale of the main story, with everyone coming together through love and forming a whole to save the world, but the secret diverge ending also blew me away. It’s short, yes, but messes with the medium in a way I never personally expected. It also raises many more moral questions about truth and lies, and whether it’s better to live happily in a fake world or feel wrong in the true reality. It also says something about how we as players view and interpret media through a fictitious lens, the frayer being a stand-in for that. Diverge really made me rethink the entire game, and that happening after the finale as well was such a pleasant surprise. It reminds me of another certain Uchikoshi game in which there is some required post-ending reading that recontextualizes everything in a new light. And on top of the two endings, the timeline twist also really connected with me on a personal level. I felt disappointed that AITSF did nothing interesting with its timeline, and it honestly feels like the only Uchikoshi game in which the timeline actively hurts the game, and even AINI, which has to take place after the true ending of AITSF, the ending where Date ended up neglecting Mizuki, leading to a more bicker-y and unpleasant relationship between the two in AINI.

Regardless, the timeline twist also fit in with the aforementioned intertwined halves and DNA themes from earlier. I also thought it was done in a very clever way, with clear ways to detect that something about the timeline was wrong. I personally think it’s such a cool twist that also serves as the catalyst for diverge, activating the frayer, AKA the player, which also changes everything about the game.

Finally, I felt so much love and emotion when playing this game. Not just about the characters, but I can tell that the developers poured so much care into AINI, which just makes me love it all the much more. There are so many references and secrets and creativity to be found in this game, and I think that even if someone disagrees with me on the ingeniousness of the story and themes, I hope they can see that. While I’ve never personally understood many of the criticisms pointed at this game, and could talk with someone who sees things differently all day, I really just hope that someone sees what I see: an experience that ties love and communication and real human emotion with a tale of lies, truth, and reality unlike anything else ever has.