Languages: English and Traditional Chinese text, Japanese and English audio
Developer: Spike Chunsoft, Co., Ltd.
About the Game
The mind never lies…
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 neonoir 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…
Get the announcement trailer, a more in-depth overview, and our interview with director Kotaro Uchikoshi and designer Akira Okada below. View a new set of screenshots at the gallery.
GDC 2019 Trailer
English
Japanese
Game Developers Conference 2019 Presentation
■ Setting
Set in a near-future Tokyo.
Real-world settings and science fiction elements.
Travel between dreams and reality to investigate crimes.
Voice Actor: Erika Harlacher (English), Akari Kito (Japanese)
Sex: Female (According to Settings)
Age: 5
Occupation: Investigation Assistant
Interview
When the Zero Escape series ended and you began work on AI: The Somnium Files, what were the main things you set out to do differently?
Kotaro Uchikoshi, Director: “In Zero Escape, I used a lot of cutscenes, but for AI: The Somnium Files, I wanted to create a game mainly for adventure game fans. That was my main goal in creating this.”
Akira Okada, Designer: “In Zero Escape, I was mainly focused on the escape parts, but in this one, I wanted to create a game where you solve the mysteries, such as using your intuition where you have to think a little bit.”
How does Date’s artificial eye play into the gameplay?
Uchikoshi: “The artificial eye has special powers that will aid you in your investigation.”
OK, so Date can extract information by entering a person’s memories. What forms will these dreamscapes take on?
Okada: “Every person dreams differently in real life. Some parts are memories, things that you don’t expect happen. So I wanted to reflect that in the game as well. Unexpected things happen, maybe dive into a memory. That’s what form it takes.”
Can you tell me a bit about the gameplay systems? What will players be doing specifically?
Spike Chunsoft representative: “We’ll be able to share more information about the gameplay soon. We’ll have some trailers and stuff for that coming up. For now we’d like to focus on the characters and stories.”
Gotcha. Maybe I can get in this question at least, feel free to deflect it as well. Is AI: The Somnium Files a point-and-click-type adventure game or do you control Date himself? What is the player perspective?
Spike Chunsoft representative: “I would say that’s also more of a gameplay question, which we will answer at a later time.”
Fair enough. Alright, so being set in near-future Tokyo, I would imagine there is more than just Date’s eye in the field of advanced technology. What other futuristic technology will players utilize in the game?
Uchikoshi: “The setting is close to our era—cell phones, cars, and what not are all there. But in this world, the artificial eye has special powers, and that is a huge part of this game.”
The latest trailer paints AI: The Somnium Files as having a serious mood, but will there be any lighter-hearted moments?
Uchikoshi: “AI: The Somnium Files is generally a serious game with a serious mood, but it has its fun parts and gags in there to keep the player having fun. And there are some heartwarming parts, as well. There’s a mix of everything in there.”
There has been talk online about how Iris is Siri backwards, and how the devil-worshiping demon cult Naixatloz she is a part of is Zoltaxian backwards, which is a word Siri has been known to use, and whether Iris’ last name Sagan is connected to NASA’s Carl Sagan. Can you comment on any of that?
Uchikoshi: “It’s exactly how you imagine.”
So the internet did good, huh… Thank you for your time, Uchikoshi-san and Okada-san!
