AI: The Somnium Files is a series of adventure games/visual novels created by Kotaro Uchikoshi and released by Spike Chunsoft for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and Steam.
The games are set in a near-future Tokyo, following the special agents of Advanced Brain Investigation Squad (ABIS), each equipped with their own prosthetic eyeball/Virtual Sidekick, as they dive into persons of interest's dreams to investigate progressively more gruesome and more bizarre killing sprees, unraveling mysteries about the victims, their own peers, and themselves along the way.
Compare to Zero Escape and Infinity, Kotaro Uchikoshi's other brainchildren that feature similar themes of philosophy and science, as well as Danganronpa, another hugely popular Spike Chunsoft franchise with colorful ensemble casts and intricate murder plots.
Works in the AI: The Somnium Files series:
- AI: The Somnium Files: The original game, which follows agent Kaname Date and his partner Aiba's investigation of the New Cyclops Serial Killings, a murder spree by a culprit that removes all of their victims' left eyes. Released on September 17th, 2019.
- AI: The Somnium Files - nirvanA Initiative: The sequel, seeing protagonists Kuruto Ryuki and Tama in the past and Mizuki Date and Aiba in the present, both ABIS officials involved in the six-year-spanning investigation of the Half Body Serial Killings, where all victims have been cut cleanly in half and seem to be noclipping into floors and walls. Released on June 22, 2022.note
