Info about AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES - nirvanA Initiative:

Official game description:
Six years ago, the right half of a corpse was discovered. The left half was never found…until six years later, completely fresh with no signs of decay. Now, Special Agents Mizuki and Ryuki, along with their AI partners Aiba and Tama, are tasked to solve the bizarre Half Body serial killings while unveiling the mysterious plot known only as the Nirvana Initiative…

Release date: Jun 24, 2022

Categories: Visual Novel, Narrative Adventure, Puzzle Solving, Quick-Time Events, Choice-based Narrative, Character Interaction, Mystery, Dialogue-based Gameplay

Feature scans:
- Wiki: score 50; verdict: Needs Improvement in Instructional Data; summary: The primary user complaints revolve around the need for external data to solve complex puzzles and understand hidden secrets within the game. This reliance on walkthroughs and guides indicates that the game's mechanics and narrative elements are not sufficiently clear or intuitive, leading to a disrupted user experience.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $20.00 - $30.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence shows that while some users find the game worth it at full price, many suggest buying it on sale. This indicates that the community generally finds the game valuable but not necessarily at the highest price point. The mentions of waiting for sales suggest that a fair price is lower than the current base price of $39.99, but not excessively low, as many still find value in the game.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 30.0h
  - Story completion: N/A
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The evidence provides direct and indirect mentions of playtime. The first quote explicitly states a playtime of 97 hours, which is a strong indicator of the total playtime for game completion. The second quote mentions finishing the game in under a month, which, depending on the player's gaming habits, could imply a significant number of hours. The third quote suggests a lengthy playtime due to the time taken to start playing the sequel. The fourth quote compares the playtime with the first game, indicating a similar amount of playtime.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game starts off slow and tedious, with players reporting that it takes a significant amount of time before it becomes enjoyable. The fun seems to anchor around the midway point where major plot twists and character developments occur.
  - Stance: Clicks after
  - Anchor: Midway point with major plot twists
  - Time to anchor: 15h 0m
  - Friction: slow pacing; tedious initial gameplay; repetitive elements
  - Unlock drivers: major plot twists; character developments
  - Conditions: reaching certain narrative points; character arcs
- Player Archetypes:
  - Nostalgic Franchise Fan (sale)
    - Motivation: Enjoyment and nostalgia from the first game
    - Playstyle: Comparative and nostalgic, often replaying or referencing the first game
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: franchise fan; veteran player
    - Reference games: AI: The Somnium Files; Virtue's Last Reward
  - Cautious Enthusiast (deep sale)
    - Motivation: Enjoyment of the game's unique elements
    - Playstyle: Balanced, enjoying both story and gameplay but aware of flaws
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: deep sale
    - Labels: casual player; story enjoyer
    - Reference games: AI: The Somnium Files; 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors
  - Critical Veteran (no buy)
    - Motivation: Unmet potential and high expectations
    - Playstyle: Critical and analytical, focusing on the game's flaws
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: no buy
    - Labels: critical player; disappointed fan
    - Reference games: AI: The Somnium Files; Zero Escape series


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Unique and interesting plot (weight 0.45): The game's plot is noted for its uniqueness, interesting twists, and high level of completeness. It includes a dual-protagonist system and a blend of suspense, horror, and daily life.
- Enjoyable and well-developed characters (weight 0.4): The game features a cast of characters that players find enjoyable, well-developed, and engaging. The characters are praised for their humor, interactions, and detailed backstories.
- Improved Somnium sequences (weight 0.28): The Somnium sequences are highlighted for their improvements, including more variety, better logic, and enhanced gameplay mechanics.
- Fun and engaging gameplay (weight 0.26): Players find the gameplay fun and engaging, with enjoyable puzzle-solving and interesting mechanics. The game is praised for its entertaining experience.
- Enhanced game quality (weight 0.24): The game shows improvements in various aspects, including gameplay mechanics, animations, and overall quality compared to the previous installment.
- Humor and jokes (weight 0.23): The game includes humorous segments and well-written jokes that add to the overall enjoyment and charm of the game.
- Memorable soundtrack and visuals (weight 0.16): The game is noted for its good sound design, memorable soundtrack, and stunning visuals, contributing to an immersive experience.
- Recommended for fans (weight 0.13): The game is recommended for those who enjoyed the first game, maintaining consistent style and quality while offering new elements.
- Accessible to new players (weight 0.08): The game can be played independently of the previous installment, making it accessible to new players while still offering continuity for returning fans.
- Callbacks and references (weight 0.06): The game includes fun callbacks and references to previous games in the series, adding depth and nostalgia for long-time fans.
- Increased use of QTEs (weight 0.06): The game features an increased use of Quick Time Events (QTEs), which have been expanded and improved.

Common complaints:
- Weaker story compared to predecessor (weight 0.44): The story and characters are widely considered inferior to those in the first game. Many players found the plot less engaging, the character development weaker, and the overall narrative not as impressive or interesting as the previous installment.
- Disappointing plot twists (weight 0.31): The plot twists in the game were found to be convoluted, predictable, and poorly executed. Many players felt that the twists were unnecessary, unbelievable, and lacked proper hints, leading to a confusing and unsatisfying narrative experience.
- Confusing and overcomplicated story (weight 0.17): The story was criticized for being too complex and difficult to follow. Players reported that the plot had too many elements and subplots, leading to a jumbled and confusing narrative that was hard to grasp.
- Rushed and underwhelming ending (weight 0.15): The ending was widely considered rushed, forced, and underwhelming. Many players felt that the conclusion was anticlimactic and did not provide a satisfying resolution to the story.
- Poorly executed action scenes (weight 0.1): The action scenes were criticized for being clumsy, poorly choreographed, and uninteresting. Many players found the action sequences exaggerated, tedious, and cheesy, detracting from the overall experience.
- Weak villains and motivations (weight 0.1): The villains were considered weak, with unclear or uninteresting motivations. Players felt that the antagonists lacked depth and emotional impact, making them less engaging and believable.
- Frustrating and uninteresting puzzles (weight 0.09): The puzzles were found to be frustrating, confusing, and uninteresting. Many players reported that the puzzles were either too difficult or not engaging, leading to a less enjoyable gaming experience.
- Excessive and annoying dance sequences (weight 0.09): The game was criticized for having too many dance scenes that were long, repetitive, and annoying. Players felt that these sequences disrupted the game's pacing and were not enjoyable.
- Poor character development (weight 0.08): Some characters were poorly written, not well-developed, or likable. Players felt that the character motivations were unclear and that the new characters were thinly written, leading to a less engaging narrative.
- Pacing and narrative issues (weight 0.08): The game was criticized for having bad pacing, confusing dialogue, and narrative issues. Players felt that the side plots had abrupt endings and lacked resolution, leading to an uneven and unsatisfying story experience.
- Poorly designed QTEs (weight 0.07): The Quick Time Events (QTEs) were criticized for being hard to understand, not challenging, and poorly designed. Players found these sequences tricky and unsatisfying, particularly when using a keyboard and mouse.

Gameplay feedback:
- New characters and narrative focus (weight 0.39): The game introduces new characters and shifts its narrative focus to a different protagonist, with a major mystery and connections to previous games in the series.
- Puzzle-solving gameplay elements (weight 0.23): The game features various puzzle-solving elements, including logic-based puzzles, dream-based puzzles, and optional puzzles, enhancing the gameplay experience.
- Frequent Quick Time Events (weight 0.15): Quick Time Events (QTEs) are a significant part of the gameplay, with action scenes and mini-games, although some reviews mention they can be too frequent.
- Dream sequences and investigations (weight 0.12): The game includes dream sequences and investigation segments with unique gameplay elements, contributing to the overall narrative and puzzle-solving aspects.
- Somnium sections and improvements (weight 0.12): The game features Somnium sections with improved atmosphere and quality-of-life improvements, offering varied and clearer dream sequences.
- Character development and interactions (weight 0.11): The game features character development and interactions, with dynamic relationships and side stories that add depth to the narrative.
- Dancing and action scenes (weight 0.09): The game includes dancing segments and action scenes, adding variety to the gameplay but sometimes feeling awkward or frequent.
- Meta and sci-fi elements (weight 0.08): The game focuses on meta elements and sci-fi themes, with a complex narrative that includes time-line intersections and implausible plot points.
- Multiple protagonists and story threads (weight 0.07): The game has a dual protagonist structure with different perspectives and multiple story threads, adding complexity to the narrative.
- Narrative-driven gameplay (weight 0.07): The game is narrative-driven with character-driven choices and diverging storylines, emphasizing the importance of player decisions.
- Complex and intricate storyline (weight 0.06): The game features a complex and intricate storyline with temporal elements, making the narrative more engaging and challenging.
- Gameplay and UI improvements (weight 0.06): The game includes various gameplay improvements, such as better animations, UI enhancements, and overall gameplay mechanics.
- VR investigations (weight 0.05): The game introduces a new VR mode for crime scene reconstruction, adding a unique element to the investigation segments.
- Mystery and comedy blend (weight 0.05): The game features a mix of dark mystery and humor, with detective elements and character dynamics that create a unique tone.
- Adjustable difficulty (weight 0.05): The game offers adjustable difficulty for Somniums, QTEs, and dream sequences, catering to different player preferences.
- Investigation modes (weight 0.05): The game includes investigation modes with different visual modes, adding variety to the gameplay and narrative exploration.
- Visual novel gameplay (weight 0.05): The game can be played as a visual novel, emphasizing narrative and character interactions over traditional gameplay mechanics.

Performance notes:
- Game crashes and bugs (weight 0.07): Some players experienced game crashes and bugs that prevented gameplay, including issues with save file deletion and endless black screens on load.
- Stable performance (weight 0.06): Players reported no critical bugs causing crashes and overall stable performance, contributing to a positive gaming experience.
- Anti-aliasing issues (weight 0.05): Several players pointed out that the game has issues with anti-aliasing, leading to visible jagged edges on character models.
- Graphical errors and glitches (weight 0.05): There were reports of graphical errors and glitches, including issues with facial expressions and a specific bug with Mizuki's hair appearing rough.
- Fewer technical problems reported (weight 0.04): Many players noted that there were fewer technical problems and bugs in this game compared to others, leading to a smoother experience.
- Sound and voice acting praised (weight 0.04): Players appreciated the sound design and voice acting in the game, highlighting these as strong points.
- Outdated graphics (weight 0.04): Some players felt that the graphics were outdated, affecting the visual appeal of the game.
- Performance issues on old hardware (weight 0.04): The game did not run well on older computers, with some players experiencing low FPS even on the lowest settings.
- Improved performance on Steam Deck (weight 0.03): Players noted improved technical performance on the Steam Deck, making it a good platform for playing the game.
- Video playback issues (weight 0.02): There were reports of video playback issues, which detracted from the overall experience.
- Good 4K performance (weight 0.02): Players noted that the game performs well in 4K, which is a positive aspect for those with high-end systems.
- Visual discomfort from light pollution (weight 0.02): There were complaints about excessive light pollution causing visual discomfort, affecting the overall visual experience.
- Stuttering in specific areas (weight 0.02): Some players experienced stuttering in the Somniums, which affected the gameplay experience in those areas.
- Mouse cursor issues (weight 0.02): The mouse cursor remains on the screen when not in use, causing occasional misinvestigations and disrupting gameplay.
- Bug with Steam overlay (weight 0.02): There is a bug where using the keyboard to bring up the Steam overlay can cause issues.

Recommendations:
- Recommended for fans of the first game (weight 0.32): This game is highly recommended for players who enjoyed the first game in the series. Many reviews suggest that playing the first game enhances the experience and appreciation of references and jokes.
- Play the first game (weight 0.32): Many reviews suggest playing the first game before this one. Some even recommend sticking to the first game and ignoring the sequel.
- Recommended with reservations (weight 0.24): The game is recommended with some reservations, suggesting that while it has its merits, there are also notable drawbacks.
- Recommended for fans of specific genres (weight 0.09): The game is recommended for fans of visual novels, mystery, detective games, and narrative-driven adventures. It is also suggested for those who enjoy psychological thrillers.
- Buy on sale (weight 0.06): Several reviews recommend buying the game on sale, especially if you have completed the original game. It is suggested as a good buy during discounts.
- Recommendations for specific playstyles (weight 0.06): Reviews suggest playing the game slowly, exploring its mechanics, solving puzzles yourself, and going in with minimal knowledge to enhance the experience.
- Recommended for fans of Zero Escape series (weight 0.04): The game is recommended for those who enjoyed the Zero Escape series, suggesting a similarity in style or quality.
- Technical and content recommendations (weight 0.03): Recommendations include using anti-aliasing on PC for better visuals and being cautious of sensitive content within the game.
- Gameplay and narrative improvements (weight 0.02): The game is appreciated for its narrative depth and gameplay improvements, indicating that it has made progress in these areas compared to its predecessors.

Other player notes:
- Mature and philosophical themes (weight 0.02): The game includes mature content and explores philosophical themes, adding depth to the narrative and gameplay experience.

Emotions:
- Disappointment (weight 0.33): Players felt let down by the sequel's weaker story, character development, and plot twists compared to the first game. Many found the new characters less charming and the narrative less engaging, with some story arcs feeling forced or poorly described. Additionally, the increase in adult jokes, repetitive gameplay elements like QTEs and dance sequences, and the reduction of screen time for beloved characters from the first game contributed to the disappointment.
- Frustration (weight 0.17): Players experienced frustration due to the game's confusing and illogical plot twists, as well as the artificial prolongation of somnium sequences. The inclusion of difficult puzzles, time constraints, and sudden death mechanisms in these sequences also contributed to the frustration. Additionally, the excessive use of QTEs, repetitive combat mechanics, and technical issues such as video playback problems and audio/text mismatches added to the overall frustration.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.16): Players enjoyed the game's unique gameplay systems, including dream exploration and puzzle-solving. The engaging characters, humorous segments, and interesting plot twists also contributed to the overall enjoyment. Additionally, the improved gameplay elements, such as the optimized dream experiences and new gameplay mechanics, were well-received.
- Joy (weight 0.06): Players found joy in the game's story, characters, and creative gameplay mechanics. The humorous and fun characters, along with the engaging and enjoyable gameplay, contributed to the overall joy. Additionally, the variety and amount of story content, as well as the improved Somnium parts, were sources of enjoyment.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.05): Players were satisfied with the game's improvements over the previous installment, such as the enhanced Somnium sequences and the complex, well-written story. The satisfying payoff of plot threads and the improved UI and operations also contributed to the overall satisfaction. Additionally, the game's ability to pick up unresolved plot threads from the previous game was well-received.
- Excitement (weight 0.05): Players were excited by the game's engaging story, complex narrative structure, and innovative gameplay mechanics. The interesting grand twist, virtual reality reenactments, and the mechanism of switching between protagonists added to the excitement. Additionally, the enhanced art and expressiveness of the dream world, as well as the thrilling experience with multiple playthroughs required for the full story, contributed to the overall excitement.
- Appreciation (weight 0.03): Players appreciated the game's unique narrative expression, engaging plot, and atmosphere. The variety of puzzles, character interactions, and gameplay improvements were also sources of appreciation. Additionally, the effort in promoting another game and the excellent voice acting were well-received.
- Amusement (weight 0.02): Players were amused by the game's humorous and interesting plot, as well as the funny moments during investigations and dream sequences. The entertaining and humorous story elements, along with the humorous writing and deliveries, contributed to the overall amusement. Additionally, the Easter eggs and unique solutions added to the fun.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.01): Players felt nostalgic due to the game's references to Kotaro Uchikoshi's previous works and the comparison to the first game and the Zero Escape series. The fondness for the old-school humanism and the unique atmosphere of the game, as well as the reference to the 999 Easter egg, contributed to the overall nostalgia.
- Love (weight 0.01): Players expressed love for the game's characters and their development, as well as the overall story. The favorite characters from the first game and the new characters, such as Mizuki and Aiba, were particularly loved. Additionally, the character dynamics and the emotional moments contributed to the overall love for the game.
- Disappointed (weight 0.01): Players felt disappointed due to the game's huge downgrade in various aspects compared to the first game. The less interesting overarching story, worse plot and humor, poor pacing, and lack of hints for plot twists contributed to the overall disappointment. Additionally, the excessive use of meaningless QTEs and perfunctory puzzles added to the disappointment.
- Confusion (weight 0.01): Players experienced confusion due to the game's convoluted twist and nonsensical in-game world rules. The constant derailing of the game's logic and the confusing story twist contributed to the overall confusion. Additionally, the complex and convoluted storyline and gameplay mechanics added to the confusion.
- Happy (weight 0.01): Players felt happy due to the game's enjoyable and fun gameplay, as well as the spectacular characters. The positive aspects over the first game and the overall love for everything about the game contributed to the happiness. Additionally, the engaging and fun game experience added to the overall happiness.
- Mixed feelings (weight 0.01): Players had mixed feelings due to the game's combination of positive and negative aspects. The mix of positive and negative feelings about the game's plot, characters, story, and gameplay contributed to the overall mixed feelings. Additionally, the combination of disappointment and appreciation for the game's narrative, characters, and unique elements added to the mixed feelings.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): Players were surprised by the game's ability to exceed expectations and the interesting grand twist. The mechanism of switching between protagonists and the virtual reality reenactments contributed to the overall surprise. Additionally, the story not branching as early or often as the first game added to the surprise.
- Anger (weight 0.01): Players felt anger due to the game's excessive use of sex jokes and illogical plot points. The disappointment with the game's quality and changes from the first game, as well as the anger towards the game's plot progression and character development, contributed to the overall anger. Additionally, the lack of care for character settings and stories added to the anger.
- Disgust (weight 0.01): Players felt disgust due to the game's excessive use of pornographic plots and poor character traits. The idol/dancing/singing aspects and the forced emotional storyline contributed to the overall disgust.
- Engagement (weight 0.01): Players felt engaged by the game's mystery setups and character stories. The gameplay improvements, creative level design, and the captivating narrative contributed to the overall engagement. Additionally, the innovative gameplay mechanics and the detailed and immersive story added to the engagement.
- Criticism (weight 0.01): Players criticized the game's characterization of the culprit, finding it unsatisfactory for a reasoning game. The unnecessary meta addition by Utsushi and the lack of fairness in reasoning and unnecessary dream sequences were also sources of criticism. Additionally, the problematic QTE sequences and the flimsy mystery and weak characters contributed to the overall criticism.
- Gratitude (weight 0): Players expressed gratitude for the game's localization and the voice actor's performance. The appreciation for the effort in promoting another game and the excellent voice acting contributed to the overall gratitude.}