Today, Kotaro Uchikoshi, who is best known for his magnificent Zero Escape series, announced his newest project during a panel in conjunction with Spike Chunsoft at Anime Expo 2018. The new title is called AI: The Somnium Files. In the game, you play as Date, a detective, and investigate the mystery behind a series of murders in high-tech Tokyo. There is also an additional playable character named Iris, who is an 18-year-old high school student who is also a famous YouTuber. She does let’s plays and is considered an idol.
In the title of the game, Ai is pronounced “eye” and is a main theme throughout the game, as is artificial intelligence. Ai also means love in Japanese, and love has a central role to play as well. Somnium is Latin for dream, and throughout the game, you navigate people’s memories in order to solve cases. The title will be released on the PlayStation 4, Steam, and the Nintendo Switch, which received an electrifying response from those attending the panel.
The character designer for Uchikoshi’s newest game is Yusuke Kozaki.In 2016, we awarded Zero Time Dilemma, the final installment of the critically-acclaimed Zero Escape series, as our Game of the Year. It was a surprise even to us, but Uchikoshi is one of the elite storytellers in the video game industry and the gameplay and story were unparalleled. His passion is unrivaled and the only reason why Zero Time Dilemma came to fruition was because of the fans.
This same passion will surely carry over to Uchikoshi’s newest project. Uchikoshi tells dark, but thought-provoking stories. What is so incredible though is that there is a unique balance between gameplay and story. There are tons of references in his work to religion, philosophy, quantum mechanics, and time travel theory. He has the ability to craft some of the greatest puzzles in gaming, as evidenced by the Zero Escape series.
His latest jaw-dropping announcement will be no different. Uchikoshi is a tireless worker succeeds in all of his ventures. I’m not going to lie either, meeting one of my favorite developers was both humbling and a dream come true. We can’t wait for more to be revealed about his latest project and get our hands on it. There is no doubt that it will exceed all expectations.