Six years ago, the right half of a corpse was discovered under mysterious circumstances. The left half was never found...until six years later, when it was discovered completely fresh with no signs of decay, as though the victim was alive until just recently.

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…

Two is one. Two opposites is the main theme of the game. For example, Yin and Yang, man and woman, double helix... Love and hate could also be one of them. The title "AI" also means "love" in Japanese. Similar to the previous work, this game will involve various types of love. Familial love, love for the opposite sex, and love that is not bound by any framework. In addition, this work will dive into the opposite of love, hatred. A love-hate mystery that begins with half of a corpse. I hope you enjoy.

From the above-mentioned theme, it was decided in the early stages that the game would have dual protagonists, and Mizuki would be one of them... She was the most popular character from the previous title, and personally, I wanted to write about her growth...

Well, what about the other protagonist? Obviously, at first, I thought of Date, the protagonist of the previous game. However, if the story was about Date and Mizuki, the flavor lingering from the last title would become too strong, and it might be too hard for new players to follow... So, by interweaving an existing character and a new character, anyone can enter this fictional world.

Kaname Date will of course appear. Not as a minor appearance, but as a character who plays an important role... So, Date fans, never fear! This sequel will feature an even cooler (or less cool) Date, so please look forward to that.

Spike Chunsoft introduced new Somnium gameplay elements and three additional characters who will appear in the upcoming AI: The Somnium Files - nirvanA Initiative.

A Closer Look at Somnium: Searching for Clues in the Dream World
The game system consists of "Investigation" and "Somnium". The "Investigation" part takes place in the real world. Here players will examine crime scenes and listen to testimonies. In the "Somnium" part, players enter the dream worlds of suspects and key witnesses. 

During a Somnium, players have a limited amount of time to search for the truth deep in the subject's memories. Aiba and Tama appear in human form and assist their agents by exploring the dream world and uncovering new clues.

At ABIS headquarters an Agent or “Psyncer” uses the Psync machine to enter a witness's dream world. The device can only be used by Agents with the ability to adapt to the dream world.

A Somnium is uniquely based on the memories of the Psync subject, so each dream landscape is completely different. The sequel introduces new underwater and aerial Somnia, allowing players to experience more varied worlds. Somnia are comprised of multiple levels, and "mental locks" that must be unlocked in order to advance to the next level. Depending on the Somnium, there are multiple ways to remove mental locks, so the story may diverge depending on what method was used.

To remove a mental lock, players must examine and act on various objects, but every action consumes its own set amount of time. With only six minutes to complete a Somnium, players must take into account the remaining time and choose each action carefully. While taking action time flows at a normal speed. Remaining stationary causes time to pass more slowly.

Keys
In a Somnium, common sense and laws of the real world do not apply, but there are "Keys," or rules based on the Psync subject's consciousness and memories. Once Keys are revealed, it becomes easier to narrow down the actions and choices to be taken in that Somnium. Initially, most of the Keys are hidden, but as you explore and begin to understand the Somnium, Keys will be revealed.

Conscious Antibodies
A Conscious Antibody is the alertness of the Psync subject embodied in the Somnium. Conscious Antibodies block access to important information and, when touched, greatly reduce the amount of time one can safely remain in a Somnium.

If a Conscious Antibody is blocking the way, find a way to eliminate it and move on.

New Characters: Introducing the Masked Restaurant Owner

Gen
VA: SungWon Cho
Japanese VA: Yasumichi Kushida

Owner of Brahman World Cuisine
He runs a restaurant called Brahman in Golden Yokocho. Always wears a mask for some reason. His cooking is excellent. The restaurant is frequented by members of ABIS.

Amame
VA: Faye Mata
Japanese VA: Risa Kubota

Made Cafe Maid
A Sekiba High Senior and "Mermaid" at Sunfish Pocket. She has a sharp tongue, but is never really malicious. She's in the school dance club with Iris and Kizuna. A regular at Brahman and close with Gen.

Shoma
VA: Greg Vinciguerra
Japanese VA: Hiromi Igarashi

6th Grader
Komeji’s son. His parents are divorced. He lives with his poor comedian dad, but despises him. In the same grade as Mizuki, but doesn't seem to have much contact with her.

Players can pre-order AI: The Somnium Files - nirvanA Initiative now.

The Collector's Edition ($119.99) includes:

• AI: The Somnium Files - nirvanA Initiative
• Exclusive Good Smile Company POP UP PARADE ~170mm PVC figure of the beautiful AI-Ball "Aiba"
• SECRET OF THE WORLD: THE DEFIniTIVE ART BOOK featuring concept art and illustrations by Yusuke Kozaki
• HARMOniOUS DISCORD official soundtrack by returning composer Keisuke Ito

AI: The Somnium Files - nirvanA Initiative is coming to Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC (Steam) on June 24, 2022 (July 8, 2022 in Europe) for $59.99. The physical version of the title will be published in Europe by Numskull Games.