[GAME] AI: The Somnium Files - Nirvana Initiative (2022)
For roughly the first three quarters of Nirvana Initiative I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed with the direction this sequel was going. The central mystery was intriguing but everything else surrounding it was less so - the breadcrumb reveals which Uchikoshi's work is known for were less shocking here than in his previous work. The characters were still fun but I wasn't as invested in learning their backstory when compared to, for example, Date from the first game.
But then a certain plot development happens that completely flips everything you've experienced so far on its head, and this is so masterfully executed, with such watertight internal logic, that when confronted with this scene I just sat there speechless for a while, trying to replay the story back in my head to adapt my theories to this new information. After this point the plot twists just keep coming, and as someone that has played many, many games of this kind I was still consistently shocked by most of the reveals.
I cannot stress enough just how brilliant the resolution for this mystery is, I genuinely think it's up there with Uchikoshi's best works together with 999 and Ever17.
Pacing issues aside, there are some other unfortunate issues that bring the game down. There are still the same truly abysmal puzzles from the first game that rely almost entirely on trial-and-error. Mercifully, there is a generous easy mode that is basically impossible to fail, and I would highly recommend this. I don't understand why games like this don't just fully commit to the visual novel format, the story is good enough to stand on its own - why do we have to faff about with nonsensical point-and-click puzzles that feel like they're from the late 80s?
This particular game also, for me, lacked the emotional impact of the original, which at times made it feel like a purely intellectual exercise. The order in which you experienced the various endings were also a little linear compared to the original game - I felt a little railroaded down a specific path in the flowchart this time around. This is understandable though given how intensely complicated the plot is, and I can imagine it would be a nightmare trying to make sure that plot details are revealed in the right order.
While it's difficult for me to see how it would be possible to top the insanity of the third act of this game in any future instalment, I also said the same thing about 999, and yet here we are with a game that comes very close to matching it. Eagerly awaiting the next game in this series.