Zero Escape Creator Reveals New Game AI: The Somnium Files

AI: The Somnium Files Announced for Switch, PS4, and PC

Kotaro Uchikoshi, the creator and director of the fantastically-eerie visual novel mystery series Zero Escape have announced his latest game. It’s called AI: The Somnium Files and it’ll be his first game since the conclusion of Zero Time Dilemma, the third and final game in the Zero Escape trilogy.

It’s been known that Uchikoshi has been working on a new game ever since he spoke about it in March of last year. It was known then by its codename, Project: PSYNC, and was teased with some unsettling key art. Now, at last week’s Anime Expo 2018, Spike Chunshoft revealed the first real teaser trailer for AI: The Somnium Files.

While the minute-long teaser trailer doesn’t really give us much to go on, we do know that AI: The Somnium Files takes place in a modern-day high-tech Tokyo. A detective, Kaname Date, is tasked with solving a case after a body has been discovered that has had its left eye gouged out. Date thinks it could be the work of a serial killer.

Date also has a cybernetic eye that can “see” into the memories of suspects and witnesses to gather more information. These memories are called “somnium,” according to Uchikoshi, and is derived from the Latin word for dream. We can probably guess that this memory dream mechanic will play a big part in not only solving murder cases but also the game’s main gameplay hook.

AI: The Somnium Files

Uchikoshi also announced that the character designer for the game will be Yusuke Kozaki, who is known for his work on No More Heroes and Fire Emblem Awakening.

AI: The Somnium Files will launch on Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Windows PC whenever it decides to release. Until then, make sure you catch up on the Zero Escape trilogy (999: 9 Hours 9 People 9 Doors, Virtue’s Last Reward, and Zero Time Dilemma) on PS4.

Are you excited for Uchikoshi’s next new game? Leave us a comment down below.