Image via Spike Chunsoft
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No Sleep for Kaname Date – From AI: The Somnium Files feels like a filler season of an anime. The characters are generally interesting and the experience is fine, but it feels like a way to fill time while a bigger, grander, more meaningful experience is on the way. I enjoyed myself through this more brief adventure. Just I couldn’t shake it feeling like it went through the motions of what we’d expect from an installment, rather than doing something truly fresh and new like AI: The Somnium Files – Nirvana Initiative.
Things begin in No Sleep for Kaname Date with a bit of a mystery and a typical type of AI: The Somnium Files moment. Kaname Date is being chased by mystery men. He sees an adult magazine and summons the strength to grab it and escape. As he stands in front of a mirror, he struggles to remember who he is and what happened. Upon getting outside, he witnesses these individuals and Iris Sagan, aka “A-set” and “Tesa,” being abducted by aliens. From there, we see Iris trapped in room with a control console, ruins, and a wrist device that allows her to call upon Date for help. She’s also instructed to make use of her third eye by the mysterious individual who trapped her there, ahead of a Great Reset. Meanwhile, Date isn’t just tasked with investigating on his own and offering advice as she tries to escape, but with using Psync to head into Somnia to explore that world and discover more details tied to this new case.
No spoilers for the story, but even if Spike Chunsoft hadn’t been upfront with No Sleep for Kaname Date – From AI: The Somnium Files not being written by Kotaro Uchikoshi, I would have been able to tell. It’s okay. It isn’t like any established individuals act too out of character. But the story doesn’t feel as engrossing as the previous two tales. Again, I don’t want to spoil anything, but I came away with the impression that characters behaved the way I’d expect them to, rather than featuring any kind of unique presence, nuance, or development like we saw in the original two titles. It’s fine enough and I had an okay time, but I wouldn’t call it a must-play in the same way AI: The Somnium Files and its Nirvana Initiative sequel are.
That said, No Sleep for Kaname Date – From AI: The Somnium Files starts you off with one of the Escape room puzzle segments. This is the new type of gameplay joining the real-world Investigation and Somnium explorations of Somnia segments. Essentially, it should be like pairing up elements of 999 and Zero Escape with AI: The Somnium Files. This means scouring environments in rooms, picking up clues and items, and piecing things together to proceed. This is from a third-person perspective, as we control A-set during these moments. However, we can zoom-in for a closer, first-person view for a more detailed look. It fits in well within the existing mechanics of the series, and the difficulty options allow you to turn things down to “story” level to remove any sort of penalizations or time limits for leisurely solving things. However, while it is fine, I didn’t feel as challenged as I did during Uchikoshi’s other works. Again, avoiding spoilers, it is very clear with the “tutorial” initial escape room what you need to do, and I couldn’t shake that kind of feeling with any other Escape segments. Even when you do get to the point of adding Ota Matsushita to the mix, I never felt really accomplished after completing one of the challenges in that segment.
The Investigation and Somnia segments work similarly to past games. Depending on the type of scenario, either Date or Aiba is exploring to gain information. In an Investigation, that means going through places in Tokyo. In a “dream,” that’s a more otherworldly experience with its own dream logic you need to follow to get results and break Mental Locks within six minutes. In each case, this means interacting with the environment and talking with individuals. Though in Somnia, that does mean more puzzle elements, whereas in the real world it comes down to checking everything. The main difference here compared to past games is that the Investigation segments now include a bit of Somnium elements within the real world via Wink Psync. It is a timed segment to further analyze a person’s thoughts and responses to get results that might otherwise be obscured.
If it seems like I’m struggling to find anything to really say about No Sleep for Kaname Date – From AI: The Somnium Files, that’s because I feel like there’s really not much to say. It doesn’t make the sort of substantial, storytelling strides forward as the other two installments in the series. The new Escape gameplay works fine, but it isn’t as exciting as Kotaro Uchikoshi games that fully dedicate themselves to that kind of experience and mystery. The established Investigation and Somnia segments feel about the same as they always do and don’t really reinvent the wheel. I had some fun, but not nearly as much as I did with its predecessors. It’s there and feels like a placeholder ahead of whatever is actually next for the series. Folks who really enjoy AI: The Somnium Files and are biding time waiting for the next Uchikoshi project might like No Sleep for Kaname Date, but it isn’t really for anyone else.
No Sleep for Kaname Date – From AI: The Somnium Files will be available on the Switch, Switch 2, and PC on July 25, 2025.
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No Sleep for Kaname Date – From AI: The Somnium Files
One day, after The New Cyclops Serial Killings was resolved, internet idol Iris Sagan (known as “A-set”) is abducted by a UFO and forced to participate in a perilous escape game called The Third Eye Game. Meanwhile, in another part of the city, a mysterious device is discovered. It resembles a coffin, and attached to it is a note that reads: “Psync me.” Relying on a tenuous line of communication with the missing Iris, one man rises once again, determined to track down the UFO that should not even exist. Together with his partner, the AI-Ball Aiba, he sets out on a quest. That man…is Special Agent Kaname Date. Switch version reviewed. Review copy provided by company for testing purposes.
Folks who enjoy AI: The Somnium Files and are waiting for the next Uchikoshi project might like No Sleep for Kaname Date, but it isn’t for anyone else.
