[Rewrite this title] Nintendo Switch 2: Sleepless Nights with Kaname Date – A Review of AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES

Okay, so let’s dive into this new game – “No Sleep For Kaname Date” from the AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES series, now making a splash on the Nintendo Switch 2. I’m not even sure where to start — it’s that wildly intriguing. First of all, the story jumps right into chaos post-solving The New Cyclops Serial Killings. Iris Sagan, a.k.a “A-set” (internet idol, you know), gets yoinked by, wait for it, a UFO. Like, imagine aliens just casually dropping by and saying, “Hey, let’s play an escape game!” Totally not regular Tuesday stuff. And Date — our main guy, Kaname Date — he’s sprinting after this madness with AI-Ball Aiba, trying to untangle this spacey mess. Strange men in black are there too, just to up the weirdness factor. Reminds me of No More Heroes a bit. Or maybe I’m just rambling.

This story? Yeah, it’s set before the nirvanA Initiative. So fans have loads to uncover. It’s a bit of a mind-bender with those Escape Room vibes — kind of like, “solve this or be stuck forever”. Plus, we’ve got Greg Chun and Jackie Lastra bringing these characters to life with their stellar voices. Can’t imagine anyone else doing it.

Anyway — oh, the gameplay. Right. Three parts: Investigation, Escape, and Somnium. Investigating is like — poking around everywhere and snooping, which is just my style. There’s something oddly satisfying about clicking on random things just to see what happens. Your sidekick? Date’s AI eye, peeping into places you didn’t know had secrets. It’s strange how that works, seeing more than meets the actual eye.

Then there’s the Escape segments. Naming game on point. You need to figure out puzzles to break free. And no, these aren’t easy. I mean, if they were, who would need a walkthrough? And that bar at the screen’s bottom that fills up as you solve stuff — it pulled me in more than I care to admit.

Somnium segments? Dive into dreamland — it’s trippy. Imagine piecing together someone’s brain — echoes of their deepest thoughts. You get 6 minutes — tick-tock. Better not be a slowpoke here. Mental Locks hold the juiciest secrets, waiting for you to crack them open.

Difficulty settings? Pick your poison. From Story, letting you laze about with infinite time, to the cruel and unusual Hard that gives zero mercy. I mean, you’d think they’d throw a hint or two, but nope, you’re on your own. Speaking of difficulty, it’s odd how tweaking things a smidge will alter your gaming universe.

There’s this whole Eyes reward system, tempting you to revisit parts. Hey, who doesn’t love extra content, right? Bonus section is always the treasure chest, especially if you’ve got spare Eyes to splurge.

Oh, before I forget — price check: $39.99 on launch. July 25 is when this adventure kicks off on the Switch 2. Can’t believe I almost missed mentioning that. And yes, you can snag it on the regular Nintendo Switch too.

Just remember, this review appeared thanks to a copy from Spike Chunsoft, so shoutout to them for that.

I’m still buzzing from the experience — probably not gonna get any sleep myself.