Review of AI: Nirvana in Dream Files: An imperfect evolution

After completing "AI: Nirvana in Dream Files" (hereinafter referred to as "Nirvana"), my heart was only empty.

Like the previous game, I still hadn't fully figured out the core trickery of the game before revealing the mystery. I was played with in the palm of my hand by Takashi Kotaro, feeling a bit unwilling but enjoying the feeling of being played around by the script. Especially at the thought of not knowing when to play the next work, it feels like there's an empty space in my heart.

Besides not being able to play sequels, what makes me feel empty is the quality of the game. In every aspect of the game, it can be seen that the production team wants to surpass themselves and give the game a comprehensive evolution. They were almost on the verge of achieving this goal, but in an unexpected way, they "overturned" and turned into an imperfect evolution.

A more user-friendly system

My first impression of Nirvana is that the system is very user-friendly. Not only has it improved some places where players roast about in AI: Dream Files, but the new system has also made the challenge less boring.

This game provides difficulty options that affect the difficulty of the search section and the dream section, respectively. The former mainly involves the QTE difficulty of the game, while the latter allows players more time to explore the dream world.

Difficulty options for game

As in the previous installment, when the protagonist encounters an emergency during reconnaissance in the real world, such as gunfights or hand to hand combat with enemies, they will enter the QTE phase. However, the design of the QTE system in the Dream Archive series is not ideal. Not only are some buttons set strangely, but sometimes the right joystick needs to be used for aiming. If it cannot react immediately, it is easy for the system to judge QTE failure.

Some QTEs in are rare, like playing video games

If you don't like QTE, you can directly choose the difficulty level of "enjoy the plot", and all QTE sections will be removed. I just feel that the QTE system's judgment is too strict, and I can choose "simple" difficulty to not miss the opportunity to experience the QTE process.

The difficulty adjustment of the dream exploration part is mainly related to time.

The protagonist can only explore in the dream world for 6 minutes. If they stand still and think, time does not pass quickly. However, moving within the scene or investigating objects will take some time. Without a clear investigation idea, it is easy to exceed the time limit.

At "simple" difficulty, the time consumption of movement and options will be reduced to half, making it suitable for players who are worried about not being able to understand the investigation ideas in a timely manner. Under the difficulty level of "Enjoying the Plot", the time consumption will be reduced to a quarter. If you want to try out all the silly options in the Dream World exploration section at once, then this difficulty level is perfect.

beating Feilongmu doesn't help with the investigation, but I just can't help but want to beat him up

The multi weekly experience of this game was quite good, and a few newly added systems gave me something to do during multi weekly challenges, so I didn't feel bored reopening the game.

For example, in the costume changing system, players can change the clothing of the "ring" and "pupil trip", and in the completed plot, they can see that they will all be wearing designated clothing. Even if you remember the plot, there will still be a sense of freshness when you put on new clothes. However, during the investigation, both of them were very indecent, and even if they wore these strange clothes, they wouldn't feel much discord.

It's quite interesting to replay the plot with these strange clothes in

There is also a newly added Tuma Song subsystem. Every 20 minutes of running the game, the electronic pet will ask you a question, and according to the answer you choose, the pet will evolve in different directions. During evolution, you will also receive a certain eye reward, which can be used to unlock additional content such as character design maps. When challenging multiple repertoire, it can be used to collect all types of rubbings.

When the number of repertoire is over, it is possible to collect a complete collection of Tuoma songs by the way

The humanization of the system does not mean that investigation is no longer challenging. The production team has also optimized the investigation process of Nirvana, and the experience can be said to be a comprehensive upgrade.

A smoother detective experience

The detective part of the AI: Dream Archive series mainly consists of two parts: reality and dreams. In the real world, players need to carefully investigate the crime scene or travel to various parts of the city to search for clues. In dreams, players need to decipher the laws of the dream world and uncover the secrets hidden deep within the suspect's heart.

The new elements added to this game not only make the detective process in Nirvana more natural, but also make it easier for players to understand the criminal's modus operandi.

The detective part of "The Beginning of Nirvana" basically starts with the discovery of the crime scene. The protagonist is usually the first discoverer of the case, or as an ABIS police officer, they are quickly dispatched to the scene for investigation. The case that runs through the entire game is called "HB Continuous Murder Incident", and the killer's technique is very brutal, cutting the victim in half from the middle. However, the scene was not bloody, but rather had a eerie atmosphere.

The half body that appeared on the sports field, although not bloody, still looks quite eerie

The police officers present will provide the protagonist with some intelligence, but more often than not, clues need to be obtained by the player in the newly added "augmented visual" section.

With the help of AI Ball's capabilities, the rings and pupils will be accurately restored to the scene in the virtual world. Here, you can easily discover some evidence that is difficult to find in the early exploration work, such as the discovery of inconspicuous movement marks on the grassland, the observation of some abnormal heat sources on site in infrared mode, and even the discovery of hidden items behind buildings using X-rays.

can search freely in the virtual world without worrying about damaging the scene

After collecting clues, it's time for the reasoning stage.

Players need to use the intelligence in their hands to determine what techniques the prisoner used in each step and have a preliminary impression of the case. Afterwards, the protagonist will also dress up as a criminal and recreate the entire process of the case in the virtual world. Because the performances of the two main characters have their own characteristics, and the rings and pupil stumbling blocks will also make various roast beside them, which will not make me feel bored to watch the crime tactics twice in a row, but rather will make the whole process very interesting.

Ruixi's style is exaggerated, while Longmu's acting skills are simply poor

It can be said that the production team has put in a lot of effort to help players understand the modus operandi.

After collecting evidence on site, one must go to the people related to the case to further understand the situation. This part is basically consistent with the previous work, where the protagonist travels to various parts of the city to communicate with others and obtain new intelligence from them, driving the development of the story.

Many of the characters from the previous games of have appeared

During this period, you can freely investigate items in the scene and often trigger interesting conversations with others. If you don't want to miss out on these contents, it's best to investigate every item in the scene.

can investigate anything, even the protagonist himself can

The only difference is the newly added Wink Psync system. It can briefly read other people's inner thoughts and obtain intelligence that others will not actively speak out.

performed quite well in the second year of junior high school

However, the disadvantage is that a scene can only be used once, and if there are multiple characters appearing in the scene, it is necessary to consider whose heart to read. And sometimes what I can see is only the delusions in others' minds, and I cannot obtain any useful information.

Mengma's delusion is to marry Alice

Finally, it's the familiar dream world exploration segment. Apart from more comprehensive guidance, the overall process is not much different from the previous generation.

However, because the protagonist has changed from Ida to Ryomu and Richie, the AI Ball has also become two, Ring and Pupil, even if the process of exploring the Dream World is the same, there is still a sense of freshness when exploring.

Moreover, the dream world of Nirvana is designed with great care, and each character's dream world has its own unique characteristics. For example, the Conch Bird, who excels in genetic research, has a dream world that is a research institute, and the key to solving puzzles is also related to genetic research.

is filled with equipment from the research institute everywhere

There are many secrets hidden, and the NAIX CEO Shi Yu, who has a deep understanding of the city, has a cool style with pure white as the main color tone in her dream world. And every time I solve a puzzle, I have to go deeper into the dream world, implying that I am constantly penetrating her heart and breaking through her psychological defenses.

The dreamland style of Shiyu is very unique and impressive

Because the activity range of the Dream Realm has increased significantly, and the task objectives are also phased, the production team has upgraded the task guidance system. There will be a dedicated page listing the ultimate goal of this dream world exploration, what should be done at the current stage, the branches of the dream world, and progress, making it easy for players to grasp key information at any time.

Most of the things related to exploring the dream world in are here

Upon seeing this, some readers may think that "Nirvana Begins" is a stable game, with a more user-friendly system and a smoother detective experience. Coupled with the script of the game against Echigo Taro, it's like a complete battle. Unexpectedly, the rest of the game is evolving, but it's actually the most stable part of the plot that I thought had some issues.

Unfulfilled plot

I was very excited when I heard that "Nirvana Begins" would adopt a dual protagonist design. The script for "AI: Dream Files" was already exhilarating, but this time we have to challenge ourselves on this basis, with Rui Xi and Long Mu as the main characters in the new work. Isn't this a double amazing.

However, after completing the game, I feel that the performance in terms of plot did not meet my expectations.

The two main characters of , Ryomu and Richie

First, let's talk about the dual protagonist design of this game. The core case of "Nirvana Begins" this time is the "HB Continuous Murder Incident". The biggest difference from other cases is that the prisoner divides the victim's body in half, with half appearing 6 years ago and the other half only being discovered now. The story of the game is naturally divided into two parts: "6 years ago" and "now".

Six years ago, it was Longmu's home field. At that time, Ida did not participate in the investigation of the case due to various reasons. Ruixi was only an ordinary 12-year-old girl who was particularly good at playing, so the story naturally revolved around Longmu.

Six years ago, Longmu was responsible for the HB incident

And now this timeline is Richie's home ground, Ida is unable to participate in the investigation of the case due to various reasons, Longmu is struggling due to HB's consecutive murder incidents, has been evading the past for 6 years, and his mental state is also not very normal.

Rui Xi, who has been able to officially carry out investigation work on

Now Longmu has been using alcohol to anesthetize himself

This becomes that in the story of Longmu and Ruixi, there is basically no other protagonist with much screen time.

Another subtle aspect of the design of the two main characters in Nirvana is that the story has a sequence. In the previous installment, players were free to choose whether to enter the Alice or Richie chapters first. But in Nirvana, under normal circumstances, players can only first connect two dragon lines and piece together the information of a key character before entering the Reich chapter.

does not allow you to first experience the plot of Richie

The combination of these two points makes me feel that the techniques used by Da Yue to deal with the stories of the two main characters are very crude, like writing the stories of two characters separately and then organically combining the two stories together. Instead of thinking about scenes where two protagonists act together when creating a story, design more intricate tricks that can only be achieved when two protagonists act simultaneously.

Next, let's talk about the handling of new characters in Nirvana. In addition to new characters, many old faces have also appeared in the game. With so many characters appearing, it seems difficult to handle the limited plot by not only creating new characters but also burying memes for old characters.

Ida, who is being disssed by Richie on a daily basis

For example, although Alice doesn't have as many scenes as she imagined, her optimistic and slightly dark feeling is still familiar, which makes me very satisfied. The relationship between the new characters, such as Tui and Ryan, is handled relatively mediocrely. When they are busy searching for criminals all over the world, there is no time to help you deal with emotional issues. The scene where the old character appears is very impressive, but the image of the new character can only barely stand.

I thought this emotional thread could add color to the plot, but I didn't expect it to be handled too casually

The last point is that the density of jokes in the game is a bit high. Originally, Tong Tui was not a serious character, and the new Huan had a setting where all the comments were made in vulgar jokes. Although it wasn't as serious as some netizens claimed to be, the density of vulgar jokes in this game was still visible to the naked eye, which slightly affected the storyline experience.

There are quite a few meat jokes in

Do you think the plot has completely overturned this time? It's not that bad, the game is still excellent in terms of its core trick design. I don't want to mention too many plot details in the review, as if adding a little more plot would turn into a spoiler and affect everyone's gaming experience. The only thing I can share with everyone is that as the story progressed to uncover the core plot, I realized that I was still being played around and enjoyed the fun of plot twists and turns.

So the only evaluation I can give in terms of the plot is that it did not meet expectations. The script of Nirvana does not evolve like other parts of the game, and there may be some areas where it has regressed. Perhaps the current awkward situation is due to my high expectations for it.

Conclusion: This should have been a perfect evolution

Overall, Nirvana Begins is still a game worth recommending, with a very high completion rate and unexpected plot twists. If it weren't for those flaws, it could really be a perfect evolution.

When clearing the game, I once thought it was difficult to find flaws in this game, but after the excitement passed, I could still find some unpleasant experiences. For example, in combat performances, it's still embarrassing and sometimes encountering black screen bugs. However, the game system has become more convenient, and the script of the game can be considered normal, making it easy to forget these shortcomings.

Nirvana Begins is a great game that has evolved in multiple aspects compared to its predecessor, but it is not a comprehensive evolution, but rather a somewhat regrettable imperfect one. If you are a new player to this series, I believe you will surely succumb to its unique charm. But if you have played the previous game like me and hope that Nirvana can once again bring surprises and surpass the past in all aspects, then I suggest adjusting your expectations appropriately. The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.