No Sleep For Kaname Date is set shortly after the events that take place in AI: Somnium Files. With Date investigating a series of events while being chased in a seemingly dream state, or maybe a VR simulation, before aliens abduct him and everyone in his vicinity. When the game gets started after the intro with Date, you end up in the shoes of Iris next and find that she has woken up in an alien ship. Abducted and brought into space, Iris must escape a series of trials that the aliens have planned to test humanity.

Right away, you have already been set up for a wild ride. Whether whatever happens is real or all a dream, it;s set up to be an entertaining experience for fans of these games. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and embraces the absurdity of this scenario, while still maintaining the high stakes for our characters. This is a fun new way to expand on the story and lore that the game has previously developed. With a unique story being told, you are allowed to find out what is going to happen next for Iris and Date in an entirely new adventure.

Observe Your Surroundings and Escape

Players are placed in a new game to explore and escape scenarios similar to those in their previous games. You'll be placed in multiple escape rooms and situations to examine and use your detective skills to find the solutions to the puzzles. Like the past games that Spike Chunsoft has made, the escape rooms will have various clues that will require you to think in different dimensions. No two puzzles are the same, with many requiring you to examine your surroundings and remember the sequence of events that you’ve been going through. Nothing is obvious, and nothing is going to be outright solved for you, making it an enriching experience when you’ve solved interesting and unique puzzles.

While the timed puzzles can be intense to solve while under pressure, they’re all enjoyable, with many of them worded in a way to trip you up while you look for solutions. You’ll be thinking about all the options when the most obvious one is the answer all along. The puzzles and trials are all enjoyable, and while they can be stressful when timed, they are still what makes the game stand out and be special. Each puzzle is different from the last and prior portions of the game provide hints at what is to come next.

Diving Into The Unknown

Another element from the prior games that returns is the Somnium sections, which make this series exceptionally special. These are portions of the game where you dive into a subject's subconscious and look for hints and clues as to what they’ve gone through and their plans. Each Somnium has its own puzzles that require you to complete them while on a separate timer. You will have three total retries for them, with the option to return to a previous section within the Somnium to regain time. The further back you go, the more it will take, with a full restart costing all three retries.

Another element from the prior games that returns is the Somnium sections, which make this series exceptionally special.

Somnium sections are filled with optional dialogue between Date and Aiba, ranging from serious conversations about their subjects to outright silly ones about the most random objects you encounter. Dialogue is both serious and lighthearted at the right times, with neither conflicting with the other. You’ll experience something in the game that is thought-provoking before they bring up another subject that gives you a nice laugh before moving on, giving you the ability to relax from the stress of the time trials that you just experienced prior. The mixture of tones throughout the game is remarkable and these elements are brought together in a way that enhances the overall gaming experience.

Closing Comments:

Everything in No Sleep For Kaname Date - From AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES is tailored to provide a new and unique experience in a world that's beloved by fans. Puzzles and trials are all new and fresh, making you think of new ways to solve the wild scenarios our characters have found themselves in. The writing isn’t perfect, but it remains in the same vein as the previous games, staying true to its roots by being serious when needed and lighthearted in between those more intense moments. While it isn’t recommended to play this as your first game in the series, it does avoid spoiling the games that take place before and after it, respecting players who may not have completed the first game yet. This won’t be the best starting point for the story, but it may be enough to get those new players interested in exploring the prior games as well.