2019's AI: The Somnium Files was developed by Spike Chunsoft and directed by Kotaro Uchikoshi, best known for creating the Zero Escape games. AI: The Somnium Files is a detective game with branching paths, wherein the player is tasked with investigating a string of murders through interrogation. Players also use special tech to dive into the psyches of other characters.
The protagonist, Date, is a detective with no memories prior to six years ago. Date works alongside his A.I. partner, Aiba, who inhabits his artificial left eye. The team is part of ABIS, a police bureau tasked with investigating crimes by diving into the subconscious of criminals and witnesses.
In AI: The Somnium Files, Date and Aiba have to investigate a string of murders in which the victims have had their left eyes gouged out. A similar string of murders occurred six years ago -- the same time Date lost his memories and his left eye. He's terrified as he considers the possibility that he may be the murderer and not know it.
From the outside looking in, Somnium Files looks very self-serious. However, it's arguably the funniest detective game in recent memory, thanks to its offbeat characters and clever dialogue.
For example, Date is very upfront about his perverted personality, which makes him the bane of several characters' existence. At one point, he becomes too distracted to investigate because of a "well endowed" receptionist nearby. Simultaneously, Aiba can get distracted or crack bad jokes during psychic interrogations. Aiba constantly comments on Date's filthy, degenerate thoughts, but she also uses this to their collective advantage. When Date's about to be shot by a yakuza, Aiba shouts, "Date, a porno mag at your feet!" This gets him to duck and avoid the bullet.
There's also Mizuki, Date's adopted daughter, who he took in four years ago after her parents could no longer take care of her. Rather than falling into the "gruff older man with a tough exterior has to learn to be a father to a young, withdrawn girl" trope, Mizui is bold and calls Date out on his crap more than anyone else.
AI: The Somnium Files has branching paths, but these are not determined through dialogue choices. When inside a character's psyche, the player controls Aiba to have her interact with the objects in the space to progress, but sometimes the simplest solution is not always the correct one. The player will have to think outside the box and their choices will influence what happens next.
In the real world, the player will interact with environments and speak with characters; this often presents more excellent humor. For example, when Date visits his boss's office, the player encounters a lot of weird paraphernalia like boy band posters, a Christmas tree and a mannequin who just so happens to be the boss's childhood friend, Mario. He's a very good listener.
As silly and strange as this game is, it's not without heart, which is probably best exemplified in Mizuki and Date's relationship. Both of them are dealing with internal issues: Date questions his own identity because of his amnesia and Mizuki blames herself for her parents' recent divorce and why they needed Date to take care of her.
These two have a lot on their minds and often take out their frustration on each other with their constant bickering, but it's clear they care about each other immensely. Date doesn't want Mizuki to get involved in these murder investigations, but Mizuki doesn't want Date to go at this alone.