AI: Dream Archives - The Beginning of Nirvana#
The previous installment was played two years ago, and although I've forgotten most of the specific plot, I can still recall the feeling of "so that's how it is" when the mystery was revealed. However, the feeling when the mystery is revealed in this installment is not as strong as the previous one. The mysteries in the story of this installment are not complex, and the suspenseful atmosphere is mainly conveyed through clever narrative techniques. All the doubts and questions that arise during the progression of the plot are answered when the mysteries are revealed.
Personally, I feel that the story and character development in this installment are not as good as the previous one. The only improvement compared to the previous one is that the dream sequences are not as eerie.
The depiction of the bond between the protagonist and Rui in the previous installment, especially Rui's storyline, left a deep impression on me. The scene where they make a wish at the shrine at the end of Rui's storyline is the most memorable moment from the previous installment for me. Unfortunately, this installment continues with TE.
As mentioned before, the main storyline of this installment is not complex in itself, but it creates complexity through clever narrative techniques. The entire game serves this clever narrative technique, but because of this, the character development is not very remarkable. Compared to the previous installment where supporting characters were given knives randomly, the knives in this installment are more restrained. However, there is a plot involving a supporting character receiving a knife that is so ridiculous it's worth criticizing.
The side stories in this installment feel a bit cliché, such as the choice between family and money, the love story between a princess and a poor boy, and the story of a monster protecting a woman who is despised by others (Beauty and the Beast?). These stories feel like they have been told many times before, and combined with the not-so-remarkable character development in this installment, it's hard to leave a lasting impression after finishing the game. Some characters are even portrayed in a way that becomes annoying.
In terms of character development, the portrayal of some new characters is quite unsuccessful, as they are mostly just tools to advance the plot and don't leave much of an impression. Among the new characters, there is only one that I have a relatively high affinity for (you could say it's the highest, and a big part of the reason is the description in the files).
Like the previous installment, there are still a lot of adult jokes in this installment. Although some people may have different opinions about this, I really like this aspect. In my opinion, it is one of the selling points of this series. In addition to the adult jokes in the plot, there are also some funny ones in the files.
There are also many points in this installment that are worth criticizing, such as suddenly having a dance with no clear meaning, especially the final battle segment, which has so many flaws.
If the previous installment was an eight out of ten, then this installment is a seven.
In the second part, I will include my thoughts from two years ago after completing the previous installment.
AI: Dream Archives#
Thoughts after completing AI: Dream Archives two years ago:
AI: Dream Archives is truly a great work. The 3D presentation makes the whole game come to life, and it's more interesting than traditional 2D text-based adventure games. The non-player characters even have various small actions during conversations...
Personally, I don't find the deduction part of this installment difficult, and there are plenty of opportunities to try different options in the dream sequences. If you're not aiming for a quick completion, it's quite fun to try every option.
The Chinese translation is also excellent, and the various puns are translated very well.
Rui is really cute, and the portrayal of emotions in Rui's storyline is very delicate. The warm feeling of mutual dependence between family members is very beautiful.
However, I really don't recommend playing on the NS platform. The loading speed is not fast, and during the climax, there was a nearly ten-second loading time between two segments, which was really annoying. There are also occasional lag issues, only three save slots, and the small font size in handheld mode makes it a bit difficult to read traditional Chinese characters, among other things.