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At the Spike Chunsoft Anime Expo panel, Zero Escape series Director/Scenario Writer Kotaro Uchikoshi unveiled AI: The Somnium Files, set for a worldwide release on the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Steam! The game will take place in a more technologically-advanced Tokyo, Japan. The first teaser trailer introduced detective Kaname Date. Yusuke Kozaki (Fire Emblem Awakening, NO MORE HEROES) is the lead character designer for the title.

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About Kotaro Uchikoshi

A director and scenario writer, his skills shine in his adventure titles, such as the Zero Escape series (incl. the award-winning Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors), Punch Line, and Ever17 -the out of infinity. He is well-known for his unconventional plot twists and offbeat humor and has been actively working on many genres, many games, and many stories.

 

[Sakitoshi]

No, young Sigma got sent back into his body shortly after the events that took place in ZTD. The only version of him that winds up knowing those events is the Sigma that fails to prevent VLR's events, by which point he's sent back to that future and it becomes too late for him to do anything. Sigma was always going to go into the Mars testing site as an old mind with little information on what took place there.

I'll have to concede in this one because I can't remember that part very well, but I'm very convinced that sending young Sigma was the only way to prevent radical 6 from escaping because old Sigma knew exactly what happened (Sigma himself prepared the events of VLR because of this outcome) and thus can't pull off a schrodinger cat.

Alice in VLR was able to conveniently jump when you choose Ally or Betray, as was the case with Junpei.

No, it was never stated that Alice or Tenmyouji jumped, in the case of Alice at least (I don't recall Tenmyouji's part), it was explained almost as a coincidence as Alice in both cases explained why what she choose was the the smarter decision without even mentioning something like "because you choose ally/betray before" like Sigma and Phi (who are the only that knew what was happening) did.

They also explicitly remind you in VLR that exposure to other Espers for long enough allows you to gain the ability yourself, which was the entire point for Sigma and Phi.

Wrong, they say that espers get stronger (as being better at what they do, not gain more powers) when they are grouped together and isn't even hinted that normal people can gain esper powers by staying around them. If that were the case then why would Alice need Clover anymore if she could just gain the powers herself?

So why is it an asspull that Carlos and Junpei also end up jumping when exposed to the same conditions? (Note that Junpei and Carlos have shown signs of esper abilities before, while both young Sigma and Phi initially did not)

Because, while is true that is explained that Carlos has the same esper powers as Sigma and Phi, they had to spend a whole nonary game to even be able to remember part of what happened in previous timelines while Carlos was able to do the same in a matter of minutes and without losing any memory.
Junpei is a different kind of esper, he can access the morphogenetic field and store information there to use later. In ZTD they explicitly say that Junpei is jumping between timelines the same way Sigma, Phi and Carlos do, not that he is creating a backup of his memories and restoring them in another timeline which could or not be possible, nobody knows the limits of those kind of esper.

Also, why is Akane grouped with that question when we know her esper power is quite, well, powerful?

Same as Junpei, she is a different kind of esper and that is clearly stated in VLR, Sigma (IIRC) asked her why she needed him if she was an esper herself and that was part of the answer, the other part was that she knew what happened so she couldn't pull off a schrodinger cat.

 

[Pandaxclone2]

I'll have to concede in this one because I can't remember that part very well, but I'm very convinced that sending young Sigma was the only way to prevent radical 6 from escaping because old Sigma knew exactly what happened (Sigma himself prepared the events of VLR because of this outcome) and thus can't pull off a schrodinger cat.

Young Sigma always has to grow old and set up the events of VLR first before he swaps his consciousness with his younger self.

No, it was never stated that Alice or Tenmyouji jumped, in the case of Alice at least (I don't recall Tenmyouji's part), it was explained almost as a coincidence as Alice in both cases explained why what she choose was the the smarter decision without even mentioning something like "because you choose ally/betray before" like Sigma and Phi (who are the only that knew what was happening) did.

That's really the only thing that can be taken away from that, then. Phi knows what choices Sigma chooses because she is able to jump/SHIFT. Logically Alice and Tenmyouji should be able to do the same, which is further supported in ZTD since he did a lot of hopping already before he made his way to VLR's timeline.

Wrong, they say that espers get stronger (as being better at what they do, not gain more powers) when they are grouped together and isn't even hinted that normal people can gain esper powers by staying around them. If that were the case then why would Alice need Clover anymore if she could just gain the powers herself?

In ZTD, Akane states that the number of SHIFTers (espers with the SHIFT ability) is growing in an unconscious preperation of the impending attack on humanity. It's true that espers do grow stronger in numbers, but something has to account for the rapid increase in espers. The only thing that seems to make logical sense is that it's a sense anyone can hone, but few actually attain a strong enough power.

Alice may have had the power subconsciously or may not have had it initially, but regardless it can't be denied that she has the power if she's able to mess with choices that should be static.

Because, while is true that is explained that Carlos has the same esper powers as Sigma and Phi, they had to spend a whole nonary game to even be able to remember part of what happened in previous timelines while Carlos was able to do the same in a matter of minutes and without losing any memory.

Junpei is a different kind of esper, he can access the morphogenetic field and store information there to use later. In ZTD they explicitly say that Junpei is jumping between timelines the same way Sigma, Phi and Carlos do, not that he is creating a backup of his memories and restoring them in another timeline which could or not be possible, nobody knows the limits of those kind of esper.

And how much SHIFTing had Sigma and Phi done at the start of VLR? Aside from the initial mind-swap, essentially none. Carlos has done it a few times subconsciously, mostly times when he worked as a firefighter. The more times you do it, the less time it'll take to hone the skill. That's why Sigma and Phi took an entire Nonary Game, while Carlos didn't.

Junpei being a different esper is still an esper regardless. Given enough exposure, he can hone a SHIFT ability, which is exactly what happened in ZTD.

 

[Sakitoshi]

Young Sigma always has to grow old and set up the events of VLR first before he swaps his consciousness with his younger self.



That's really the only thing that can be taken away from that, then. Phi knows what choices Sigma chooses because she is able to jump/SHIFT. Logically Alice and Tenmyouji should be able to do the same, which is further supported in ZTD since he did a lot of hopping already before he made his way to VLR's timeline.



In ZTD, Akane states that the number of SHIFTers (espers with the SHIFT ability) is growing in an unconscious preperation of the impending attack on humanity. It's true that espers do grow stronger in numbers, but something has to account for the rapid increase in espers. The only thing that seems to make logical sense is that it's a sense anyone can hone, but few actually attain a strong enough power.

Alice may have had the power subconsciously or may not have had it initially, but regardless it can't be denied that she has the power if she's able to mess with choices that should be static.



And how much SHIFTing had Sigma and Phi done at the start of VLR? Aside from the initial mind-swap, essentially none. Carlos has done it a few times subconsciously, mostly times when he worked as a firefighter. The more times you do it, the less time it'll take to hone the skill. That's why Sigma and Phi took an entire Nonary Game, while Carlos didn't.

Junpei being a different esper is still an esper regardless. Given enough exposure, he can hone a SHIFT ability, which is exactly what happened in ZTD.

That is a good theory, but that is all that is because the game doesn't explain anything about that and I don't think Uchikoshi is going to explain anything if asked.
The game does a good job at wrapping up the series as a whole, but the plot has more holes than Swiss cheese.
I'm not saying that the game is bad or that I didn't enjoyed it, because I did, but it does a really poor job explaining itself. it explains just enough to move forward.

 

[Pandaxclone2]

That is a good theory, but that is all that is because the game doesn't explain anything about that and I don't think Uchikoshi is going to explain anything if asked.
The game does a good job at wrapping up the series as a whole, but the plot has more holes than Swiss cheese.
I'm not saying that the game is bad or that I didn't enjoyed it, because I did, but it does a really poor job explaining itself. it explains just enough to move forward.

I mean, if the game was meant to be standalone then I would agree that it fails to address plot holes, but it's not designed with that in mind. ZTD has both 999 and VLR's plot to help back it up, so I'd hardly call them plot holes if you can connect the dots relatively easily. I'll have to replay the Nonary Games edition that I've got shipped to me so I can refresh my memory, but I'm fairly sure a few things said between 999 and VLR suggest it's more than a theory.

At any rate, this is off-topic. We should leave it at that.

 

[Bimmel]

I mean, if the game was meant to be standalone then I would agree that it fails to address plot holes, but it's not designed with that in mind. ZTD has both 999 and VLR's plot to help back it up, so I'd hardly call them plot holes if you can connect the dots relatively easily. I'll have to replay the Nonary Games edition that I've got shipped to me so I can refresh my memory, but I'm fairly sure a few things said between 999 and VLR suggest it's more than a theory.

At any rate, this is off-topic. We should leave it at that.

This ability..! So you shifted in our timeline, huh? Amazing.

 

[TheDarkGreninja]

Damn that art style is real nice.