The 2019 visual novel adventure gameAI: THE SOMNIUM FILESintroduced the world to Kaname Date, a quick-witted and eccentric detective with a mysterious past. After taking a backseat in 2022’sAI: THE SOMNIUM FILES - nirvanA Initiative,Date returns as the protagonist (and title character) ofNo Sleep For Kaname Date From AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES.Date’s return to the spotlight was an exciting one forNo Sleep For Kaname Date’sdevelopment team, as well as something highly anticipated by the series' fans.
The Series' Fans Wanted Kaname Date Back
In a conversation with Game Rant, director and scenario writer Kazuya Yamada and series director and scenario supervisorKotaro Uchikoshirevealed that bringing Date back as the protagonist was something that fans had very much wanted. “We actually monitor and search through posts on X more closely than you might think,” Yamada revealed. “The idea of making Date the protagonist was based on considering everyone’s opinions.”
Kaname Date intrigued fans with his compelling story inAI: THE SOMNIUM FILES,where his involvement in the tricky New Cyclops Killings serial murder case forced him to confront his own missing memories and convoluted past. InnirvanA Initiative,Date played a more minor role, with the protagonist slot shared between newcomer Kuruto Ryuki and Date’s adoptive daughter, Mizuki Date.
But fans wanted more of Date, and so he takes on another mysterious investigation inNo Sleep For Kaname Datewhenhis friend Iris Sagan is kidnappedand forced to play a strange escape game. Both Ryuki and Mizuki return in supporting roles, and Yamada hinted that writing Ryuki from Date’s perspective was a fun experience for him. “I believe I was able to bring out a new charm in Ryuki,” Yamada revealed.
Writing Kaname Date Again Felt Like Coming Home
Both Yamada and Uchikoshi expressed a feeling of love towards Kaname Date and were delighted to see him make his grand return. Uchikoshi loved how much his fans enjoyed Date and his previous adventures, saying, “I truly feel the love for theAIseriesfrom so many fans. I’m confident that once everyone playsNo Sleep For Kaname Date,their love for this series will further deepen.” When asked what it was like returning to Date’s story after years of absence, Yamada described it as such:
“In Japan, there’s an expression: “a sense of comfort, like being at your parents' home,” and that’s exactly how it felt to me, since I also wrote some of the dialogue for the Somnium parts in the first game. Kaname Date is a character who truly shines in both comedic and serious moments, so writing his lines was really enjoyable.”
No Sleep for Kaname Datetakes place between the events of the first two games, so it remains to be seen what new adventures Date will get up to - or how he will cope with the truth about himself he learned duringAI: THE SOMNIUM FILES.He’ll also be working alongside two returning characters: Iris Sagan and Ota Matushita, who become playable characters for the newly addedEscape segmentsafter playing a supportive role in the previous two titles.
However the investigation goes,players will be able to reunite with the smart but unusual ABIS detectivewho bickers with his AI-Ball partner Aiba, dreams of moving to the hot spring town of Atami, and increases his power by reading adult magazines. There is truly no other character quite like Kaname Date, andNo Sleep for Kaname Datepromises to be a memorable journey for its players and characters alike.
