CINERIS SOMNIA

About CINERIS SOMNIA

CINERIS SOMNIA is a 3D adventure by the Japanese developer NAYUTA STUDIO, published by PLAYISM on Steam in October 2018 in English and Japanese.

A girl in a blue sundress falls asleep during a picnic on the shore and wakes to find her mother and little sister gone, with only a yellow bucket and a sand castle left behind. Her journey leads into a strange world and the stories of three girls: Charlotte, confined to a sanatorium and waiting for an old promise to be kept; Marie, who runs through a dark forest in her pajamas and a cape for a reason of her own; and Ophelia, the daughter of a wealthy family, raised by cold parents and convinced she is ugly. A mysterious tall man in black with golden eyes watches over it all.

You explore each girl's world in third person, read what you find, search for keys and clues and solve puzzles, with a map and an optional guide to your next goal. The look is soft and bright in places and the music gentle, but the stories are sad and dark, and the empty mansions, sanatorium wards and forests are quietly unnerving. Players describe it as eerie and melancholic, scary without relying on jump scares.

It suits players who like dreamlike, story-led horror with an anime style and a slow pace. Several reviews warn that the walking speed and searching are slow.

How to play CINERIS SOMNIA

1. Buy it on Steam for Windows.
2. Explore each area in third person and examine objects to read their descriptions.
3. Find the map early and use it, along with the destination guide, to know where to go next.
4. Search for keys and items and solve puzzles to reach each girl's story.
5. Save often, as the makers recommend, even though there is an autosave.

Tips

• Use the destination guide when you are lost; the areas are large and quiet.
• Read everything; the stories are hidden in the details.
• Be patient with the slow pace; it is part of the mood.
• Play it with headphones for the music and ambient sound.

Questions