PSYNCIN' IN THE MaiN: 1

## Chapters

* kenzAI (B Path)

*-Release Iris-*
*"Iris has been captured! Free her and support her!"*
—Somnium description
**PSYNCIN' IN THE MaiN: 1** is a dreamworld featured in *AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES.*

It is a Somnium created from Iris Sagan's dream by the Psync Machine. Kaname Date investigated this Somnium to verify the truth of Iris's theories about NAIXATLOZ.

## Mental Locks

### Mental Lock #1 - Dig.

After entering Somnium, the player starts in the **Northern Section** of the ShovelForge simulated world. The first goal is to "dig". The objects that the player can investigate at this time are: **Gate 1**, **Gate 2**, **Pickaxe** and **Monitor A**.

First, pick up the **Pickaxe** in front of you to get **Lvl. 1 Pickaxe**. Then proceed according to Iris's prompt and perform *Dig* on **Gate 2**, and finish the following QTE events to unlock Mental Lock #1.

It should be noted that other options will cause the player to get TIMIE with unknown properties. Only after the action is performed, the nature of TIMIE will be revealed. This could include negative TIMIE, so be vigilant when trying to perform other actions.

If a positive TIMIE is obtained, it can be used immediately in an action that needs to be performed for 30s or more, or saved until the last step that needs to be performed later.

In summary, to unlock Mental Lock #1:

* *Pick Up* on **Pickaxe** (10s) -> *Dig* on **Gate 2**, finish QTE Event (10s)

### Mental Lock #2 - Make something.

After entering Gate 2, the player enters the **Southern Section**. The objects that can be investigated here are: **Gate 3**, **Gate 4**, **Vending Machine**, **Crafting Table A** and **Monitor F**. Objects in the Northern Section have temporarily become unavailable for investigation. The second goal is to find materials to make something.

The only object that can do the Dig option is the **Vending Machine**, find it and perform *Dig*, finish QTE event. Note that the QTE event here requires the player to press the specified key for more time than before, and the later QTE events require even longer time than this.

Then, go to the nearby house and investigate the **Crafting Table A** inside. Then, either executing *Make Disco Ball* or *Make Something Else* will get **Lvl. 5 Pickaxe** and become able to unlock Mental Lock #2. Vending Machine and Crafting Table A will disappear after performing options that advance the Somnium depth.

Executing different options on **Crafting Table A** will lead to changes about random TIMIE: If you choose Make Disco Ball, you still cannot observe the nature of the TIMIE until you investigate the object and perform the action, but all such TIMIEs will become positive types; choose Make Something Else (Lever) will make all the TIMIE conditions that can be obtained later visualized before the action, but negative TIMIEs will still remain among them.

If the player has already understood the distribution rules of TIMIEs, it is better to choose *Make Disco Ball*, because in this way there will be no negative TIMIE in the entire Somnium progress.

In summary, to unlock Mental Lock #2:

* *Dig* on **Vending Machine**, finish QTE Event (10s) -> *Make Disco Ball* on **Crafting Table A** (30s)
* *Dig* on **Vending Machine**, finish QTE Event (10s) -> *Make Something Else* on **Crafting Table A** (30s)

### Mental Lock #3 - Defeat Naix.

The unlocking method of Mental Lock #3 has a unique feature: although the game does not hint that the Somnium progress branches here, the player has two ways to unlock it and enter different endings. In other words, there is a hidden route to clear the Mental Lock.

First, come to **Gate 3**, execute *Dig*, finish QTE event, and then enter the **Middle Section**. The objects that can be investigated here are: **Gate 4**, **Crafting Table B**, **Pedestal**, **Debris**, **???**, **Monitor B**, **C**, **D** and **E**. Now, the branch point goes from here.

Most of the next actions will consume large amount of time. If conditions permit, it is best to collect positive TIMIE here in advance. In this area, the player can get the only [10] TIMIE in the entire Somnium, obtained by executing *Observe* on **???**.

#### Branch A

During Mental Lock #3, the player receives the prompt "Defeat Naix", combined with Iris' instructions, the player can easily go to a "standard route", or Branch A. To enter Branch A, first directly investigate **Crafting Table B**, then execute *Craft Monument*, which will take 60s. If there is a TIMIE that can be used before, it is recommended to use it here, and the same is true for actions that take a lot of time afterwards. After performing this action, enter the shrine to find **Pedestal** and perform *Place Monument*; Then, leave the shrine, perform *Dig* on the **Soft Ground** and complete the QTE events; next, reach **Debris** and perform *Use Love Bomb*. After performing each action, the object will become no longer able to inspect.

This will cause the player to lose the Lvl. 5 Pickaxe and reappear in the **Northern Section**. The layout has completely changed. Investigable objects become **Gate 1**, **Pyramid**, **Mirror Door** and **Monitor A**. Directly inspect **Mirror Door** and perform *Dance* on it gets Mental Lock #3 unlocked.

In summary, to unlock Mental Lock #3 Branch A:

* *Craft Monument* on **Crafting Table B** (60s) -> *Place Monument* on **Pedestal** (10s) -> *Dig* on **Soft Ground**, finish QTE Event (10s) -> *Use Love Bomb* on **Debris** (60s) -> *Dance* on **Mirror Door** (60s)

A possible optimal path for better TIMIE can be:

* *Craft Monument* on **Crafting Table B** (60s) -> *Place Monument* on **Pedestal** (10s) -> *Dig* on **Soft Ground**, finish QTE Event (10s) -> *Use Love Bomb* on **Debris** (60s) -> *Dance* on **Mirror Door** (60s)

#### Branch B

If you want to pass through another hidden route to enter Branch B, you need to enter the Marble-like house in the Middle Section, and perform *Talk* on the **???** inside, and then the player will get a mysterious item (THIS MAN or GRAY). After performing this action, ??? disappears and a new option *Craft n/a* appears on **Crafting Table B**.

Next, go to **Crafting Table B**, investigate it and execute *Craft n/a*, so the player will get **Lvl. 255 Pickaxe**, which allows the **Shrine Wall** to be investigated. Enter the shrine and investigate the **Shrine Wall**, perform *Dig* and finish QTE event, allowing the player to enter through the secret passage created, entering the world of ???. Go across the street to the rear and execute *Enter* on the **Gate** there.

After this the player returns to the Northern Section, but the layout has completely changed. Investigable objects become **Gate 1**, **Pyramid**, **Mirror Door** and **Monitor A**. Directly inspect **Mirror Door** and perform *Destroy* on it gets Mental Lock #3 unlocked.

In summary, to unlock Mental Lock #3 Branch B:

* *Talk* on **???** (60s) -> *Craft n/a* on **Crafting Table B** (60s) -> *Dig* on **Shrine Wall** (10s) -> *Enter* the **Gate** (10s) -> *Destroy* on **Mirror Door** (60s)

A possible optimal path for better TIMIE can be:

* *Observe* on **???** (30s1/2, 1/3 or strongest 1/n) -> *Talk* on **???** (60s1/2, 1/3 or strongest 1/n) -> *Craft n/a* on **Crafting Table B** (60s1/2, 1/3 or strongest 1/n) -> *Dig* on **Shrine Wall** (10s) -> *Enter* the **Gate** (10s) -> *Destroy* on **Mirror Door** (60s1/2, 1/3 or strongest 1/n)

### Mental Lock #4

#### A:Release Iris.

After performing the previous actions, the Pyramid disappeared, and the only action needed to unlock Mental Lock #4 is to investigate the new **Iris's Core**. Just spend 358s to execute *Touch Core*.

This exaggerated time makes it difficult for the player to clear the Somnium with time remains, unless the player manages to save about 100s of time before then, and then brings TIMIE like 1/5, 1,6, 1/7 or [10] here.

In summary, to unlock Mental Lock #4 Branch A:

* *Touch Core* on **Iris's Core** (358s)

A possible optimal path for better TIMIE can be:

* *Touch Core* on **Iris's Core** (358s1/5, 1/6, 1/7 or [10])

#### B:Release Iris.

After performing the previous actions, the Pyramid and Mirror Door disappeared, and the only action needed to unlock Mental Lock #4 is to investigate the new **Iris's Core**. Just spend 999s to execute *Destroy Core*.

This exaggerated time makes it difficult for the player to clear the Somnium with time remains, unless the player manages to save about 200s of time before then, and then brings 1/7 or [10] TIMIE here.

In summary, to unlock Mental Lock #4 Branch B:

* *Destroy Core* on **Iris's Core** (999s)

A possible optimal path for better TIMIE can be:

* *Destroy Core* on **Iris's Core** (999s1/7 or [10])

## TIMIE Pools

The following are the pools of TIMIEs that spawn during PSYNCIN' IN THE VaiN. Certain choices in the Somnium will drop a random selection of TIMIE from one of these pools, "**Pool MaiN:1-A Negative**", "**Pool MaiN:1-A Positive**", and "**Pool MaiN:1-B**".

For **Pool MaiN:1-A Negative**, the available TIMIE are split 50% between positive TIMIEs and negative TIMIEs, with the positive ones being 1/2, 1/3, and 1/4 evenly spread. During the first minute, the negative TIMIEs are x3, x4, and x5, spread evenly. In the second and third minutes, the negative TIMIEs are x3 and x4 with a 25% chance each. In the last 3 minutes, the only negative TIMIE available is x3, but with a 50% chance of dropping.

For **Pool Main:1-A Positive**, during the first minute, the only TIMIE that drops is 1/2, in the second and third minute, only 1/2 and 1/3 are available at perfect 50% each, and in the last 3 minutes, the 1/4 TIMIE is added for a 33% chance each.

 TIMIE Value
 Percentage

For **Pool MaiN:1-B**, the odds for the 4 present TIMIEs are balanced with 40%, 30%, 20%, and 10% chance each. In the first 3 minutes, the best TIMIEs have lower odds, running from 1/2 to 1/4. From 3 minutes to 90 seconds, the range of TIMIEs is adjusted to 1/3 to 1/6. In the last 90 seconds, the quality is inversed with the best TIMIEs having the best odds, with the new range being 1/7 to 1/4.

Pool MaiN:1-A Negative and Positive are complimentary to each other. The Negative pool contains a 50% chance of dropping negative TIMIE at all times, but it can be replaced with the Positive pool instead. Pool MaiN:1-B is used less often and provides a more standard set of TIMIEs, providing extra support for the players that go out of their way to obtain them.

## Objects of Interest

The Somnium is made up of one big area, labeled as Golden Yokocho in-game, but as it's constructed in a ShovelForge style. However, a second location is also accessible in the path towards Branch B, labeled as ???, which is simply Golden Yokocho in a realistic form as the world stands corrupted.

ShovelForge Golden Yokocho actually has 3 main areas: the Northern Section, the Middle Section, and the Southern Section. The Somnium begins in the Northern Section, then takes the player to the Southern Section. After that, the gate separating the Southern and Middle Sections are opened, combining the two together. Finally, the player is taken back to the Northern Section for the end of the Somnium.

There are several ***Steps*** that are necessary to clear the Somnium. With each step, a new item or change is applied, and with these additions, the choices you can take on objects change. They are as follows:

* ***Lvl. 1 Pickaxe***
* ***Gold Ingots\****
* ***Disco Ball Materials\****
* ***Lvl. 5 Pickaxe\****
* ***Stone Ingots\****
* For Branch A:
	+ ***Stone Monument***
	+ ***Bloomed Irises***
	+ ***Love Bomb***
	+ ***Love Crater\****
	+ ***UFO Destroyed\****
* For Branch B:
	+ ***THIS MAN Material (PSN/SW/Steam) or GRAY Material (Game Pass)***
	+ ***Lvl. 255 Pickaxe***
	+ ***Wall Broken***
	+ ***Mirror Destroyed***

While the B Route contains less objects to create, in a sense, it actually requires the extra step of traveling to ??? and back again. At **Gold Ingots**, Mental Lock #1 is cleared. At **Lvl. 5 Pickaxe**, Mental Lock #2 is cleared. At both **UFO Destroyed** and **Mirror Destroyed**, Mental Lock #3 is cleared. And with that, the final Mental Lock is available easily at the end. Clearing each ***Step*** resets the TIMIE available for each Monitor throughout the Somnium, of which you can only obtain one TIMIE from all of them per ***Step***.

Additionally, Date and Aiba interact with two versions of Iris Sagan as they appear within the monitors throughout the Somnium. For simplicity, the version of her that is live-streaming ShovelForge is referred to as "A-set" while the version of her that is in danger of NAIXATLOZ is referred to as "Iris."

### Golden Yokocho

Golden Yokocho, in the form of a ShovelForge map. Divided into Northern, Southern, and Middle Sections, the entire street is made up of blocks and shapes from ShovelForge. Crafting objects and causing environmental changes are necessary to progress.

*All of the TIMIEs found within the Somnium are by default labeled as [?]*, obstructing which ones the player can obtain. However, at **Crafting Table A**, choosing "Make Something Else" will *change all the TIMIE in the Somnium to reveal what their hidden TIMIE pieces are*, making it easier to avoid Negative TIMIEs and favor Positive ones.

### ??? (Iris's Real Somnium)

The world named ??? is a realistic interpretation of Golden Yokocho, in contrast to the ShovelForge version above. However, the land is corrupted and distorted in color. There is only one choice available throughout the entire map, although the Hidden Object is hidden here as well.

 Gate

 Aiba enters through the gate, and appears back within ShovelForge's Golden Yokocho. As they reach it, the houses in front of them glitch out and transforms into a pyramid, with a UFO on top. The screen morphs to show mercenaries on-screen, and Iris appears to tell Date that NAIX is close and that she needs help. Aiba decides to help Iris, by breaking her world of delusions and revealing the truth.

## Hidden Object

* The **Hidden Object** is located in ???, the real-world version of Golden Yokocho that can be reached while attempting to reach Branch B of the Somnium. To reach it, arrive at ??? and make your way down the street. About halfway through, just past the car, you should see a wooden shrine on the right side, where the hidden object is placed upon the pedestal.

## Gallery

Layout of Golden Yokocho's Northern SectionMap of the Northern Section, Golden Yokocho, ShovelForge themeThe QTE Event during the diggingLayout of the Golden Yokocho's Southern SectionMap of the Southern Section, Golden YokochoOne of the monitors showing A-set's livestreamThe house where Crafting Table A is locatedAiba's dance with the collected materials ascendingAiba using power of dance against The EliteLayout of the Golden Yokocho's Middle SectionMap of the Middle Section, Golden YokochoOuter look of the shrine and the Crafting Table BInterior look of the shrineOuter look of MarbleInterior look of Marble, with ???The Stone Monument, in Branch AThe Love Bomb, in Branch AAiba dropping in a heart-shaped hole, in Branch AAiba walks through the secret passage, in Branch BLayout of Golden Yokocho, real-world theme, in Branch BDittoDittoMap of the Golden Yokocho, real-world themeThe Northern Section, with a pyramidThe Northern Section, with the pyramid removed
## Trivia

* *ShovelForge* is an in-game parody of the real life video game *Minecraft*. As such, there are several references to the game in this Somnium:
	+ The overall aesthetic of *ShovelForge* is reminiscent of *Minecraft*'s blocky appearance. In particular, Aiba's appearance as a blocky avatar with rectangular limbs and a square head is reminiscent of the playable character of Minecraft.
	+ Aiba uses a pickaxe in order to break and "dig" objects throughout the Somnium, which functions like mining minerals in *Minecraft*. Even the need to button-mash the action command is reminiscent of mining.
	+ The ingots that Aiba collects while "digging" blocks are similar to the ingots that the player obtains from smelting ore, used in crafting equipment, weapons, and items.
	+ Crafting tables are located throughout the level in order to allow Aiba to craft objects using obtained materials, much like how *Minecraft* operates on a crafting system that mostly relies on a special crafting table to combine materials together.
	+ Selecting *Talk* on **???** reveals that the figure inside Marble is a zombie-like monster, which Aiba attacks with her pickaxe in order to defeat it. The zombie is reminiscent of the zombie enemies in *Minecraft*, the most common enemy mobs in the game.
	+ Selecting *Use Love Bomb*on the **Debris** will ultimately result in Aiba falling into a pit of lava and respawning on a yellow bed. This is similar to how death and respawn functions in *Minecraft*, wherein if a player dies they can respawn at the last bed they slept in.
	+ Ironically enough, Aiba states that *ShovelForge* does not contain any shovels, despite *Minecraft* containing shovels in its own game.
* The A-set shown on the monitors is framed and presented in the same style as popular online Let's Players and Streamers. In particular, A-set is placed at a corner of the screen in front of what is seemingly a green screen in order to make a transparent background, and as she faces her own monitor, her portrait is facing into the frame, in the direction of the gameplay on screen. After winning the QTE on the **Vending Machine**, A-set tells her audience to "like, subscribe, and re-towit," a common expression used by Let's Players on YouTube to encourage the audience to interact with their content and follow along in future uploads.
* When selecting *Dig* on the **Vending Machine**, after winning the QTE, a giant eyeball named an "Elite" appears, and Iris warns Date about "Project Blue Beam" coming to kill her. "Project Blue Beam" is the name of a conspiracy theory, in which it is believed that NASA is attempting to implement an Antichrist-based religion as the New World Order, which is similar to NAIXATLOZ affection towards space and demonic figures.
* When selecting *Craft n/a* on **Crafting Table B**, Aiba notes that the creation of "n/a" has changed the "numbers" in the coding, to which Date asks if the numbers changing means the date is August 32nd. This could be a potential reference to the movie *August 32nd on Earth* (French: *Un 32 août sur terre*), a Canadian film from 1998.
* In the original version of *AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES* released on Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Steam, **PSYNCIN' IN THE MaiN: 1** and PSYNCIN' IN THE MaiN: 2 both contain appearances of THIS MAN through your actions in the Somnium. THIS MAN is based on a marketing stunt created in which multiple people allegedly witnessed the face of the same man in their dreams. The dialogue for discovering THIS MAN in MaiN: 2 changes depending on whether you found him in MaiN: 1 or not. Finding him in both instances gives you the achievement "The Dream Wanderer."
	+ THIS MAN also appears in the Somnium PSYNCIN' IN THE CAPTaiN as an image on one of the bottles in the kitchen top. There's no player input that can have the characters notice THIS MAN, and this appearance of him doesn't contribute to getting the achievement.
	+ In the 2021 release of *AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES* for Xbox One and the Microsoft Store, appearances of THIS MAN are removed from both Somnia. Instead, he is replaced with "Gray", a strange alien face. All lines referencing THIS MAN were removed, and the achievement obtained for Gray is renamed "The Dream Invader" instead.
* Selecting *Observe* on **???** will have Date state that the figure is "Futoshi" and mentions another person named Ikuno. This is potentially a reference to the 2018 animated series *DARLING in the FRANXX*, which includes a pair of side characters named Futoshi and Ikuno, which are paired together as pilots by the end of the series. It's unclear at the moment what the reference to "Sri Lanka" Aiba mentions is about.
* When selecting *Dig* on the **Soft Ground**, a Love Bomb appears from the ground.
	+ A-set states that she's going to look up what the item is on "the wiki" for *ShovelForge*, which is a reference to fanmade wiki sites dedicated to specific games and franchises, such as our very own wiki right here. A-set comes back and states that the item is a Love Bomb, while Aiba states that "Love Bombs" don't exist in *ShovelForge*, suggesting that Aiba searched for this information online herself, most likely using the real-world ShovelForge wiki to find her information.
	+ A continuity error exists for the player if they choose this specific option after selecting *Craft Something Else* back on **Crafting Table A**. When Iris states that the Love Bomb is activated by dancing, Aiba will complain, stating "Haven't I danced enough already?" This line of dialogue remains consistent even if the player chooses to not craft the Disco Ball earlier, therefore not making Aiba dance.

## Navigation

Hitomi Sagan • Mayumi Matsushita • Renju Okiura • Mama • Shoko Nadami • So Sejima • Moma Kumakura • Rohan Kumakura • Cyclops Serial Killer

## References

1. ↑ Minecraft Wiki
2. ↑ Project Blue Beam on RationalWiki
3. ↑ August 32nd on Earth on Wikipedia
4. ↑ THIS MAN on Wikipedia
5. ↑ Futoshi and Ikuno in DARLING in the FRANXX Wiki