NiGHTS Into Dreams

The Game

The goal of each level is to capture 20 blue chips to overload the Ideya capture and take back the orb it holds. After playing through four routes, NiGHTS is transported to meet and defeat another Nightmaren.

The unique features of this game centre on NiGHTS' flying sequences. Movement is natural and fluid; multiple moves can be freeformly played and linked and all with such a simple control mechanic. The game came bundled with an analogue joypad, one of the first on any home console.

Aside from the immediate game mission, there are the complex and involving artificial lifeforms called Nightopians (dream-dwellers) and their genetically modified counterparts, the Mepians. The game featured an evolving music engine, allowing tempo and pitch to change depending on the happiness or other moods of these creatures. Although if judged only by the main adventure it is a rather short title, significant long-term appeal comes from its refined high score system (similar to those of the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater or Crazy Taxi franchises, in that it relies on fast movement and long chains of "combos" in order to build up points).

Christmas NiGHTS was a one level stand-alone "expansion pack" of NiGHTS that was released in December 1996. In Japan, it was part of a Christmas Saturn bundle. It was elsewhere given away with the purchase of select Saturn games such as Daytona CCE, and was later bundled in with an issue of Sega Saturn Magazine. The CDs given away on the front cover of Sega Saturn Magazine were missing the card slip case in which to keep the disc, and were instead supplied with a transparent plastic one. The game was also available for rent at Blockbuster Video locations in America. In the UK, Christmas NiGHTS was not included with the official Sega Saturn Magazine until December 1997.

Christmas NiGHTS was a demo of the game's Spring Valley level, but with Christmas-themed graphics, music, and other features. Unlike the original, it was now playable as Elliot as well as Claris, although this was a mirror-image version of the stage. The game used the Saturn's internal date clock to change elements of the game according to the season, adjusting it for Christmas and New Year periods with different graphics and music. There were several other unlockable extras, allowing the player to experiment with the game's music mixer or its A-Life system, or even to play the demo as Sega's mascot Sonic the Hedgehog.

A sequel was planned, and supposedly used a tilt sensor in the analogue pad. Development of this was discontinued (apparently due to quality issues). Another sequel (for the Sega Dreamcast) was discussed, using a motion-sensing wand as a controller, but this was also discontinued. However, it has been suggested that the technology for this title (which had the working title Air NiGHTS) would have been similar to that of Samba De Amigo, and Air NiGHTS may even have been a extremely early version of that game. It is said that Yuji Naka refuses to release a sequel because he cannot improve the game any further other than a graphical update. This is supported by a February 2005 interview, in which he expressed that a NiGHTS sequel would have to be of perfect quality.

Although there have been no new NiGHTS games, the character can be seen in cameo appearances in more recent Sonic Team titles (such as Sonic Adventure 2), and references to the game were made in Burning Rangers. There is also a bonus NiGHTS game in the Nintendo GameCube version of Phantasy Star Online that can be downloaded to the Game Boy Advance. There are also NiGHTS-themed pinball levels in both Sonic Adventure and Sonic Pinball Party. NiGHTS' most recent cameo appearance is in the form of a minigame in the PlayStation 2 game Sega Superstars, which makes use of that console's Eye Toy peripheral.

NiGHTS Into Dreams is now considered by many to be one of the greatest games ever created, although at the time of its release it failed to find the mass commercial appeal of Super Mario 64, which was launched around the same time. Most reviews in dedicated Saturn magazines praised the game, but those of some multi-format web sites and magazines were more critical.

External links

• The NiGHTS page of The Green Hill Zone, a general Sonic Team fan site.
• The Christmas NiGHTS page of The Green Hill Zone.
• The NiGHTS section of GameFAQs
• Versus Mode, a site allowing high score competition.