In a Dream I can see NiGHTS close by! Reviewing the Sega Saturn game
http://www.rarityguide.com/articles/articles/62/1/In-a-Dream-I-can-see-NiGHTS-close-by-Reviewing-the-Sega-Saturn-game/Page1.html
By Douglas Shepard (Editor in Chief, RarityGuide.com)
Published on 01/4/2009
The overlooked and under rated game NiGHTS: Into Dreams for the Sega Saturn. Fly off to adventure!
System: Sega Saturn
Title: NiGHTS Into Dreams
Publisher: Sega
Circa: 1996
Overall Rating:
Intro
“Fly fluid and free in real-time 3D” and “Fly plaything, fly”, now I have no idea how long ago I watched those commercials. NiGHTS Into Dreams was a game I, at first didn’t think much about (or the Saturn for that matter). Then, life brought someone into my life who really liked that game and wanted to play it. Being who I am, plus we were dating, I tracked down and brought her a Saturn, Nights and later Christmas Nights. Later though, I got my own and grabbed Nights for myself. It was a game that swept me away. While much later on, it was a game to remember. It was also the time when the present design of controllers first appeared, just as a point of interest.
Story
When you sleep, sometimes dreams seem more real: lucid dreams. What if there were worlds just for dreams: Nightopia and Nightmare. In these works aspects of peoples’ personalities manifest as commonly as 4 “Ideya”: Yellow Hope, Green Wisdom, Blue Intelligence, and White Purity. A rare 5th type exist: Red Courage, but it is the most tied to the person as nothing can separate it from the dreamer. Wizeman the Wicked, ruler of Nightmare begins to collect “Ideya” to expand his control over to the realm of Nightopia and eventually into the waking world. He creates NiGHTS and Reala to aid him in his collection. NiGHTS rebels against his creator and is sealed away in an Ideya Cage…
Elliot loves basketball and is the best of all his friends in Twin Seeds. One day, playing a game with his friends some older kids come and simply beat down on Elliot, skill wise, on the court. That night Elliot has a nightmare about the days events and runs accidently into the world of Nightopia…
Claire is a talented young singer. She goes to audition for the coming celebration in Twin Seeds but winds up petrified on stage and can’t perform. She has a nightmare about the day’s events, and like Elliot manages to find her way into Nightopia.
Both these children possess the rare Courage Ideya. Each manages to find NiGHTS, who tells them about Wizeman’s plans. Each, individual, agrees to help NiGHTS in his struggle to set things to right, returning the stolen Ideya to the people of the world and to restore peace in the world.
Gameplay
Nights is about two things: Flying and speed. Each of the levels, Nights, have 4 courses, Mares, which the player needs change into NiGHTS, and within the time limit collect 20 Blue Chips, break the Ideya Cage, collecting the Ideya, and press on. At the end of each Night is a boss which you’ll need to progress. If the timer runs out, the child separates from NiGHTS, who is imprisoned again. Also, the Alarm Clock takes to pursuing you to wake you up. In order to move onto the next dream you will need to get a grade of “C” or better. Both Claire and Elliot have their own stages, but the final stage is shared by both of them.
While flying as NiGHTS, not only do you gain the ability to dash, which you can use to slam into enemies and destroy some obstacles, but you also get the powerful paraloop. As NiGHTS flies, he leaves behind a short stream of stars. By looping back over this stream you perform a paraloop. This maneuver has 2 functions:
1) It allows you to quickly and safely dispatch some enemies by catching them in one
2) It allows you to quickly collect larger amounts of chips and stars, sometimes revealing hidden items.
After collecting the 20 chips and collecting the Ideya, you move into bonus time which doubles the scoring you get from linking and bonus activities. Linking is when you are passing through loops and collecting Chips in quick succession. The more links, the more it boosts your score. Better scores make for better grades. With some experience in play, this makes it easier to improve grades on various dreams later in the game. Getting all “A’s” does have a nice little reward in the ending credits.
This game also contains the beginnings of what Sonic Team would develop into the Chao with the Nightopians’ A-Life system. With some luck (or a good bit of aiming), you can fuse a Nightmarean and a Nightopian together forming something new. While strictly cosmetic, the impact of the Nightopians can’t be ignored. Over time, as you play the game, their mood affects the music played in the stage, changing based on how they feel regarding NiGHTS(more on that in the Music and Sound Effects section).
Multiplayer
It exists, just takes some unlocking time, needing to face and beat Reala. Not much to it as it is just you and a friend fighting in the air Nights style, trying to catch one another in paraloops. It keeps track of who’s won the most.
Controls
Strictly using the default Saturn controller worked very well. The D-pad works well to control the kids (for the short times you’re actually walking) and Nights. Still, using the D-pad wears down your thumb and even a seasoned gamer like me can only handle so much for it. Sega made a controller specifically for NiGHTS, with a thumb stick, and using that makes a huge difference in how you control NiGHTS.
The shoulder buttons are used in combination with the directional controls to get NiGHTS to execute specific stunts.
A, B, C, X, Y, Z: Dash
Graphics
While NiGHTS flies on a track in a 3D environment, it’s not hard to appreciate the graphics the game pulled off at that time. The game is very beautiful for its time and manages some very impressive things. Through all my time playing I’ve never once had the game slow or lag on me (for the older generation that was a large concern) regardless of what I was doing in the game. While you are on that track though, it’s easy to see the immediate area clearly and glimpse over the Mare as you transverse it as well as some of the other mares in the dream. NiGHTS, Claire and Elliot are all well rendered for the time, if somewhat blocky by modern standards.
Sound Effects & Music
This is one of the areas this game is fairly renowned for and one of my personal favorites. The title music is very popular for remixing and has been featured in various Sonic Team games. The vocal track “Into Dreams”, the ending credits song, again is a very recognizable track and has seen a bit of remixing. The game itself has 2 versions of the song in it. How to get them … well, it’s all in the grades (even if I wish it was the other way around).
In the area of sound effects, this game manages well. Nothing in the game grates, in fact, it all blends beautifully into the environments and game play. I’m quite fond actually of the Nightopians playing their flutes as I fly through the courses.
Now I come to the most intriguing feature of the music in the game, the effects of the A-Life system. As the Nightopians come to like or dislike NiGHTS, the background music begins to change and reflect this. The game itself remixes its music making for an even more unique experience, allowing it to evolve over the course of repeated play-throughs in the various Dreams.
Obscurity
This game recently saw a sequel, making for somewhat increased standing here, but it does remain a moderately to decently obscure game.
Summary/Author’s Take
This game is decidedly deserving of more credit than it received in its time. Unfortunately it was overshadowed by the N64 and Playstation titles. Sega didn’t get much a break in this portion of their consoles. While it took me a good while to find and play this game myself it’s one of the few where I don’t mind losing my save file. What it means is good incentive to play and beat the game again. I don’t have the 3D controller for it, but I will get it one day. If nothing else, track down and listen to some of the music in this game, it really is delightful. Sometimes it seems like this game itself is a dream because of everything it can do, but then I go and grab the c.d. and load into my Saturn. Never tell you haven’t played this game because I will make you sit down and play it some or make you listen to some of the music.
Title: NiGHTS Into Dreams
Publisher: Sega
Circa: 1996
Overall Rating:
Intro
“Fly fluid and free in real-time 3D” and “Fly plaything, fly”, now I have no idea how long ago I watched those commercials. NiGHTS Into Dreams was a game I, at first didn’t think much about (or the Saturn for that matter). Then, life brought someone into my life who really liked that game and wanted to play it. Being who I am, plus we were dating, I tracked down and brought her a Saturn, Nights and later Christmas Nights. Later though, I got my own and grabbed Nights for myself. It was a game that swept me away. While much later on, it was a game to remember. It was also the time when the present design of controllers first appeared, just as a point of interest.
Story
When you sleep, sometimes dreams seem more real: lucid dreams. What if there were worlds just for dreams: Nightopia and Nightmare. In these works aspects of peoples’ personalities manifest as commonly as 4 “Ideya”: Yellow Hope, Green Wisdom, Blue Intelligence, and White Purity. A rare 5th type exist: Red Courage, but it is the most tied to the person as nothing can separate it from the dreamer. Wizeman the Wicked, ruler of Nightmare begins to collect “Ideya” to expand his control over to the realm of Nightopia and eventually into the waking world. He creates NiGHTS and Reala to aid him in his collection. NiGHTS rebels against his creator and is sealed away in an Ideya Cage…
Elliot loves basketball and is the best of all his friends in Twin Seeds. One day, playing a game with his friends some older kids come and simply beat down on Elliot, skill wise, on the court. That night Elliot has a nightmare about the days events and runs accidently into the world of Nightopia…
Claire is a talented young singer. She goes to audition for the coming celebration in Twin Seeds but winds up petrified on stage and can’t perform. She has a nightmare about the day’s events, and like Elliot manages to find her way into Nightopia.
Both these children possess the rare Courage Ideya. Each manages to find NiGHTS, who tells them about Wizeman’s plans. Each, individual, agrees to help NiGHTS in his struggle to set things to right, returning the stolen Ideya to the people of the world and to restore peace in the world.
Gameplay
Nights is about two things: Flying and speed. Each of the levels, Nights, have 4 courses, Mares, which the player needs change into NiGHTS, and within the time limit collect 20 Blue Chips, break the Ideya Cage, collecting the Ideya, and press on. At the end of each Night is a boss which you’ll need to progress. If the timer runs out, the child separates from NiGHTS, who is imprisoned again. Also, the Alarm Clock takes to pursuing you to wake you up. In order to move onto the next dream you will need to get a grade of “C” or better. Both Claire and Elliot have their own stages, but the final stage is shared by both of them.
While flying as NiGHTS, not only do you gain the ability to dash, which you can use to slam into enemies and destroy some obstacles, but you also get the powerful paraloop. As NiGHTS flies, he leaves behind a short stream of stars. By looping back over this stream you perform a paraloop. This maneuver has 2 functions:
1) It allows you to quickly and safely dispatch some enemies by catching them in one
2) It allows you to quickly collect larger amounts of chips and stars, sometimes revealing hidden items.
After collecting the 20 chips and collecting the Ideya, you move into bonus time which doubles the scoring you get from linking and bonus activities. Linking is when you are passing through loops and collecting Chips in quick succession. The more links, the more it boosts your score. Better scores make for better grades. With some experience in play, this makes it easier to improve grades on various dreams later in the game. Getting all “A’s” does have a nice little reward in the ending credits.
This game also contains the beginnings of what Sonic Team would develop into the Chao with the Nightopians’ A-Life system. With some luck (or a good bit of aiming), you can fuse a Nightmarean and a Nightopian together forming something new. While strictly cosmetic, the impact of the Nightopians can’t be ignored. Over time, as you play the game, their mood affects the music played in the stage, changing based on how they feel regarding NiGHTS(more on that in the Music and Sound Effects section).
Multiplayer
It exists, just takes some unlocking time, needing to face and beat Reala. Not much to it as it is just you and a friend fighting in the air Nights style, trying to catch one another in paraloops. It keeps track of who’s won the most.
Controls
Strictly using the default Saturn controller worked very well. The D-pad works well to control the kids (for the short times you’re actually walking) and Nights. Still, using the D-pad wears down your thumb and even a seasoned gamer like me can only handle so much for it. Sega made a controller specifically for NiGHTS, with a thumb stick, and using that makes a huge difference in how you control NiGHTS.
The shoulder buttons are used in combination with the directional controls to get NiGHTS to execute specific stunts.
A, B, C, X, Y, Z: Dash
Graphics
While NiGHTS flies on a track in a 3D environment, it’s not hard to appreciate the graphics the game pulled off at that time. The game is very beautiful for its time and manages some very impressive things. Through all my time playing I’ve never once had the game slow or lag on me (for the older generation that was a large concern) regardless of what I was doing in the game. While you are on that track though, it’s easy to see the immediate area clearly and glimpse over the Mare as you transverse it as well as some of the other mares in the dream. NiGHTS, Claire and Elliot are all well rendered for the time, if somewhat blocky by modern standards.
Sound Effects & Music
This is one of the areas this game is fairly renowned for and one of my personal favorites. The title music is very popular for remixing and has been featured in various Sonic Team games. The vocal track “Into Dreams”, the ending credits song, again is a very recognizable track and has seen a bit of remixing. The game itself has 2 versions of the song in it. How to get them … well, it’s all in the grades (even if I wish it was the other way around).
In the area of sound effects, this game manages well. Nothing in the game grates, in fact, it all blends beautifully into the environments and game play. I’m quite fond actually of the Nightopians playing their flutes as I fly through the courses.
Now I come to the most intriguing feature of the music in the game, the effects of the A-Life system. As the Nightopians come to like or dislike NiGHTS, the background music begins to change and reflect this. The game itself remixes its music making for an even more unique experience, allowing it to evolve over the course of repeated play-throughs in the various Dreams.
Obscurity
This game recently saw a sequel, making for somewhat increased standing here, but it does remain a moderately to decently obscure game.
Summary/Author’s Take
This game is decidedly deserving of more credit than it received in its time. Unfortunately it was overshadowed by the N64 and Playstation titles. Sega didn’t get much a break in this portion of their consoles. While it took me a good while to find and play this game myself it’s one of the few where I don’t mind losing my save file. What it means is good incentive to play and beat the game again. I don’t have the 3D controller for it, but I will get it one day. If nothing else, track down and listen to some of the music in this game, it really is delightful. Sometimes it seems like this game itself is a dream because of everything it can do, but then I go and grab the c.d. and load into my Saturn. Never tell you haven’t played this game because I will make you sit down and play it some or make you listen to some of the music.
|
Story |
|
NiGHTS, Claire, Elliot all with story. |
|
Gameplay |
|
Flying is wonderful in dreams. |
|
Multiplayer |
|
NiGHTS vs. Reala. |
|
Controls |
|
Intuitive and creative. |
|
Graphics |
|
Lovely. |
|
SFX and Music |
|
“In a dream I can see you are not far away …” |
|
Obscurity |
|
Nights? I think I heard about it. |
|
Overall |
|
Overlooked and under rated. |
