To whoever capitalized NiGHTS, I hope you don't capitalize a name like this again. Capitalizing NiGHTS like this in an article is pain.
“NiGHTS Into Dreams” was released for the Sega Saturn in 1996, later ported to other platforms. The game was developed by Sonic Team and published by SEGA, who're behind the iconic Sonic the Hedgehog franchise.
I played the Steam version for this review and received it for free from SEGA’s 60th Anniversary Promotion. I also only played the remastered mode.
Feels like a dream
NiGHTS is a bit hard to put in a genre since its gameplay is quite unique. You'll see what I mean shortly.
Each level starts with the protagonists, Elliot or Claris, getting attacked so the enemies can set up four U.F.O.’s.
However, the player shortly takes control of NiGHTS, the main playable character, afterwards.
The game goes from 3D to 2D as NiGHTS floats and flies all over the stages. Each stage has four rounds. The goal of each round is to destroy the U.F.O. with 20 Blue Orbs.
There’s a time limit to manage too, but it resets per round. NiGHTS will lose five seconds and be stunned for a bit (which take up extra seconds) if they're hit by an enemy.
After the fourth round, NiGHTS faces a boss. All the bosses have unique methods of defeating them like launching them to the end of a corridor.
However, all because you’ve destroyed the U.F.O., doesn’t mean you should immediately end the round. That’s a beginner’s trap.
Each round is ranked from F to A. These contribute to the overall rank of the level. All six levels, excluding the final and special levels, require a passing grade of C to access the final level. Going through the course once per round might just net a D rank.
There are plenty of ways to get the points for a C rank or above though.
Eliminating the U.F.O. in a round as soon as possible should be the first step. After its defeat, all points for collectibles are doubled. The less time it takes to defeat it, the bigger the time bonus too.
Using the dash mechanic (J or U key) to collect for a chain combo is effective too. Dashing can also help get to the U.F.O. faster.
However, there is a meter on its usage. To refill it, just get collectibles/go through the rings.
NiGHTS can paraloop, with anything caught in the circle either being collected or damaged. It’s good for getting multiple items at once or for defeating enemies.
NiGHTS can also do tricks with the O and P keys. Pressing both at the same time stops their momentum.
Tricks only earn points when NiGHTS goes through a blue and yellow orb ring, which gives NiGHTS a yellow streamer to indicate they can do tricks. With the yellow streamer, the paraloop circle size increases by a lot.
Doing paraloops and tricks with the yellow streamer can get NiGHTS a ton of points if taken advantage of.
Beating bosses quickly is also good for getting points. If a boss is defeated fast enough, the score could be doubled. Each boss can be beaten quickly with proper strategies.
However, if time runs out during a boss, it’s game over. If time runs out during a level, the round can be completed with Claris or Elliot, but your score is reduced to zero with all collected orbs in the round being dropped.
While they can be picked up again, it'll be hard to recover your score, if you can at all.
There are also sections that provide a forward perspective or top-down perspective, which are visually great and fun. NiGHTS even transforms into a mermaid/merman in the underwater section.
I don’t know how that works, but it’s too cool to question.
Overall, the gameplay is extremely well-designed. The gameplay is unique, fun, challenging, bosses are great, the mechanics are tight, and it’s satisfying to nail. It feels like being in a dream.
My only complaint with the gameplay would be the enemies, simply because they lack presence and are barely a threat. It’s minor though.
The levels also feel like a dream thanks to the visuals and music. The levels are vibrant, imaginative, and have a lot going on, without feeling cluttered. The remastered models also look very nice.
The animations and designs for everything look very nice too. NiGHTS design is especially amazing.
The music is just as amazing, featuring atmospheric and cheerful music that really fits the fantastical levels and bosses. Suburban Museum, Gloom of the NHC, Nights and Reala, and are some of my favourites. There isn’t a single bad track in this game.
You know what the crazy part is? The Suburb Museum and Gloom of the NHC I linked in the previous paragraph, aren’t even the full versions!
Outside of the final level, all the level themes have complete versions that go up to around nine minutes! There’s a good reason why though, the Nightopians and Mepians.
...Okay, let me elaborate.
Nightopians and Mepians are found in levels when hatching their eggs. Depending on their mood, the music could change to a different part. Their mood changes depending on what you do in the stages, like defeating enemies or charging into them.
It's a cool feature and adds good replayability to the levels to hear more of the music. Although, I didn't treat it as a pet simulator despite technically being a good caretaker... Somehow.
This is still an early 3D game though
I wish I could give the same compliments for the full motion video cutscenes though. While they’re not bad, they're stiff, showing their age.
Another thing is that the game can be easy to A rank due to an exploit. With the yellow streamer, when going up to a slanted ceiling, NiGHTS can continuously do tricks quickly until the effect runs out. However, this is only because the trick animations never play.
Essentially, with the right ceiling area, you can rack up 10,000 points in a very short amount of time, which is insane. ...I also may or may not have used this strategy to get most of the A ranks…
Some other technical problems involve the window for the game being small on desktop. It's easy to get used to but might break the experience for some.
There's also an odd glitch with Gillwing, as he seems to have invincibility frames when spawning after being attacked, but they're invisible. Which confused me when first fighting him, I thought I was doing something wrong.
The story is also barebones, but I do like the concept of it and for the time it works.
Elliot loves basketball but worries about being humiliated by older kids. Claris loves singing but is nervous with auditions. In their dreams, with the help of NiGHTS, they overcome their anxieties in real life.
I couldn’t tell you a single thing about their personalities, but this is a cool setup with a satisfying payoff. I mean, they get a confidence boost from defeating a god (Wizeman the Wicked), that's awesome.
Finally, the game is short, only lasting around six hours. Around three if you don’t A rank all the levels. However, given the time it came out and its base price, I can give it a pass.
'Christmas NiGHTS Into Dreams'
Have you ever accidentently celebrated Christmas eight months early? Well, I have thanks to "Christmas NiGHTS Into Dreams."
Yeah, in the holiday of 1996, "Christmas NiGHTS Into Dreams" was released as a sampler for the Sega Saturn. Which is weird, but pretty fitting for "NiGHTS Into Dreams."
In the remaster, beating the story with both characters unlocks "Christmas NiGHTS Into Dreams." It’s just a Christmas version of Claris’s first level, Spring Valley, that both characters can play in with Christmas outfits, but it’s a charming addition.
Elliot has a unique path in his version of the level, so there is a slightly different experience based on who you play as.
The cutscenes even include 2D artwork and voice-acting, which is nice to hear. It’s also hard to knock the Jingle Bells remix.
Completing the game
Getting 100 per cent completion in the game isn’t too difficult, as getting the A ranks is a matter of memorization, reflexes, and exploits persistence.
Interestingly, bosses tend to change when replaying beaten levels. For example, on the level where you'd normally fight Gillwing, I would end up fighting Gulpo.
I don't mind given bosses like Gulpo are easy to finish quickly, which helps with getting A ranks.
To get all the cutscenes, you need to beat the final level three times. For example, if you first beat the level as Elliot, you must then beat it as Claris, then beat it as Elliot again.
The cutscenes for “Christmas NiGHTS Into Dreams” are only unlocked when the Christmas levels with both characters have A ranks.
However, the picture gallery and music player only require playing all the content, not getting A ranks. The picture gallery showcases renders, plushies, and more.
While not necessary to complete the game, on certain days the outfits of the characters will change. For example, if you play normal Spring Valley on April Fool’s Day, NiGHTS will be replaced with Reala, NiGHTS’s rival.
This caught me off guard so hard, but I honestly love it.
Finally, again not necessary for completion, but unique to the remaster are leaderboards to compare your score in each level to other players. This is a great feature and adds good incentive to get better at levels.
Overall (A+)
"NiGHTS Into Dreams" is genuinely amazing. The visuals, animations, music, gameplay, creativity, charm, and more make it an extremely enjoyable experience. The only thing that holds it back is its age in some areas.
However, this is a well-executed game that I easily recommend for its base price or when it goes on sale for $1.31CDN. Or… You can grab it for free by registering for SEGA’s 60th Anniversary Website.
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