Nights Into Dreams... (1996)

3.5 stars

It feels weird calling this an underrated gem as it was definitely popular when it came out. However, over time, other titles from that year have overshadowed Nights into Dreams.

I'm being a bit cheeky in the title of this review, but I'm actually serious. It feels like this game was the basis for later 3D Sonic games, with emphasis on going fast, doing tricks, and the camera focusing on your character while you dash towards a boss.

How about the game itself instead of its influence? The music in this game is incredible and atmospheric. The plot is basic enough, but has lots of room for additional lore and I loved the worldbuilding. One of my least favorite things in video games is a time limit, but the time limit makes perfect sense in this game as waking up would prematurely end your adventure in the dream world.

There are two main characters in this game. The only difference are their motivations and they actually do have different levels (Elliott's levels and bosses seemed more challenging to me).

My complaints are simply the nature of 2.5D games - it's often unclear where I can and can't fly which can lead to some frustrations. Most of the bosses are fine, but it can be difficult to carefully position yourself places for some of the strategies. Requiring a "C" rank on the levels to unlock the final level wasn't too cruel, and the saving system is generous. This is a short game, but I think more levels would have made the game overstay its welcome.

While there were definitely better games around at this point in time, Nights into Dreams is unique and it deserves praise for that alone. You'll be flying through levels collecting blue gems, doing tricks, and getting combos for points to advance forward.

Now that Like a Dragon: Ishin (it's so hard not to call it Yakuza) is almost here, I don't want to start any longer games before that. Thus, I got the itch to complete some shorter games, and so I dived into some retro stuff on Xbox. And NiGHTS very much is a shorter retro game available on Xbox.

I just really like NiGHTS. I feel it's from a time when all kinds of weird niche games still managed to be treated as big releases and "killer apps" for consoles. And NiGHTS is very weird. There aren't many mostly-sidescrolling-but-not-always score attack games about a jester-like character that helps kids overcome their insecurities by gathering orbs in their dreams. Oh yeah, and throw in some dynamic soundtrack that changes based on how you treat arbitrary characters in the game world. And make a system that lets you pair and breed those NPC characters for some weird hybrids. Sonic Team in general just used to make games about the weirdest stuff: hedgehog with running shoes, a boy in a chicken suit rolling huge eggs, a samba carnival monkey...

NiGHTS is clearly a game that's not for everyone. The game works on a logic that is just bizarre and the arcade-inspired score attack gameplay with only a handful of levels makes it seem that the game is very light on content. But for me, the game just oozes weird charm, is fun to play and has one of the best soundtracks I've come across.

I was born right around when this game came out, so I am not someone with a ton of childhood experience playing early 3D games. They are generally quite primitive-feeling and rough to go back to, but this was one of the exceptions that I found to be enjoyable in today’s context.

One reason I think this game holds up is that it kept inputs simple and limited. During normal gameplay, the game functions almost as a side-scroller, with free-flowing flying movement on 2 axes, but still with turns along the other axis and occasional alternate angles like a winding rollercoaster or downhill sledding. You still end up exploring the entire 3D space, but in a way that is more suitable to a game about collecting items than a more precise, awkwardness-prone flight system like you may see in StarFox 64.

The game rewards tight and stylish play through its ranking system that makes the game as much about doing cool loop-de-loops and precise dashes, making use of the entire play area, as it is about just completing the core objective. Boss fights take these barebones core movement mechanics and apply them to unique, creative combat scenarios that are challenging and neat to figure out.

The other reason the game was worthwhile is the presentation, with great music, colorful levels with diverse settings, and standout character and boss designs. Above all, the game has a surreal feeling befitting its “into dreams” concept. The lightweight, almost floaty gameplay, the craziness of the bosses, and the vibrancy of the visuals all feed very well into this dream/nightmare concept and make it feel like a cohesive product.

This is a totally enjoyable, quirky game that offers a surreal vibe and gameplay experience not quite like anything else I’ve played. Sega’s 90’s library has been very hit or miss for me, but thanks to standout games I played this year like this, Gunstar Heroes, Shinobi III, and Panzer Dragoon, I have definitely gained an appreciation for some of the interesting stuff they were doing back then.

I'm a huge Sonic fan (my favorites being Sonic Adventure and Sonic 3 & Knuckles), but my family never owned a Saturn. I remember seeing the strange ads for NiGHTS and even reading the Archie comic book adaptation.

When I saw the sale price on Steam this week (only $1.99), I decided it was time to put that childhood curiosity to rest and play the darn thing.

Having beaten the game (and the Christmas NiGHTS bonus), here's my takeaway: NiGHTS hasn't aged too well.

It certainly has its moments. The look of the game is still pretty great... the combination of dreamscapes and circus imagery is surprisingly successful. The visuals have a way of sticking with you. And the boss fights, while pretty inscrutable initially, are fun once you get the hang of them. NiGHTS controls pretty well, and flying around these unique worlds feels fun, at least for a while.

I often hear NiGHTS praised for what it accomplished at the time. It's certainly aged better than many other 32-bit titles, and in the context of the Saturn I can see how it would have been a breakout title.

But NiGHTS was released stateside in August of 1996. A month later, the world would experience Super Mario 64 and Crash Bandicoot. In that context, it's easy to see why NiGHTS failed to secure a North American audience for the Saturn. NiGHTS has seven levels (one repeated for both characters); Mario 64 has eight, plus a massive overworld; Crash has over two dozen. NiGHTS is a game where you fly left and right (occasionally doing a "paraloop" or "drill dash") while collecting circles; Mario and Crash offered a more three-dimensional world with much more variety by comparison.

It also doesn't help that NiGHTS can't decide if it wants to be a casual or difficult title. The game's simplicity could be forgiven if it allowed you to "chill out," enjoying the aesthetic and drinking in its world. But doing so will only get you to the boss, which you'll receive one chance to beat, and only skill and precision will yield a score high enough to unlock the final level (which is significant when there are only seven). It took me ~ 90 minutes to beat the six core levels, but another 3.5 hours to beat the full game. 70% of total gameplay time to unlock 14% of the game's content is the very definition of padded playtime and uneven pacing.

NiGHTS isn't a bad game, but it is a transitional one. If you played it back in the day, or if you're curious about the history of Sega or Sonic Team, I'd recommend it, especially at its current low price. In lieu of that, you may be disappointed.