NiGHTS: Into Dreams
(c) 1996.
Version reviewed for
Sega Saturn

developed by Sonic Team

published by Sega

From left to right... Nights, Claris and Elliot. Elliot, if you're sick of getting beat up at school then lose the blue hair, kid.

This scene doesn't actually appear in the game, but what the hell. It's beautiful.

Should time expire you will wander along the world in an attempt to finish the level as Claris or Elliot.

Nights was the greatest game created for the Sega Saturn. It was also one of the most important games for the system. The populace was starved for a true 32-bit Sonic game. In retrospect, releasing the Saturn so soon after the Genesis' 32X was questionable. Releasing it without a strong title from their mascot character was laughable. Nights is nothing like Sonic, yet is somewhat of a conceptual sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog. Nights can be looked upon as a sort of test covering the lessons Yu Suzuki taught us in his Sonic games. 

The same populace that selected VHS over Beta and Iomega over SyQuest made its decision -- Crash over Nights. The fact that an irritating derivative "bandicoot" is still floating around in continually shallow sequels while Suzuki's treasure has been almost forgotten is one of the true travesties of this hobby. Nights didn't save the Saturn commercially, although its existence makes the Saturn a must-buy for any true gamer two years after its release. Where Nights succeeds is its commitment to style and playfulness with convention. In order to proceed through the game the player must complete the levels effectively, and look great while doing so. While Sonic was criticized for style over substance, Nights embraces these idiotic claims and incorporates it into gameplay. The analog controller that the game comes with -- and there really is no other way to play it -- is possibly the best computer-input device ever constructed. It is perfect for controlling the game's character, providing subtle power that is always earned. A skilled Nights player can make the character dance with the precision of a  magician engaging in sleight-of-hand.

Level design is inspired. It constructs a polygonal 3D world not normally seen with the Saturn. Occasionally some extreme pop up or breakthrough will occur -- not enough to destroy the suspension of disbelief and certainly not enough to ruin the experience. The game's music could only be taken seriously in a video game but it works within the context of this medium.   

Where Nights achieves its magic is in the context of player conditioning. A mantra for good video game design is to "never take control out of the player's hands. Doing so will only serve to irritate." Suzuki's touch of genius is not in breaking this rule, but rather, by using it to his advantage. There is a scene in Nights where the character will bounce off three barriers and be propelled at breakneck speed through a section of the level. The numerous bad games that have preceded Nights has construed upon all players the belief that in order to obtain the goals of a game you must always keep moving and never trust any position you are placed by the programmers. The "gems" the character needs to pick up are laid precisely in a pattern that should the player succumb to his temptation of moving, every one shall be missed. If the player trusts Suzuki and the Sonic team and flows along the natural path of flight, it then becomes extremely simple to collect them all. It's almost shocking the first time experienced -- but Sonic the Hedgehog introduced us to this trust.   (While Sonic would be going at speeds previously unmatched, the level design was such that it was impossible to be "set up" by the programmers for failure, and should the player demand to make a bizarre movement Sonic still wouldn't be killed by an enemy if he had a few rings.) Nights really is a "exam" for the lessons taught in Sonic the Hedgehog. (As a side effect, it also follows that the fewer number of bad games the player has played, the less pleasure this aspect of Nights will provide. Nights therefore becomes more rewarding the more game experience possessed by its player). This subtle, but important touch provides the soul for this game that many 32-bit titles lack.

Nights strongly elicits an emotional response from its player in the form of its end-level "bosses." The most striking is the enemy at the end of the third level -- all the character must do is accelerate through him a few times and the boss will be defeated. The boss, however, hurls razor-sharp cards at Nights which seem to be placed in spots predicted from the player's previous moves. To beat this boss, the player must clear all thought -- going in with an attack plan is futile, the AI in this spot is very good. Adding to the attack is the boss's jeering and taunting. Finally defeating this enemy is one of the most satisfying accomplishments in entertainment software. Classic games affect its player's emotions, and Nights possesses this ability throughout.

SUMMARY: A+. Though short, NiGHTS provides a clever and compelling journey through an approachable and satisfying flight model.

--Robb Sherwin

6/6/98