Nights- Review

On August 21, 1996, American Saturn owners everywhere were blessed with the latest title from Sega Company Ltd., NiGHTS: Into Dreams. This game is the first attempt to really show off Saturn's capabilities, and it shows. Designed by the second biggest name among video game programmers, Nights is really something to get excited about.

The player's first experience is satisfying from the very beginning, starting right off with the dramatic Sonic Team logo. From there one skips the demos, fires up a new game, and chooses from one of two levels. When the level begins, one will almost immediately become Nights, as he is intentionally placed not far away. This is where the new analog control is first experienced. Although it may seem strange at first, it takes almost no time to get used to. My only advice is that, although you are flying, up is up and down is down. My first intention was to control in reverse, being accustomed to the usual flight simulator. I was afraid this might be a problem, but since the view is from the side and not behind, it just took the realization before I was having the best flying experience video games can provide. (Another thing for first-timers: Don't be disappointed if every time you complete a course you are rewarded with an abysmal D, E, or F. The first level wasn't designed so you could soar through with an easy high score; that would take away from Nights' overall replay value. Just enjoy the ride, confident that you will get better.)

The similarity in Nights to Sonic the Hedgehog can be felt in the colorful graphics and sound, but more importantly, in the emphasis on speed. Always remember to destroy the Ideya Capture as fast as you can, kill the Nightmaren as fast as you can, and for God's sake, don't let your precious time as Nights run out. Do so and you'll fall to ground as either Claris or Elliot (spilling blue chips as fast a Sonic spills rings) and your score will plummet all the way down to zero. Even then you can't consider yourself safe as the Alarm Egg will hunt you down and wake you up; that's right: get back to Nights as fast as you can!

Of course, I'm well aware that Nights will be compared much more to Super Mario 64 than it will to Sonic. Therefore, I would like to point out two aspects of Nights that are downright superior to Miyamoto's masterpiece:

Story:

If there is one thing that Mario always fails to deliver, it's plot. Stain glass window or not, it is still as it always has been: Save Princess Toadstool from Bowser, king of the Koopa. Nights gives the player much more. As you probably already know, two teenagers (who have both suffered from very bad days) meet during sleep, right after each dreams of the day's failure. They find out that their greatest challenge is just about to begin, saving Nightopia, the world of dreams, from the clutches of evil! It is in this fantasy that they become heroes, unleash their true courage, and fall in love. Although I found it ironic that they both reside in the same city of Twin Seeds, the story alone, illustrated by the game's impressive introduction, is enough to get anyone in a playing mood.

Music:

Although this really falls into a "CD vs. Cart" argument, it applies here, too. First off, Nights has a dynamite soundtrack. However, one thing Mario'll never do on his 64-bit system is sing like Elliot and Claris. Put Nights into your CD player and check out track 21 to hear what I mean. Whatever your musical preference, the theme song is certainly relevant to the story and good fun to listen to. This quality music just isn't feasible on a cart.

In conclusion, I'd like to say I have no qualms with the game; it was more than worth purchasing. My only problem is with the instruction manual. Although control is very simple throughout, the manual does a poor job of explaining how to play. This is a problem since there's never been anything quite like Nights before. It hardly describes the "paraloop," which is an essential skill for completing the game (and just so you know, a paraloop is guiding Nights in a circle so he touches the stream of stars which trail behind him). Even after getting a handle on the controls, a little bit of strategic guidance would have been appreciated.

Instruction manual aside, you won't regret putting up cash for the game and a new 3D pad. You will dream about Nights, if not when sleeping, than at least while doing anything other than playing it.