Nights Into Dreams...
Sega Saturn
Nostalgia Factor:
For better or for worse, I was a Sega fanboy growing up. I had a Genesis as a kid, which I absolutely loved, and at the end of the 16-bit era when I had my pick of whether or not I wanted a PlayStation, Saturn, or Nintendo 64, I picked a Saturn. Can you guess how that worked out for me?
Starved for great games, I was very excited when I first heard about Nights Into Dreams. I think it was kind of expected that Sega would release some kind of mind blowing Sonic game to rival Super Mario 64. But that never happened. What were they thinking, allowing their flagship character to go dormant on their struggling next generation system? We will never know. And no, Sonic 3D Blast and Sonic R do not count as serious efforts. Nights Into Dreams was the closest thing we were going to get.
I will admit that back when Nights came out I was initially disappointed with this game. I expected it to be the next Mario 64, and it was definitely not. I also beat the game on the very first day I had it. I thought it was a big waste of allowance money.
The game has grown on me, however. And it stands today as one of my favorite Saturn games of all time.
Story:
The story is secondary in this game. At least I think it is. I don't know, I've been playing this game for 26 years now and I still don't know what the hell is going on. There is no spoken dialogue of any kind, nor is there ever any type of explanation as to what is happening. There are some animated cutscenes that don't really tie into the gameplay, and due to this game's dream based nature what is actually happening is very much up to interpretation.
Gameplay:
You can explore each stage on foot, but there really isn't much to do on foot. All you can do is run around, collecting trinkets that offer no help to you whatsoever in the game, while a giant alarm clock chases you down. I think my initial letdown with the game was that I was expecting Mario 64. This game is nothing like that. The open area worlds are an afterthought. You could beat the whole game without once even checking out your surroundings on foot.
The real action takes place in the sky. Each stage starts out with your character getting some kind of energy globes stolen. To get them back, you run over to a little pavilion which is like five feet from your starting point and transform into Nights. Nights is a flying court jester-like creature who apparently is some kind of big deal in dream world.
Once you hit the skies as Nights, the real game begins. As I mentioned earlier, the genre of this game is hard to pinpoint. Each stage has four sections that you must fly through, collecting items and snagging your stolen globes, returning them to the pavilion at the beginning of the stage. But the twist is that once you take to the skies, the game becomes side scrolling and "track" based, meaning you don't have freedom to fly anywhere and everywhere you want in the stage. You have to follow a predetermined course, which is a looped in area where you can collect items. If you continue along the path, you show up at the beginning of the area again. To get higher scores, it is actually beneficial to keep flying around the loop, collecting as many globes and items as possible before you have to move on to the next loop in the stage.
All of this is done while you are up against the clock. If you run out of time, you go crashing to the surface and you have to collect 20 globes before being able to take to the air again. This is really the only time you explore the surface. And if you are a halfway decent player, you will pretty much never run out of time and have to explore the ground area once in the game. The only stage that ever gave me troubles was the desert stage, due to its length.
At the end of each stage is a specific boss you have to take down before you have officially beaten the level and can move on in the game. The bosses are a varied and unique set of characters - ranging from a giant fish to a bouncing fat woman to a big striped dragon.
This game is very, very easy. It can be completed in the span of just a few hours if you have never played it before. Each character has four stages, and each stage takes fewer than ten minutes to complete. The more thorough you are and the more items you collect, the longer they will take. One thing I like about the game is the unique strategy you must employ to get high scores and finish off the bosses in a timely fashion. Despite how quickly it can be beaten, there is a lot of replay value here. I spent hours and hours perfecting my tactics until I could basically master this game in my sleep.
Graphics:
The graphics are no Super Mario 64, and really highlight the flaws and limited abilities of the Sega Saturn. Pixels and draw-in rule the roost. Things can look flat out messy if you peer too closely at them.
If you can get past the surface flaws, this is actually not a bad looking game. The dream worlds are vibrant in color. Everywhere you look, the game is bursting with life and excitement. The bosses and the stage designs are just so imaginative. I would even go so far as to call this a gorgeous game if it wasn't so rough around the edges.
Sound:
The music may be the best thing about Nights into Dreams. The soundtrack is absolutely amazing and has several tracks on it that are on my video game music playlist. Seriously, if you like video game music look up Paternal Horn and Suburban Museum on YouTube ASAP. They are brilliant.
In general, this game just sounds really amazing. Everything from the sound effects to the music really bring the world of this game to life, and add so much joy to everything happening onscreen. This game and Xenogears are right up there for my favorite video game soundtracks of all time.
Overall:
I would be completely remiss if I failed to mention Christmas Nights. This is a special disc that was shipped to Saturn owners who registered their systems with Sega. Think of it as DLC before DLC was ever possible. This disc is only two stages of the game, redone with Christmas makeovers. But it is just so damn fun and festive. There are also a lot of mini games and unlockables. Not much, but you could change your characters to look like Sonic, and that was a lot of fun. It gave me a glimpse as to what could have been if a decent 3D Sonic game has ever been released for the Saturn.
So yes, great game. Sure, it's easy. And no, the game was not what I was hoping for or expecting when it first came out. But you have to look at the whole package. Bright, colorful graphics. Amazing music and sound effects. Multiple characters to pick from. Great bosses. Loads of replay value. And just some really, really fun and addictive gameplay.
So yes, great game. Sure, it's easy. And no, the game was not what I was hoping for or expecting when it first came out. But you have to look at the whole package. Bright, colorful graphics. Amazing music and sound effects. Multiple characters to pick from. Great bosses. Loads of replay value. And just some really, really fun and addictive gameplay.
Add on Christmas Nights, and this was basically the game that kept me playing my Saturn back in the 90s. When I think back on the ill fated system, this is THE definitive title that comes to mind.
It's not perfect. In fact I am sure some people disliked it initially like I did, and were unable to change their minds on the game. But it's fast, it is fun. And it packs a lot of sentimental value.
If you have never played this game, it is available on the Playstation Network - completely remastered in HD. And Christmas Nights is included as an unlockable. This game may not be your cup of tea, but to me it is a true classic, vastly under appreciated for its time. I wish more people had played it. It's not perfect, and I recognize that, but I love it anyway.
It's not perfect. In fact I am sure some people disliked it initially like I did, and were unable to change their minds on the game. But it's fast, it is fun. And it packs a lot of sentimental value.
If you have never played this game, it is available on the Playstation Network - completely remastered in HD. And Christmas Nights is included as an unlockable. This game may not be your cup of tea, but to me it is a true classic, vastly under appreciated for its time. I wish more people had played it. It's not perfect, and I recognize that, but I love it anyway.
THE GRADE:
A-
A complete index of all my game reviews can be found
>HERE<
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