NiGHTS Into Dreams

First of all welcome to the Cult Classic Gamer page. My Aim is to break away from the status quo, and dig deep to find the video games that live in the hearts of the few, but dwell in obscurity to the many. So for my first review I thought I'd show you the perfect example of what a cult classic is with none other than NiGHTS Into Dreams on the Sega Saturn, a console that in its self is a cult classic. Enjoy!

I won't lie to you and say that I played this game as a kid, because I didn't. Growing up being a Sega fan wasn't easy. No one I knew owned a Saturn (let alone a Genesis) and by the time the new millennium rolled around I jumped ship to Nintendo. A couple years passed and I got a Gamecube, my first game being Sonic Adventure 2: Battle (though I was stunned and somewhat angry that Sonic now resided in the house of Mario) . There while raising the cute little creatures known as chao, pronounced "chow", I fist learned of NiGHTS, as chao taking his likeness and name passed my poor little Chaos. Who is NiGHTS I thought a few times but eventually came to the conclusion he was a Sonic character I had never heard of.

Jump a few months ahead when Sonic Adventure DX came out. I enjoyed this game so much, but while in the pinball like world of Casinopolis I see a dancing "Jester" and I knew it was him, but just shrugged it off. Then again he appeared in Sonic Riders as an unlockable character. Now I had to know just who he was, and what I found turned out to be better than I could imagine. NiGHTS had his own game on the Sega Saturn, a system I remember begging my parents for but never received. Jump to the year 2009, when I managed to score a Saturn on eBay with my own copy of this beloved game.

Background: NiGHTS Into Dreams was created by Sonic Team, the development team that created Sonic the Hedgehog and later killed him. NiGHTS was developed to give the sense of flight by using three dimensional graphics combined with two dimensional gameplay. The overall effect was enhanced with the use of the 3d controller, the first to feature a thumbstick, though Nintendo likes to take the credit. Though NiGHTS was loved by fans and critics alike, it failed to shine in the shadows of Super Mario 64 (released a month prior) or Crash Bandicoot. (released four days later)

Story: Nightopia is the realm in which human beings go to when they dream. The evil Wizeman the Wicked is the ruler of Nightmare where all nightmares reside. He seeks to control both Nightopia and the waking world. In order to do this he creates henchmen called Nightmaren to carry out his evil deeds. Two of these Nightmaren are created to be much more powerful than the rest, and are given the ability to think and act for themselves NiGHTS and Reala. Reala remains loyal to Wizeman unlike his sibling, NiGHTS, who rebels against his master and is punished by being locked up in the Ideya palace. Ideya is the form in which our personalities take when in Nightopia, each human has five Ideya of varying colors. By stealing this, Wizeman gains power. However he is unable to steal the red Ideya that represents courage.

Clairis Sinclair and Elliot Edwards are two children from the city of Twin Seeds. Each of the children have a nightmare and are forced to flee to Nightopia. There the Nightmarens steal their Ideya and they meet NiGHTS who is imprisoned in the Ideya palace. Since Claris and Elliot poses the Red Ideya they are able to free him, and NiGHTS tells them of Wizeman's plans. The three then set out to retrive their stolen Ideya and defeat Wizeman.

Gameplay: At the start of each level Wizeman's henchmen steal four of the five Ideya the child possesses an locks each up in a seperate "Mare". The first thing you must do is head to the Ideya palace and free NiGHTS. Then the object is to fly around and collect 20 blue chips to defeat the Mare. You use the 3d controller to fly using the thumbstick, and by pressing either the A B or C buttons you can do a drill attack that sends you spinning quickly through the air to defeat your enemies.

When you have enough blue chips you need to fly inside of the Mare, destroying it from the inside out. Once you defeat the mare you will retrieve an Ideya. With this you can return to the Ideya palace and and move on to the next Mare, or you can fly around some more and collect gold chips to increase your score, but don't take to long because you can only fly for so long until you change back into a kid and fall, losing all of your chips. You will then be forced to run from an egg shaped alarm clock, if it catches you, you will wake up and the game will be over.

You earn a grade for each separate Mare, and you must have at least a C in every level in order to play the final level. You are scored on the amount of gold chips you collect and how fast you were, and a number of other things, such as how many bonuses you collect or the number of aerial stunts you preform.

Boss battles play very much the same way except you don't have to go around collecting chips, instead you take the direct approach and attack, though each boss has a slightly different strategy you must use.

Graphics: The Sega Saturn's biggest competitor was Sony's Playstation, which was a more powerful machine. However NiGHTS Into Dreams show that even though the Playstaion was more advanced, the Saturn could still hold its own. Flying around and taking in the lush beauty of your surroundings is why NiGHTS is so majestic. Every detail has been taken into consideration, making you feel as if you were in a dream. The colors and shading really bring this game to life making it look like it was on a much more powerful console. Rarely, if ever, does the game slow down to load, truly this is a work of art. Pixel Perfect.

Music: The music is positively outstanding, fitting in perfectly with the scenery, and setting the perfect mood for which to enjoy it. The sound effects are original and not stock, leaving a feeling of satisfaction when you collect that last blue chip or fly through that last ring. The game's theme song is call "Dreams Dreams" and once again fits in perfectly with the overall package. The fact that during the ending credits you are rewarded with this beautiful duet sung by a boy and a girl, (representing Elliot and Clairis) is enough to make you want to cry tears of joy all over your controller.

Originality: Sonic Team set out to prove they could make games that broke away from the traditional platformer genre and hedgehog based games. They did just that and so much more. You can tell that a lot of hard work went into this game and that the developers actually cared about the project, something that almost never happens with today's "Make it and hope it sells" attitude. A lot of love went into crafting this masterpiece, and a lot of love has been returned as a result.

Overview:

Story: 4/5

Gameplay: 5/5

Graphics: 4/5

Music: 5/5

Originality: 5/5

Difficulty: Medium

Length: Too damn short, can be beaten in under an hour

Best Part: Flying though the air in your own little dream world.

Worst Part: Starting the game over for the 85th time because it's too damn short!

Total Score: 4.6(Worth Every Penny)

Conclusion: If you have a Sega Saturn you should buy this game, if you don't have a one, get one, you won't regret it. NiGHTS Into Dreams is a timeless cult classic that is still as magical today as it was the day it was released. I like to think that this game was made not for the general public who continue to buy the same old, same old, repolished in a different package, but for those like me, who strive to be different. Those who play video games not to escape life, but to enhance it. The few people that fallow their passions and never let go of their dreams.