Nostalgia November: NiGHTS Into Dreams
by Opaque Senator, GGR Contributor
When I found out GGR had something called “Nostalgia November” I could not resist a romp down memory lane. There are few things that hit me nostalgic like my favorite video game of all time: NiGHTS into Dreams. I gave a short synopsis of this title in my Top 10 Video Games of All Time list some weeks ago, if you have interest in my unique gaming history. However, why does this fairly short game hold such a spot in my heart? Let's take a look...
NiGHTS into Dreams was developed by Sonic Team and Sega in 1996 for the Sega Saturn. This is a system even pretty hardcore gamers in the US may not have much familiarity with. It is, however, what I grew up on. The Saturn had a vast library of games and was very well received...in Japan. Many of the games never made their way to US shores, and the Saturn's rushed US launch after Sega's failed Sega CD and 32X debacle left people wary of the company.
Despite this fact, there are many great games for this system of many genres. But my favorite of them, and favorite of all time remains NiGHTS. The game features no dialogue (save for 1 line of dialogue spoken by your rival that has several possible meanings), and has several introductory cut scenes to get you into what's going on in game. You follow the dream exploits of Elliot and Claris, two teens facing major anxiety in real life that they work through in a dream state. Enter NiGHTS, an androgynous acrobat dream-being who visits both Elliot and Claris in their dreams to help them tackle their metaphorical demons and help them find strength in themselves to take on Wizeman, the games arch-villain. This happens so they can take on their fears not just in the dream, but in the real world. They do this by going after the physical manifestations of growth, purity, wisdom, and hope; called “ideya” in game. Only the ideya of courage is left with you, which really is all you need to get back the other ideya. Once you've collected them all in each stage, you fight the boss of that dream.
This story is told entirely through a visual medium (and of course, as most things were in those days, a manual) to know what was happening. I think there's something powerful in a story like this to a 9 year old gamer. I had (probably like many other kids my age at the time) a lot of anxieties about navigating the world, especially as a true introvert growing up. Social situations were scary,. I did not understand how to work through socializing with others, how to handle problems bigger than myself. I often used my imagination and the character from this game as an escape from reality. And how perfect! It was a dream being.
NiGHTS was also designed to be a character/hero for boys and girls. The character was purposely left androgynous, and inhabited both a boy's and girl's dreams. You follow through the manifestations of your anxieties, travel through, lush, beautiful worlds in free-flowing flight, all with an awesome soundtrack, and only having to worry about an alarm clock to wake you from your dream, thus ending the game and forcing you start over. NiGHTS represented to me an embodiment of something to “fight” through these anxieties. NiGHTS is also a bit of a show off (a fact that is shown more clearly in it's sequel, but here you can do acrobatic motions while flying that really do not do much except increase your score), and he/she certainly has a flamboyance in not just abilities and actions, but even costume.
The character is also a “nightmaren” born of the darkness of nightmares. To me, even at age 9, this represented that even good things could come from dark places. NiGHTS in the dream world, was created by Wizeman, the being you're trying to stop from infecting all dreams with nightmares. And all you have to start the levels and fight your fears, is a little bit of courage. Honestly, is there a much better message out there?
If you're inclined, the game is available on Steam with both the Saturn graphics and HD remake, along with a short demo version of the game with Christmas themes called “Christmas NiGHTS.” The game can be beaten in a little over an hour if you know what your doing, 2 hours if it takes you a minute to get used to the controls and learn how to play. They only ever made 1 sequel, a 2007 Wii title called NiGHTS; Journey of Dreams. It did not have the success of it's predecessor, but is in of itself a flawed but beautiful game that maintains a lot of charm. I also did a Let's Play of both games and the demo on “SGB Likes to Play” YouTube channel. Check them out if your curious!
This game oozes nostalgia for me. I revisit it 1-2 times every year, and it truly never gets old for me. What are some of your nostalgic games? Do you have any connection with them as I do NiGHTS?
