It has been a rough time for SEGA fans, ever since going third party, their game quality has ranged from excellent to abysmal. Sonic Team has probably had the hardest time, having failed to put out either critical or commercial success equal to their glory days as a first party developer. Even one of the founding fathers of Sonic Team, Yuji Naka, has since left the company. So it was easy to understand the concern when a new NiGHTS game was announced earlier this year. Thankfully this time we have not been let down.
When the game was first announced, a lot of gamers voiced concern over the quality of the graphics, being a Wii exclusive meant that it would obviously not pack the punch of a PS3 or XBOX 360 game, but even still it was bit disappointing. The final version of the game almost completely wipes away those fears, as NiGHTS is an explosion of colors and scenery. While some levels are more polished then others, NiGHTS is a game that's as fun to watch as it is to play. The boss encounters in particular have a noticeable ramp up in texture and mapping work, likely due to the much smaller space they occur in. One thing in particular that's great is that no level is boring -- even the neon city eschews memories of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on Genesis so many years ago. There is one glaring exception to the graphics and that is the hub world, The Dream Garden. A small starting location that sadly reeks of average last-gen graphics. The cutscenes in particular are bad here, which is a shame since it is where the game starts and might give off the wrong first impression.
Musically, this game is a masterpiece. Sonic Team made sure to get the original composers back for the sequel and it shows. Some tracks are fully orchestrated by the LA Philharmonic, and others of the more synthesizer route. Either way, the tracks are well implemented and a joy to hear. One mission in particular has you flying along a giant note scale in the sky of a forest, hitting each note on the scale in a specific rhythm to play out the NiGHTS theme. You also get a sound library for completing Will's scenario.
Like the original, gameplay is divided into a boy and girl. Each one has their own paths and levels, and occasionally, they will intertwine. The story is much more focused this time, with plenty of cutscenes; just make sure that if you lose a mission you hit retry as to avoid repeat viewings. Each level is a representation of the characters emotions and memories. The game actually toys with some real world use of dream psyhcology, however minimally, to legitimize the game world. What really separates "Journey of Dreams" from "Into Dreams" is that each dream level is comprised of 5 missions, each one unique. Typically each level will contain a classic three route flying mission followed by a boss encounter. These are different from the first NiGHTS in that the object of these missions is to grab a key held by flying Nightmarians as fast as possible to proceed to the next track. Fans worried that the score focused gameplay of the original might be lost can put their minds at ease in knowing that every dream also has an "octopaw" level which goes on infinitely until the player has broken 5 "link chains" with the score being higher for bigger chains. Every mission in NiGHTS is graded from A being the highest, to E being the lowest. Generally the grade is based on time and score, with "octopaw" levels being based almost entirely on score. A brilliant addition to the game is each child's dream journal that records grades and times and items collected. These journals can be instantly uploaded to the Nintendo WFC and the latest world records can immediately be transfered to the player. This will likely be a feature loved by NiGHTS fans for years. While most of the Missions involve the use of NiGHTS flying, some levels are played entirely on foot by the children protagonists. There are only four of these levels, and they are really straight forward. The controls for the children are quasi-platformer based, but they are clunky, stiff, and almost unresponsive. If more of the game was based on these levels, or if they required more than simply running from start to finish, it would be a nightmare. Almost to add insult to injury, these "platformer" levels have a quickly decreasing time limit. This really makes almost no sense. The main game is fairly short for each child, maybe taking a few hours each for the first run through. Like the original though, the fun of flight and competitive nature of the grading scale will make many want to come back and replay missions.
NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams also plays host to 2 player race and battle modes, with the racing mode being playable over the Nintendo WFC. Like most Wii games, NiGHTS is dependent on friends codes for races. However, matches start quickly and Sonic Team even included an option for players to activate a chime bell for when a friend online wishes to challenge them to a race. Fans of the original may remember the A-life system, and it has returned. While playing the single player games, Nightopians and Nightmares can be collected and stored in each players virtual garden. These gardens will grow and change depending on the inhabitants. Another neat feature is the ability to register the Nightopian Garden to the Weather Channel on the Nintendo Wii system, so that it will display the weather in your set area in real time within the garden. The garden is also online and you can go to and invite friends into your garden and exchange messages through a preset icon selection. Even more exciting is that you can open up your garden, and visit gardens of complete strangers. No friend codes needed to share off your collection accomplishments.
NiGHTS features four different control schemes: Wii remote only, where you point at the screen where you want your character to move to, Remote and Nunchuck, Classic Controller, and GameCube controller. NiGHTS is primarily a one button game so no control scheme feels incomplete. Sonic Team didn't change the formula for controlling NiGHTS, and as such, the best control option I found was the GameCube Controller.
Sonic Team and SEGA have really packed this game with a lot of content. While some might feel the main game length is short, NiGHTS has always thrived on replay value -- now, thanks to worldwide scoreboards, online races, and an online A-life system, NiGHTS can be played almost indefinitely for those inclined. While the game never really presents too much of a challenge, it is almost always fun to play. There's never a boring or ugly level, and even the most mundane missions can be quickly beaten.
