NiGHTS into Dreams

NiGHTS Into Dreams is a video game developed by Sonic Team for the Sega Saturn video game system.

Players take the role of either Claris or Eliot, two children living in the city of Twin Seeds. In their dreams, they enter the world of Nightopia, where all human dreams are played out. An evil creature known as Wizeman is gathering power to take control of Nightopia. The children team up with NiGHTS, an ex-Nightmaren (nightmare-dweller) trying to stop Wizeman.

The goal of each level is to capture 20 blue chips to overload the Ideya capture and take back the orb it holds. After playing through four routes, NiGHTS is transported to meet and defeat another Nightmaren.

Aside from the immediate game mission, there are the complex and involving artificial lifeforms called Nightopians (dream-dwellers) and their genetically modified counterparts, the Mepians. The game featured an evolving music engine based on the happiness or other moods of these creatures.

The unique features of this game centre on NiGHTS' flying sequences. Movement is natural and fluid; multiple moves can be freeformly played and linked and all with such a simple control mechanic. The game came bundled with an analogue joypad, one of the first on any home console.

A sequel was planned, and supposedly used a tilt sensor in the analogue pad. Development of this was discontinued (apparently due to quality issues). Another sequel (for Dreamcast) was discussed, using a motion-sensing wand as a controller, but this was also discontinued. Recently, Yuji Naka said in an interview that he would create a sequel to NiGHTS but it would take a long time to get it right, as he wants the game to be perfect.

There is also a bonus NiGHTS game in the GameCube version of Phantasy Star Online that can be downloaded to the Game Boy Advance. There are also NiGHTS-themed pinball levels in both Sonic Adventure and Sonic Pinball Party.

NiGHTS Into Dreams is considered by many as the greatest Sega Saturn game ever, if not, the greatest Sega game ever released.

Production Credits

Executive Producer: Hayao Nakayama Executive Management: Shoichiro Irimajiri Producer: Yuji Naka Director: Naoto Ohshima Product Manager: Youji Ishii Lead Programmer: Yuji Naka Senior Programmer: Takahiro Hamano, Takuya Matsumoto Programmer: Akio Setsumasa, Yasuhiro Takahashi, Yasuhiro Watanabe, Atsutomo Nakagawa A-Life Programmer: Tetsu Katano Lead Game Designer: Takashi Iizuka Senior Game Designer: Takeshi Niimura, Yuji Saito Character Designer: Kazuyuki Hoshino NiGHTS Designer: Naoto Ohshima A-Life Character Designer: Toshiko Okano, Hideaki Moriya, Tohru Watanuki Artist: Tomonori Dobashi, Namie Manabe, Hiroki Okabara World Artist: Takumi Miyake, Shigeru Okada, You Nishiyama, Shinichi Higashi, Ryo Kudo CG Movie Director: Norihiro Nishiyama CG Movie Artist: Norihiro Nishiyama, Masahiro Kumono, Hiroshi Nakatani, Motomu Hayashi, Mika Okada, Yumiko Miyabe, Miho Takayanagi, Saori Wada, Nobuhiko Honda Chief Sound Designer: Yukifumi Makino Compose and Arrange: Naofumi Hataya, Tomoko Sasaki, Fumie Kumatani Lyrics: Tomoko Sasaki, Wornell Jones Vocals: Jasmine Ann Allen, Cameron Earl Strother, Curtis King Jr., Dana Calitri Sound Effects: Fumie Kumatani, Tatsuya Kousaki, Saori Kobayashi Sound Programmer: Atsumu Miyazawa