NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams follows a plot that is quite similar to the original game. When people go to sleep at night, their dreams are played out in one of two places; Nightopia and Nightmaren. Since Nightmaren is quite obviously evil, it is constantly trying to take over Nightopia so that it can dominate people’s dreams. NiGHTS was originally created by a Nightmaren called Wizeman, with his purpose to steal the Red Ideya. However, NiGHTS turned on his creator, and with the help of two children, defeated Wizeman once and for all. Journey of Dreams centers more on the stories of the two children, Helen and Will, who find their real life experiences spilling over into their dreams. After falling into a deep sleep, the pair encounter NiGHTS, who takes them on a journey to explore Nightopia, and confront their deepest fears in Nightmaren. Of course, Wizeman is back and trying to do the exact same thing he was in the last game, so one must take action against him too.
NiGHTS will run rings around your rocks
Sega isn’t setting out to reinvent the wheel with Journey of Dreams, so players expecting some sort of gameplay revolution will be disappointed. The game is still very much cemented in 2D, and retains the same goal of guiding NiGHTS through a series of rings in a level – albeit on a much larger scale due to the increased power of Wii. Each level will have several tracks and multiple paths, so it’s not completely linear. NiGHTS can also acquire persona masks, which will give the jester special powers such as extra speed, the ability to float on water and extra wind resistance. Players will also control Helen and Will in some platforming sections too.
Artificial Life makes its long awaited return for Journey of Dreams, but takes on a rather different form than the usual Chao garden seen in the recent Sonic games. "My Garden", as it is called, is a sandbox that evolves as players make their way through Journey of Dreams. Allies and enemies in the adventure side of the game will be transported to the garden after being looped by NiGHTS. The garden’s appearance will reflect the attitude of its citizens – lots of Nightopians will make it a peaceful place, while more Nightmarens will make it much less pleasant. One can even breed their citizens – in fact, some amusing hybrids can be made from Nightopian/Nightmaren interbreeding.
Journey of Dreams will utilise a number of different features on Wii. The game can be controlled with just the Wii Remote, the remote and nunchuck, GameCube controller or the classic controller. Integration with the Wii’s Weather Channel has also been promised, so if it’s raining outside, it’ll be raining in the game. Weather is not the only external factor that will affect your NiGHTS experience, as the game will also use the Wii’s internal clock for occasions such as Christmas and Thanksgiving. Finally, the game will also support Wi-Fi Connect for its multiplayer modes, which include Battle Mode and Speed Mode.
Chasing a feathered freak
Fans of the Saturn game will notice that NiGHTS into Dreams and Journey of Dreams share similar aesthetics, though the latter has the benefit of being driven by much more powerful hardware. For the most part, the visual design is pleasing, but it’s not really going to wow players. Levels in the Nightopia world are bright, colourful and cheery, while Nightmaren levels are dark, dank, and a little scary. Character designs follow the circus/jester theme seen in the original game. As far as sound goes, NiGHTS and the crew are now all voiced which could be seen as a blessing or a curse. The soundtrack makes a few cues towards the original game, but whether or not it will stack up remains to be seen.
NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams does not have far to go until it hits shelves, with the US release planned for the week before Christmas, and the PAL release in January. As the game stands now, it looks like it pays homage to the original NiGHTS, but plays it safe by not deviating too far from its predecessor. Those expecting some sort of gameplay revolution will come away disappointed, but the few that played the original game back in the day may be pleased with what’s on offer. PALGN will have a full review of NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams in the new year.
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