NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams
Long, long ago, in the days when Sega still made consoles and Xbox was but a twinkle in Bill Gates’s bank account, Sonic the Hedgehog’s little-known purple airborne cousin made its androgynous debut onto the ill-fated Saturn. NiGHTS into Dreams, as the game was called, was regarded as a spin-off to the main Sonic lineage and, with its twee storyline and dream-like gameplay was certainly not the PlayStation-beating title fans were looking for.
But time’s a magician and, over the years, Sonic Team’s leftfield game has come to be regarded as one of gaming’s classics. What it lacks in Sonic the Hedgehog-style frenetic speed it more than makes up for with considered and rewarding gameplay.
And so, after much clamouring from gaming’s cognoscenti, a sequel to the 1996 original is imminently descending onto the Wii – a celebration of the original that will attempt to translate lead character NiGHTS‘ swooping aerobatics onto the newer console’s unique control scheme. The androgynous jester will now be controlled with the remote, with or without an analogue stick as you glide gracefully through the inimitable world of Nigthtopia.
Throughout the game you’ll be chasing across a variety of beautiful and saccharine environments as you befriend two children (through inhabiting their dreams) and work to piece their hearts back together. If that all sounds a little sickly-sweet, if not rather suspect, don’t fear: there’s a brooding arch-villain to tackle in the form of the nightmare-bringing Wizeman, who NiGHTS and his two young cohorts must eventually fell.
The bulk of the game has you controlling NiGHTS, soaring through the air navigating through rings and collecting chips. The character flies on-rails in the horizontal axis (you’re able to move left and right freely though) while you have the full range of the vertical axis to play with allowing for loop-de-loops and impressive, spiralling acrobatics.
Fans of the original will be pleased to learn that Naofumi Hataya, composer of the original’s haunting and memorable melodies, has been involved as the game’s musical director and her work should soundtrack the action perfectly. Additionally the game integrates with the Wii's Weather Channel where atmospheric conditions in the game mirror those outside your window (an evolution to the original game's use of the internal clock to change level themes according to special events and holidays).
With some positive noises already coming from the States things are looking positive for this unusual but welcome addition to the Wii’s catalgue. Check back towards the end of the month for our full review.
