E3 '07: NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams Impressions

Fans have been pining for a sequel/update/reenvisioning of Sega's NiGHTS for the Saturn since...well, pretty much since that game came out. NiGHTS into Dreams is one of those cult classics that never became a big franchise but had a very dedicated following. Now, finally, those fans are being rewarded with NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams for the Wii. This game looks to follow in the traditions of the gameplay found in the original, while expanding upon it for the modern generation of gaming. Journey of Dreams was on display at Sega's E3 2007 booth, and we took a look.

Unfortunately, the demo Sega had going wasn't playable to the press, but a Sega rep took us through its paces. The premise of the game is that a young boy named Will and a young girl named Helen are facing some rather tough real-world challenges. To deal with these challenges, they go to sleep at night to escape into the dream world known as Nightopia, a realm where they can solve their problems by adventuring through it alongside a friendly creature called NiGHTS. As it happens, an evil force known as the Nightmarens has taken up residence within Nightopia, and as NiGHTS (with the help of the kids), it's up to you to take the Nightmarens down.

You'll actually be controlling Will and Helen in spots, but at least in the sequences we saw, the game will quickly transition into the NiGHTS sequences, where you fly NiGHTS through rings to take down periodic enemies. Each level has a time limit, and you fly through a series of rings to get speed boosts to help get you through the level quicker. The gameplay seemed relatively simple, and motion controls didn't seem to factor much into the basic gameplay. You control NiGHTS primarily with the analog stick on the Nunchuk, steering him as he flies along seemingly on rails.

One thing we did get a look at was an intriguing boss fight. Sega wanted to make clear that you don't just spend the whole game zooming along, hitting rings and enemies from a side perspective. In this boss fight, the whole world is turned vertical as you fight a crazy boss that looks like a cross between an evil clown and a pinball. The boss naturally is weighed down toward the bottom of the level, and to defeat him, you have to grab onto him then fling him upward. The stage itself is almost like a giant pinball machine, with multiple tiers and platforms on which to hang the boss up. Ultimately, your goal is to get him to the very top and fling him out of the destructible roof, where he'll vaporize upon exit. Doing so is tough because he is constantly moving down, so you have to be frequently tossing him. This is as simple as latching on to him while spinning the analog stick around and around then releasing to send him flying. It was a cool-looking fight, to be sure.

NiGHTS' graphics are shaping up nicely. The game has a nice, stylized look to it that includes a lot of pleasant visual effects as you dart around through the various levels. There's a distinct aesthetic difference between some of the worlds. The main world we saw was rather colorful and cheery, while the boss stage was very dark, with a lot of deep reds and blacks. This represents the difference between the normal Nightopia and the corrupted Nightmaren areas. The game is already running at a solid frame rate, and the art style is quite lovely.

The lack of hands-on time was a bummer, but seeing NiGHTS in action was a nice surprise. At this stage, the game could very well be shaping up into the kind of sequel for which people have been hoping. It's a simple game but potentially an effective one. We'll be sure to bring you more on NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams before its release later this year.