Instead of various play mechanics and objectives that just serve to provide a diversified game experience, each action and challenge of NiGHTS also contributes to the larger aerial ballet that is the game's essence.
The dream of being able to fly is a core desire. The solution for a smooth control arch for this was extended to the very reaches of the interface: a custom-made analog controller for the Saturn was designed for the game (this is one of many reasons why it won't end up playing properly through emulation.) An analog thumb pad can provide complete 360 degree freedom for a single dimensional plane, so the character uses this intuitive set-up and progresses along tracks through the game's 3D levels. Pressing the button accelerates NiGHTS ahead faster.
The player continues to lap around each track for a set time limit. The objective is to score as many points as possible on the aerial stunt courses that make up each track. The stunt courses have the player fly through sets of hoops, boost along speedways, shoot off of springboards, pinball off walls, smash through giant snowballs, swing on bars, sled down slopes, swim through pools, ride gusts of wind, bounce around fun houses, etc. The inventiveness of the obstacles and a layout which - while providing both high pathways and low pathways through sections of a level (reminiscent of Sonic design) - gives the free-flying player the freedom to mix parts of multiple paths together, is what elevates the game to brilliance.
To score points, gems and stars floating around the level are collected. While flying around, NiGHTS can collect clusters of them at a time by simply closing a flying loop around them, capturing everything inside - called paralooping. The 2D tracks that the character flies along arch in 3D across the level and intersect one another, so often times the obstacles that the player encounters or items they can collect are also part of another stunt course - just oriented so that they're close enough to both tracks.
The play of NiGHTS is so cohesive because there’s no break in the fluidity of the flight action even as the player experiences the full range of challenges. The rhythm of flying is never broken between: paralooping things, which is just flying in a tight circle around them (and, by the nature of a loop, ends the player back where they started to retain their momentum); bumping things, which is just flying straight into them; and pulling off the tricks, which are just various flight control maneuvers.
So, in summary, all of NiGHTS actions are part of his/her flight trip across the tracks, but what ties all of it together into a cohesive aerial ballet is the linking system. Every time items are collected and/or hoops are flown through in succession, a link is made. If another is added without too long of a break, the link combo is increased. A good run will see the player dancing from obstacle to obstacle and scooping up the items in between while managing it all in one connected swoop, which links it all together with pure gracefulness.
The immersive aspects of NiGHTS also exhibit this cohesiveness. To have graphics and sound that not only reflect the game’s themes but also reciprocate to the user’s play, another distinct gameplay system is intertwined to complement the user’s influence.
Each level is its own persistent, living world where the Nightopian inhabitants, running off artificial life algorithms, crossbreed and evolve by themselves. The player's influence on the world, by bouncing enemies into 3D space as they fly along or by accidentally getting them caught up and captured inside a loop (or purposely, depending on the player's morality!), can effect which residents meet up with one another, which survive, and even how they feel about the player - whether the feeling is somewhere toward happiness or sadness. This interaction then influences the user’s experience in return as the behavior of the creatures determines little touches like where they’ll show up in a level, where they gather to socialize and trumpet the player’s successes with their little horns, and whether they build miniature structures like castles on the ground. The wonderful music of each level is actually remixed dynamically to reflect the current mood of the Nightopians.
As the common ideal of the game is the wonderment of flight, the context and details of NiGHTS into Dreams also reinforce this. There’s a real synesthetic vibe to the selection of effects accompanying the flight: each link that is made chimes in a successively higher tone such that a row of hoops results in an ascending musical scale, colliding with different objects sets off discrete instrumentation like a cymbal or a drum roll which ties the themes of the level to the player’s actions, a cornucopia of colorful streamers shoot off when a springboard is hit, the loops drawn in the sky by the trail of stars coming out of NiGHTS’ hands gain form and solidity, the terrain incredibly morphs near the presence of NiGHTS in Soft Museum, and destructible objects decompose and attach to the player as they pass through in some parts of the canyon stage. Even the secrets in the levels are uncovered as a result of natural play, as paralooping along the way on the right pockets of space can reveal hidden power-ups. The type of replayable, evolving levels described before and the musical accompaniment of discrete instrumentation are the kinds of systems that titles like Rez would later employ. It’s obvious this game was a labor of love by the developers because its rife with all of those subtle details that only get bothered with for pet projects.
The whole package is appropriately rounded out by its connectivity to the companion disc, Christmas NiGHTS. Innovative usage of the NiGHTS save file allows a Music Box feature for analyzing the Nightopians’ feelings and experimenting with different combinations for songs. The Saturn’s internal clock is also tapped to keep the stages decorated with the changing of the seasons and holidays.
The dream of being able to fly is a core desire. The solution for a smooth control arch for this was extended to the very reaches of the interface: a custom-made analog controller for the Saturn was designed for the game (this is one of many reasons why it won't end up playing properly through emulation.) An analog thumb pad can provide complete 360 degree freedom for a single dimensional plane, so the character uses this intuitive set-up and progresses along tracks through the game's 3D levels. Pressing the button accelerates NiGHTS ahead faster.
The player continues to lap around each track for a set time limit. The objective is to score as many points as possible on the aerial stunt courses that make up each track. The stunt courses have the player fly through sets of hoops, boost along speedways, shoot off of springboards, pinball off walls, smash through giant snowballs, swing on bars, sled down slopes, swim through pools, ride gusts of wind, bounce around fun houses, etc. The inventiveness of the obstacles and a layout which - while providing both high pathways and low pathways through sections of a level (reminiscent of Sonic design) - gives the free-flying player the freedom to mix parts of multiple paths together, is what elevates the game to brilliance.
To score points, gems and stars floating around the level are collected. While flying around, NiGHTS can collect clusters of them at a time by simply closing a flying loop around them, capturing everything inside - called paralooping. The 2D tracks that the character flies along arch in 3D across the level and intersect one another, so often times the obstacles that the player encounters or items they can collect are also part of another stunt course - just oriented so that they're close enough to both tracks.
The play of NiGHTS is so cohesive because there’s no break in the fluidity of the flight action even as the player experiences the full range of challenges. The rhythm of flying is never broken between: paralooping things, which is just flying in a tight circle around them (and, by the nature of a loop, ends the player back where they started to retain their momentum); bumping things, which is just flying straight into them; and pulling off the tricks, which are just various flight control maneuvers.
So, in summary, all of NiGHTS actions are part of his/her flight trip across the tracks, but what ties all of it together into a cohesive aerial ballet is the linking system. Every time items are collected and/or hoops are flown through in succession, a link is made. If another is added without too long of a break, the link combo is increased. A good run will see the player dancing from obstacle to obstacle and scooping up the items in between while managing it all in one connected swoop, which links it all together with pure gracefulness.
The immersive aspects of NiGHTS also exhibit this cohesiveness. To have graphics and sound that not only reflect the game’s themes but also reciprocate to the user’s play, another distinct gameplay system is intertwined to complement the user’s influence.
Each level is its own persistent, living world where the Nightopian inhabitants, running off artificial life algorithms, crossbreed and evolve by themselves. The player's influence on the world, by bouncing enemies into 3D space as they fly along or by accidentally getting them caught up and captured inside a loop (or purposely, depending on the player's morality!), can effect which residents meet up with one another, which survive, and even how they feel about the player - whether the feeling is somewhere toward happiness or sadness. This interaction then influences the user’s experience in return as the behavior of the creatures determines little touches like where they’ll show up in a level, where they gather to socialize and trumpet the player’s successes with their little horns, and whether they build miniature structures like castles on the ground. The wonderful music of each level is actually remixed dynamically to reflect the current mood of the Nightopians.
As the common ideal of the game is the wonderment of flight, the context and details of NiGHTS into Dreams also reinforce this. There’s a real synesthetic vibe to the selection of effects accompanying the flight: each link that is made chimes in a successively higher tone such that a row of hoops results in an ascending musical scale, colliding with different objects sets off discrete instrumentation like a cymbal or a drum roll which ties the themes of the level to the player’s actions, a cornucopia of colorful streamers shoot off when a springboard is hit, the loops drawn in the sky by the trail of stars coming out of NiGHTS’ hands gain form and solidity, the terrain incredibly morphs near the presence of NiGHTS in Soft Museum, and destructible objects decompose and attach to the player as they pass through in some parts of the canyon stage. Even the secrets in the levels are uncovered as a result of natural play, as paralooping along the way on the right pockets of space can reveal hidden power-ups. The type of replayable, evolving levels described before and the musical accompaniment of discrete instrumentation are the kinds of systems that titles like Rez would later employ. It’s obvious this game was a labor of love by the developers because its rife with all of those subtle details that only get bothered with for pet projects.
The whole package is appropriately rounded out by its connectivity to the companion disc, Christmas NiGHTS. Innovative usage of the NiGHTS save file allows a Music Box feature for analyzing the Nightopians’ feelings and experimenting with different combinations for songs. The Saturn’s internal clock is also tapped to keep the stages decorated with the changing of the seasons and holidays.
ENOUGH already! Can't you like find some classic gaming/emulation site where you can drool over these ancient titles? People here are like, playing Champions of Norrath and stuff.
