Nights into Dreams is a game that is hard to categorize, and a game that I'm sure was a nightmare to market (hence it completely bombing everywhere).

Despite it not really controlling like one, the game functions very similarly to a current 3D Sonic game: you want to get the most points possible and score the best rank, by doing combos or chain actions and what have you.

The difference is though that you're not actually supposed to finish stages in the quickest possible way; the timer the game gives you is actually the time you have to go around the stage over and over and score the most points you can before getting out and moving on to the next segment of the level. This creates a great risk vs reward situation at times where you have to make a very quick decision on whether you want to make just another trip before leaving or if you don't think those 20 seconds or less are enough.

When you realize this, you start understanding the entire flow of the game, the level design starts looking better and better, and the frantic pace of the game and initial sensory overload on the visuals becomes second nature; in general, everything starts to click. This will only happen if you do want to replay this game multiple times, which is another hard sell about this game: if you want to just get it over with once, it will be done in less than 2 hours and you won't really get much out of the experience.

Having said that though, I really wouldn't have minded one more stage per character, because as it is the game only has 7 of them, one of which is repeated twice. They're all great and very well designed mind you, but they go from training wheels to "possible game over" really quickly.

If you're into arcadey games that are meant to be replayed over and over, you can't go wrong with Nights into Dreams. It might take a bit to get used to its unique systems and controls (even the whole aesthetics of it are probably an acquired taste), but if given the time, there's a great game worth discovering and rediscovering here.

A wonderfully unique game, NiGHTS Into Dreams is not only an impressive game from 1996 but also a game that remains one of a kind to this day.

Accompanying its distinctive gameplay mechanics, the game has a fantastic soundtrack and great visual design that truly captures its dreamworld premise.

The game has a simple control scheme that allows itself to ease the player into its aerial movement and level design. Despite the simple controls, the goal can be somewhat unclear at first, but it becomes more prominent quickly, especially after subsequent playthroughs.

Going from a simple clear to attaining higher ranks becomes the mantra over the course of the game. Each level also only takes a few minutes to finish, encouraging replays constantly.

The game separates level sets through a selection of two characters, Claris and Elliot. The former being the easier set and the latter being the harder one. You can start with any of the sets but it's generally encouraged to ease yourself with Claris first.

The levels are also well varied, not only in their environments and visuals but also in the layout and flow. You'll be traversing through sections each with its own unique design, ranging from different layers to another dimension of movement.

At the end of each level, there are boss fights as well with their own distinct gimmicks on how to defeat them. Facing them the first time makes them feel almost like a puzzle, and it feels very rewarding in figuring them out. Even better as you realize there are methods to defeat them all quickly, further boosting the potential for higher scores.

While there aren't a lot of levels, the amount of care and thought put into each does make up for it. Though it would have been nice if the final level was different for Claris and Elliot, or even just a slight variation from each other.

The story is also simple and charming, which works well for the dreamworld premise and showcases an easy to understand lighthearted plot requiring no dialogue to weave into the game's premise.

Overall NiGHTS Into Dreams is an enjoyable game that is remarkable both within and out of its genre. It's worth playing through even for just experiencing its unique premise all the way through. And to those who are willing to master its mechanics, it's a delight to come back to and improve on through subsequent playthroughs.

When I started playing this game, I had basically no idea what to do and was baffled by the first level. It's one of those games where you're gonna have to read the manual, and even then you may have to watch a video of someone playing in order to understand how this game is played. But once I had that understanding, I found myself really loving this game. Keeping a chain going is challenging and fun to do, and the movement and level traversal is a lot of fun as well, especially when you start getting really good at it and are able to speed through levels. It's a great game to just pick a level and play while listening to music or a podcast, although the music is good enough to make you not want to do that, just as great as any Sonic Team soundtrack. After playing this, I went from knowing nothing about NiGHTS to it being a new favorite of mine.

i swear, i wish i actually understood this game

i feel like i don't. i feel like i don't see what made miyamoto wish he had made it

edit 06/12/20: i still don't get it, but playing it with the saturn's low-resolution graphics is such a better experience. it genuinely improves the game; this is one of few games of the era that actually took advantage of the 3D graphical limitations of its time for deliberate effect

Before you do a headass review please read this:
Play on Saturn mode, disable the border in the pause menu
Read on how the scoring works. It's not hard, should take about 2 minutes

Thanks! Delete your negative reviews. They're all embarrassing

PROS:
- nothin'

CONS:
- ev'rything (boring mechanics, repetitive melodies, awful controls and graphics...)

SUMMARY:
Just for nostalgic gamers. It has aged terribly bad.

NIGHTS is a game that is very much meant to be replayed, rather than beaten once and forgotten about - which makes sense, as it's thankfully extremely short. Its biggest problem is the fact that it doesn't do a great job at easing you into itself - the game essentially tells you the basics, then throws you into the deep end. Those who are willing to understand the scoring mechanics and learn the levels will be rewarded with one of the most fun arcade experiences around. Controls are tight and fun, and the music and atmosphere are like no other.

+distinctive art style, it somehow is welcoming and cheerful while incorporating many sinister and unsettling elements, with a heavy emphasis on abstract, dreamlike visuals during gameplay
+flow-based gameplay that is intuitive to control and extremely dynamic. the systems reward flashy play and smooth transistions between interactables, and the camera always directs you to your next target without the need to explore or pause
+the music is amazing, up their with sega's other cd quality ost successes of the same era such as daytona usa and panzer dragoon
+good variety in setpieces, with each level feeling distinctive both from its particular obstacles as well as it design and layout
+the weird amount of effort put into stuff like the A-life system (a pre-chao garden system that maintains a continously growing and breeding population of creatures in the background of each level) and the secrets that appear when the game is powered on at certain times is extremely charming in its opaqueness
+I quite like how each level is segmented into two minute chunks, each of which is carefully designed to have an optimal route for scoring. it helps compartmentalize the game into sections to learn with individual rankings for each, while also balancing out your performance between the segments in case you happen to underperform in a given one
+the awkward 3d platforming segments when time runs out on the nights transformation has been panned but personally I appreciate it it. it faciliates an arcade-like timer system without halting progress completely via death/failure if your timer runs out
+such a satisfying score attack game, where every level feels like a rollercoaster to ride through, and every run seems like it can be improved with practice

-this game is allergic to explaining anything to you. once you understand what's going on (pick up blue orbs, dump them in the weird organic cage, do laps through the area for points, and then return to the main pavilion to start the next segment) it's natural, but a quick tutorial stage explaining each mechanic would have been greatly appreciated
-the bosses also could have used some more explaining up front, especially since there are no health bars or solid indicators letting you know you're even attacking properly. this is exacerbated by the fact that the methods for dealing with each boss are usually entirely different from one another, and some require use of special moves like the paraloop rather than just drilling into them
-definitely light on content, with a mere seven levels that take no more than 10 minutes each to beat. it's not as bare as some of the other saturn titles, but it could've at least used separate versions of twin seeds (the final level) for each character...

I first played this on real hardware at magfest and was sorely confused; I'm glad I returned to it and took some time to learn the mechanics. it's certainly an unorthodox design but at the same time thrilling. it feels like I'll be returning to this to play a level here or there often, much like with the rest of sega's excellent arcade-style games