A playthrough of Sega's 1996 action-adventure game for the Sega Saturn, Nights into Dreams.
This video shows all of Elliot and Claris's levels completed with an A ranking. The best ending is shown following Claris's final boss battle.
Nights into Dreams is one of those rare sorts of titles that met with universal critical praise when it was new, it's considered a classic in the current day, and it was one of the defining titles of the console that hosted it.
So why aren't more people familiar with Nights into Dreams? The short, simple answer: it was a Sega Saturn exclusive that wasn't a Sonic game. Oops.
Nights into Dreams was created by Sonic Team, with Yuji Naka at the helm, and it was awesome. Instead of going with a typical 3D platformer, Nights is more of a 2.5D aerial racing game, though pigeon-holing it as such would be unfair.
A lot of people seem confused by how it works, so here is the simple version: at the beginning of each area, one of the kids runs into a gazebo and transforms into Nights, the purple jester-looking thing. He can fly in any direction he likes, and the stages loop endlessly. His first task is to collect twenty of the blue orbs and place them in the thing that looks like an upside-down fishbowl, and this should be done as quickly as possible, because the remaining time can then be spent soaring around the stage earning points toward your ranking. In this phase, the links/combos are worth far more points than they are otherwise, so you really want to maximize the scoring opportunity. When the time starts getting low, you need to get back to the beginning of the stage - if the timer hits zero, you lose all of your points and will get an F rank. You need all C rankings or higher to see the ending, and to see the proper full ending, you need to clear each stage with an A ranking.
A lot like Sonic, Nights is a game that is super easy to pick up and have fun with, and it's not particularly difficult to see the first ending. That's not to say it's an easy game, though. Not by any stretch. Nailing an A rank on many of the courses requires *a lot* of practice and some refined twitch skill. It's easy to play, relatively easy to "beat," and extraordinarily difficult to finish. It's also super satisfying - I'm not hyper-awesome at it, but I was proud of myself for getting good enough to get the best ending.
The stages feel a bit like the levels in Klonoa or Pandemonium - though everything is mostly on rails, there are branching paths and secrets crammed everywhere, but the sense of freedom granted by the flight mechanics (which feel amazing on the Saturn's 3D pad) is unmatched by most other games of its generation.
The graphics were stellar back in 1996, and thanks to the art-style, they've aged surprisingly well. Sure, they're chunky and the fake transparencies are obvious, but the well-defined characters, bright colors, and the general fluidity of the play help smooth over the flaws, and the anamorphic widescreen mode is a nice cherry on top. The audio is characteristically excellent Sega work as well - there isn't a single dud on the soundtrack - not even the sappy 90s style pop ballad.
It's clear that Naka and crew were personally invested in the project, and result is a beautiful game that feels special. It doesn't feel like software made for profit - it feels like a pointedly personal and poignant statement, and that feeling carries through every aspect of the game.
Corny as it might sound, Nights makes me feel like a kid when I play it. It all feels like a surreal dream, and it's one that I'd happily hit the snooze button all day long for to make it last just a bit longer.
_
No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
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