NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams (Wii) Review

NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams is the long-awaited follow up to the SEGA Saturn classic, NiGHTS Into Dreams. Such is the reverence in which SEGA fans hold the original game, even after more than 10 years of asking and two generations of consoles, the call for a NiGHTS sequel has never abated. Faced with such a high level of fan expectation, it was always going to be impossible for this new NiGHTS game to live up to what SEGA fans were hoping.

Thats not to say that NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams is a bad game. In fact, it is quite a good game that is only let down by some inconsistent design and a general lack of quality control. When NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams is good, it is very, very good, but those moments are too often broken up by sections that are not quite up to par with the rest of the game. This is disappointing as with just a little more development time and some stricter quality control, NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams could well have ranked up there as a classic.

For the uninitiated, NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams is a throwback to simpler days, when games played out on a 2D plane and collecting things was the pathway to success. What set the original apart was that instead of running around on platforms, title character NiGHTS soared gracefully through the air, pulling off acrobatic loops, downing enemies and streaking through mid-air rings while trying to reach the goal as quickly as possible. The sequel expands on the core gameplay of the original, but still keeps the majority of the action on-rails. This may seem somewhat restrictive to anyone brought up on a steady diet of free-roaming 3D platforming games, but in the fast-moving, chaotic world of NiGHTS, keeping the action on rails is essential. Thrown in with the traditional side-on flying elements are a number of new gameplay types, including behind-the-character viewpoints and free-roaming, 3D platforming sections. These newer elements blend in quite well with the traditional NiGHTS gameplay and offer some variety which helps differentiate the sequel from the original.

The game begins with a fantastic CG introduction, after which the player takes control of either Will or Helen, two young children who enter Nightopia, the world of dreams. Meeting with NiGHTS and the imaginatively named Owl, each child is given a quick introduction to the world of Nightopia and taught how to meld with NiGHTS so they can fly about the world and defeat the evil Nightmaren. Even though the story is pretty standard fare, with an evil overlord to defeat and courage and strength to be gained, it never aims to set new standards in interactive storytelling. Overall the story is passable and mildly entertaining while it lasts.

Graphically, the game is above average, with some fantastic, colourful art design sometimes let down by drab, generic characters and locations. The game is certainly not up to the standards set by Nintendos first party efforts, but it is obvious some attention was paid to making sure the game looked like it had been developed specifically for the Wii rather than the PS2.

The audio is probably the area in which NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams stands out the most, with a fantastic score complementing the dreamy atmosphere perfectly. The voice-over work is generally high-quality, although sometimes the accents of the characters seem to flip-flop about between English, American and something else entirely. I dont know if this was intentional or not, but it is certainly distracting and takes away from what is a great audio experience.

For all its positive aspects, NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams has a number of negatives that stop the game from living up to the reputation of its predecessor. Inconsistency is probably the biggest issue, with some of the on-foot and behind the shoulder stages lagging well behind the side-scrolling flying stages in quality. Being forced to replay whole stages, cut-scenes included, when failing to defeat a boss is also frustrating and on more than one occasion lead me to turn the game off. There are other moments which feel tacked on and not very well thought out and if these sections had been cut from the game, it would have helped raise the overall quality of the experience. These problems are disappointing, considering how enjoyable the game can be, but thankfully, they never render the game unplayable.

The game also offers a wealth of control options, including Wii-remote, classic controller, Gamecube and Wii-remote and nunchuck styles. I went with the Wii-remote and nunchuck and found the game very easy to control. The Wii-remote only control is almost unusable though, again showing the inconsistency that plagues the game.

The single player game is relatively short and there really isnt that much incentive to keep playing once completed. However, the multiplayer portion of the game adds significantly to the lasting value. It can be played by two players, both locally and online and features a battle mode and a racing-style game. The battle mode is forgettable and not worth spending too much time on, but the racing mode is great, adding so much more to the package.

NiGHTS also features the “My Dream” world, which is a space unique to each player and made up of creatures captured within the game. While potentially a very cool feature, there really isnt much to do in your little garden aside from wander around and look at things. By adding a little more interaction and further developing the concept, this could have greatly increased the replay value of the game. Unfortunately this was not the case and all that the player is left with is a slight distraction at best.

Overall, NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams is a good game that should appeal to all ages. It is simple enough for casual gamers to pick up easily and has enough nostalgia value to distract the hardcore crowds. Even if a little short, the games two player options and online racing add some lasting appeal to the package making for a game that will occupy even the most attentive players for at least a few weeks. Fans of the series and anyone looking for a fun racing/platform game should at least give NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams a chance, as there is plenty to like about the game. Unfortunately, a lack of consistency, in quality and design, holds it back from being a classic. Something a harsher editing process and a little more time in development would have solved.