Christmas Nights

As Christmastime rolled around, a demo version of Nights into Dreams was released. The game was distributed with Imagine Games magazines such as (Ultra) Game Player and Next Generation and as Christmas drew near, would release extra content.

Story

Christmas time.

Prologue:

Claris & ElliotThe city is covered in Christmas decorations and the people are looking for presents for their loved ones.
Among them are Elliot and Claris.
They all look rushed.
That gentleman. That lady. That old man.
Why do they have to walk that fast?
In the crowd, they feel something important is missing.
The streets look so beautiful.
This is the most cheerful time of the year.
But it seems like nobody is paying any attention to something important.
Walking down the street, they find themselves in the middle of Twin Seeds City, facing the mammoth Twin Seeds Tower.
It is decorated beautifully and the tower appears as one huge Christmas Tree.
However, they realize what is missing from the Christmas spirit.
The one thing nobody seems to notice.
There is no giant star atop the gigantic Christmas tree.
Without it the tree is incomplete.

Epilogue:

Christmas TreeWith the help of NiGHTS, Elliot and Claris found the star shining in seven colors.
But the entire story was a dream.
So, what was that star?
They don't talk about the dream they saw but there is one thing both of them know.
Something special will happen after they embark on an adventure with NiGHTS.
They start feeling cheerful again.
And then happiness, like the light of a small candle, starts filling the city once again.
Everything is okay now.
Give a star of happiness to the heart of these brave children.
Give a star of happiness to the heart of everyone.
Merry Christmas.

Gameplay

Just like nights, but with these presents to unlock:

Characters

NightsNiGHTS
Born as the right-hand man to Wizeman, the ruler of Nightmare, Nights is a "First-level" Nightmaren. While he has retained his crazy Nightmaren nature, he loves his freedom and refuses to be ruled by anyone. Unfortunately, Nights' personality and insubordination have earned him Wizeman's wrath. Wizeman has cast a spell on Nights, imprisoning him in the chasm between dreams. Confined to the space of a dream, Nights endeavors to be released from Wizeman's spell.

Night's most outstanding trait is his ability to fly, which allows him to soar through the sky freely. When he makes a loop in the air, he can even open a hole in space. Nights can also change shape to adapt to any situation. However, the big question remains: Will Nights be able to escape the ruler's spell, to again enjoy the freedom he loves so much?

RealaReala
Reala is Wizeman's right-hand man. Like Nights, he is one of the few First-level Nightmaren. Unlike Nights, he is cruel, brutal, and absolutely loyal to Wizeman. Reala and Nights are rivals, as it was Reala's brutal tactics that contributed to Night's eventual confinement to the space of a dream. Reala's flight capabilities are almost equal to Nights' - he can also para-loop.

ElliotElliot Edwards
Elliot is a talented fifteen year-old boy, living in the central square of Twin Seeds. He excels at everything he does and he is both an exceptional student and a great basketball player. Elliot especially enjoys basketball, and is regarded as the top player in his class. However, not one to show his feelings in front of anyone, Elliot remains indifferent and cool to the admiration of his friends. It's this particular personality trait that leads to Elliot's involvement in an unusual incident...

ClarisClaris Sinclair
Claris, a fifteen year-old girl, dreams of becoming a musical star playing to huge audiences. Born into a family of artists and raised in the suburbs of Twin Seeds, she is extremely shy. The very thought of performing center stage absolutely terrifies her. Little does Claris know she is about to be visited by a great opportunity to realize her dream...

NightopiansNightopians
Nightopians are carefree, happy inhabitants of Nightopia.They're born every time balls of light (called Ideya) collide. The sole reason for their existence is to have fun. Because they are incapable of doing anything else, they have no need to work together or to cooperate towards a common goal. As a result, they have no leader, and no language. What they do have, is the ability to see the consciousness of each visitor (dreamers from our world), through the Ideya. When visitors arrive, the Nightopians can see their consciousness and recreate the happy world that is hidden deep inside. That's why the Nightopians, who don't have the capacity for intelligent thought, can sing, dance, and even go fishing.

NightmarenNightmaren
Nightmaren are the crazy inhabitants of Nightmare, the dark fearful world ruled by Wizeman, their creator. They derive an insane pleasure from startling and scaring people, and spend most of their time doing so. Unlike Nightopians, who accept each visitor's consciousness the way it exists, Nightmaren use various methods to fill the visitor with fear and surprise. There are many different kinds of Nightmaren which can be broadly grouped into three levels based on intelligence:

  • First-level Nightmaren
    The most intelligent of the creatures, each with a will of its own. (Nights, the hero of our story, is one of the few First-level Nightmaren.)

  • Second-level Nightmaren
    They are more intelligent than Third-level Nightmaren and have the ability to create worlds of their own.

  • Third-level Nightmaren
    These creatures are the least intelligent and by far the most violent.

Zones

10/21/2008