Hello and welcome to the latest instalment of Lost Gems, the series where I cover games that have been lost, forgotten or pulled from official distribution. This week is the follow up to my feature earlier in the month, where I discussed NiGHTS into Dreams, the on-rails flying adventure for the SEGA Saturn. This time as it is Christmas, I will be covering the special festive release, Christmas NiGHTS, which was released across the world at the end of 1996.
Disclaimer: while the game discussed here is no longer officially on sale, there are ways to obtain the game. This can be either through the second hand market, or via unofficial digital roms/rips. I do not condone or promote piracy, so there won’t be any links to roms or rips of the game being covered.
So with the introductions out of the way, let’s get started. I will be discussing the general game experience, then giving my personal thoughts on the title. Please Note, I have covered the original version of this game in detail which you can find (HERE), so I will be lighter on detail in this feature. Also I will be referring to NiGHTS as female in this feature, officially NiGHTS is genderless and open to personal interpretation, which is why I use these pronouns.
About the game
It is Christmas in Twin Seeds City, with Claris and Elliot walking through the town together, seeing the crowds of people rushing around. This makes Claris and Elliot feel that something is missing, with the true spirit of Christmas being lost. Looking up at the Twin Seeds Tower, it has been decorated in such a way that it looks like a Christmas tree. But it is lacking a star, so that night, Claris and Elliot meet NiGHTS and together they retrieve the star for the tree.
This version of the game is a very truncated version of the original release, as it is a special promotional sampler of the game for Christmas. From the main title screen, the game will have a unique appearance depending on the date that the console is set for. If the game is active during Winter, New Year and the build up to Christmas, there will be a special unique title screen. Outside of this, the game will show as NiGHTS Limited Edition.
As it is a promotional sampler, there is a limited amount of content, with only a single level that can be played endlessly. The stage that players can challenge is the Claris stage, Spring Valley which has been adjusted for the different time periods. In winter, the stage will be covered in snow, with the Christmas version having all of the decorations, trees and even Santa flying by in his Sleigh. If played outside of winter, the stage looks like it does in the standard game.
When playing as Claris, the stage will be identical in layout as the one from the main game, with all of them being the same. However, if the player selects Elliot, they will get different layouts that are still set within Spring Valley. The musical theme for the stage will vary based on the period, with the Christmas stage having music that uses the Jingle Bells melody. There is also a special music track for the Winter/New Year period, which is bright and happy.
The gameplay for this sampler is the same as the main game, where the objective is to retrieve the Ideya that has been stolen from them by Nightmaren. As Claris or Elliot, the player must Dualize with NiGHTS, moving through each Mare (course) to collect 20 Blue Chips and deposit them into the Ideya Capture. To accomplish this task, the player must guide NiGHTS through each Mare, collecting the Blue Chips that are scattered through the course.
While flying through the stage, the player will be able to use the Drill Dash to cross vast distances quickly. This uses energy which is limited and to fill it, the player must fly through rings which will give points and contribute to Link Combos. The Link Combos will only last for a limited time, needing to fly through rings, collect Blue Chips and Bells/Stars, which will keep it going for bigger scores. The better the combo, the better the scores the player will earn.
When 20 Blue Chips have been collected and deposited into the Ideya Capture, which is turned into a Christmas Tree during the period, the Ideya will be released and Bonus Time begins. During this time, the player will be able to go through as many laps of the course as possible, with all of the points that are earned from links being doubled. While in Bonus Time, players must get as many points as possible before the timer runs out.
One of the best ways to get a big boost in points is to make the most of the Acrobat Time rings, which appear in the third Mare of the stage. During Acrobat Time, the player will get a big boost in score by performing various tricks, loops and manoeuvres. Another way to get a big boost in score is to perform Paraloops, going in a circle to cross the dream dust trail that follows NiGHTS. These will pull Blue Chips and Bells/Stars to her and boost the score.
Like the main game, there is a two minute time limit for each Mare, where the player must get the Ideya and return to the Ideya Palace in time. During the winter period, the Ideya Palace is changed to be a cake with candles, where the Ideya sit atop when collected. When each of the Ideya is returned to the palace, they will get a ranking based on their score ranging from A to F. But just like the main game, it is important not to waste time.
If the timer expires, NiGHTS will separate from Claris/Elliot, causing them to fall and lose all points earned. All Blue Chips that were collected will be dropped and the player must travel on foot. If the Ideya hasn’t been recovered, they must collect the needed Blue Chips and take down the Ideya Capture first, before returning to the Palace. When separated from NiGHTS, an egg shaped clock will chase the player, trying to wake them and end the dream.
Once all of the Ideya have been collected, the player will get a total score and rating for the Dream, before transitioning to the Boss Battle. In this encounter, the player will face off against Gillwing, the boss from Spring Valley in the full game. The objective remains the same, where the player needs to destroy Gillwing’s tail to defeat them, collecting a star for the tree. As Claris, Gillwing goes Counter Clockwise, but as Elliot, the boss goes in the opposite direction.
The Boss has its own unique theme, with music that utilizes sleigh bells to add that festive spirit to the track. Upon defeating the boss, the player will get a big score bonus if they defeat Gillwing fast enough. The same score bonuses apply with the 1.0-2.0 multiplier, depending on the time taken to defeat the boss. The letter grade system applies again here, with the rating from A-F being given after the bonuses have been applied.
At the end of play, after the ranking screen has appeared, players will be able to collect presents. This plays out in a memory match game to unlock presents. The number of attempts is based on the rating, with A giving 7 tries and F giving 2, if the player gets caught by the Clock, they only get 1 try. The matching game has three layouts, with the first having 8 tiles, the second 18 and 26 on the third. Just be careful not to get a Reala tile, as it will cut the mini game short.
Hidden within these presents is a wide selection of items for the NiGHTS Museum, which is a library of artworks, renders and images that can be viewed as promotional imagery. Then there are the extra gameplay modes, including special challenge modes, based on time and Link Combos. There is even a special Sonic the Hedgehog mode, where they get to platform around Spring Valley, with a unique boss battle based on Dr Robotnik.
Even though this game is only a snippet of the full experience, there is a tremendous amount of content to enjoy. All of the bonus materials, extra game challenges and alternate course layout for Elliot add a lot of replay value. With what is essentially an expanded demo of the game, there is at least a good few hours that players can get out of it. The Christmas Dream and mini games are endlessly replayable, especially when played with others.
Personal Thoughts
As I mentioned in my feature for the main NiGHTS release, I have a deep love and appreciation for the game, which also extends to this. When I was a kid, I saw this game throughout the build up to Christmas, as well as on those Christmas days. It got to the point, I was more excited to see NiGHTS than I was to open the next door of my advent calendar, which lasted for a few years. But there was a gap for a time, where there was no Christmas NiGHTS.
After this gap, I was able to start playing Christmas NiGHTS again, which became a yearly tradition which I have done for the last 18 years. This release is special, as it is that perfect encapsulation of the Christmas spirit, in a fun and interactive form. There have been games that were released for Christmas both before and after, but this is just Christmas magic in its purest form. That is why I share it with everyone I can, and why I am writing this feature.
This is a piece of interactive history, with the Museum containing a lot of renders, images and promotional materials that show off the merchandise. Then we get a snapshot of what might have been, with Sonic the Hedgehog into Dreams, which was a sign of the potential for a Sonic game using the NiGHTS engine. Each time I play this brief mode, there is a bittersweet feeling that I get, as we could have had a full 3D Sonic game on the Saturn.
I feel that this is something that people need to experience, even if they have played or own the HD version of the game. Unfortunately the HD version is extremely stripped down, only having the main cutscenes and Christmas Dream. This is a huge detriment to the player experience, as they are missing out on all of the things that make the proper version special. So I believe that everyone who is a fan of NiGHTS should play this version of the game.
Just like the main game, there is a passionate fanbase for this version, with others who have it as part of their own Christmas traditions. Luckily, even though there is a lot of love out there for this release, the game is still attainable for a reasonable price. The NTSC-U version is fairly expensive compared to other regions, but they are common enough to be able to pick up within budgets. So if you can get your hands on it, then it is worth purchasing.
It appears that SEGA and Sonic Team still believe that Christmas and NiGHTS are a dream match, as this month NiGHTS has joined Sonic Racing Crossworlds, with the NiGHTS Festival occuring during Christmas weekend. This is the perfect way to bring her back into the mainstream, as many players first experienced NiGHTS through this Christmas Sampler. While I would love to see the original Christmas NiGHTS get a re-release, I hope that she gets to greet another generation of players during Christmas in the future.
If you have enjoyed this feature, then please stick around and see what else catches your eye. I cover a wide range of games in reviews, get special previews and put out regular features. I have Lost Gems, Retro Revival where I discuss re-releases and the occasional Gaming Oddities piece, where I cover weird and wacky titles. So stay a while and have a look around.
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