NIGHTS Into Dreams, how would you improve this game?

snapdragon

Member
I love NID, I think the presentation of the game was phenomenal and Nights (outside her 2.5 state) controls almost flawlessly but I think the game is almost like sonic 1 where they nailed the way nights controls, but the level design in a lot of sections (usually after the first 2 sections of a stage) does not fit the way nights controls at all with it being far more difficult or just not possible to maintain links without losing a lot of momentum/speed,

Im also not sure about the score attack gameplay as the main gameplay style for nights, I think a sonic style, get from point A to Point B as fast as possible with multiple alternate paths and actual obstacles would be better although I wouldn't outright remove the score attack mode, it would just be a secondary mode with its own specifically designed levels

I Haven't gone through the NiGHTS stages in SRB2 yet but they look vastly superior to the ones in NID on the Saturn (which if you want to play this game on PC, make sure to use the 60 fps and no deadzone mod)



They remind me somewhat of the Flight sections in Geometry Dash which I think would be an excellent inspiration for a new NiGHTS game



far more obstacles, a much greater sense of speed and momentum, larger levels etc

Would like to see your guys' takes on how the NiGHTS gameplay can be improved
 
It seems very limited to me (like Yuji Naka) there is no way to improve it

Edit: but let my try, I would do the same system of the 3d screen rotating, however Nights would not fly, it would be necessary to jump from platform to platform, maybe glide with some power up.
 
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In terms of gameplay, I think the game is perfect as it is.

I am not a big fan of the my life system as it changes the music in the stages, and I tend to prefer the base one every single time. So an option to chose the version of the music would be good.
 
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Nights is nothing about getting fast, and getting fast in Sonic is just one way to play it in the 2D games... For me, Nights is perfect, the only perfect game ever made, and what i want is a 4K remaster SEGA, with Christmas Nights.
 
Don't know how to improve this masterpiece, but an easy way to improve any current gen game is to take the trees from Nights and put them in it
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Look at these beauties...
This was made 29 years before asscreed Shadows btw
 
It's a great game that would be improved if it stopped pretending to be a 3D platformer. Which it really isn't, cause while you can explore the levels, there's basically nothing to do in them while on foot. The actual game only starts once you go airborne from one of the launching pods.

This ultimately pointless addition led to such false expectations when the game came out ("So it's like Super Mario 64?") that I really question the wisdom of including it in the first place.
 
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You can't , it's perfect.

The one problem with nights is one of its greatest pros. It gradually ramps of the difficulty and skills needed each stage. If you have only played the first stage then you have no idea how great the game really is.
 
Never ever land on the ground. Have a "Bullet Hell" Shooter mode while blasting Acid Jazz remixes of "Dreams Dreams" at loud volume.
Throw in some JRPG elements and have Claris beheaded by Wizeman in the middle of the game BOOM FF7 killer!

but seriously game is just fine how it is
 
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Remove the random minigame sections in the middle of levels that completely kill the pace of the flying segments. I remember running into those and losing so much time I had to restart the level.
 
NiGHTS into Dreams has always captivated me with its flying mechanics—easily the game's strongest and most memorable feature. To elevate that experience, I'd love to see the flying portions reimagined using a more dynamic, over-the-shoulder camera angle like the one shown here:
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It would preserve the sense of speed and freedom while also boosting immersion and cinematic flair.

On top of that, the Paraloop mechanic should feel not just like a score multiplier but a physics-defying maneuver. Imagine loops executed at high speeds stretching and bending the environment, warping enemies or objects caught in the vortex. That extra layer of environmental and enemy interaction would make Paraloops feel truly powerful and spectacular.

As Kyo also pointed out, the on-foot segments are the game's weak point. The giant alarm eggs that chase you down and forcibly wake you up always felt like a missed opportunity. Rather than removing them entirely, I'd introduce mechanics that give players more agency:

- Environmental obstacles to slow down or temporarily block the alarm eggs
- A stealth system that allows players to avoid detection
- Escape routes or interactive dream elements that can be used creatively

The goal here isn't just to make the game easier, but to encourage deeper exploration of the dream worlds themselves. For a game that leans into surreal landscapes and ethereal experiences, it feels counterintuitive to rush the player through them. More tools for exploration could transform these sections into something far more rewarding.
 
Other than improving the visuals (like the PS2 version), and including Christmas Nights w/all the extras, I can't see what needs improving. It's a nearly perfect videogame as it stands. And its unique qualities would be severely diluted if another software studio tried to conform its design into one specific genre (platformer, racing, high score attack, virtual pet, surrealist Jungian allegory).

Nights is too quirky, too weird, too dreamlike to be compared directly to Mario 64 or Crash Bandicoot. It follows the beat of its own drum, almost requiring time and persistence to appreciate its many charms. Its subtlety is both a strength and weakness. And I wouldn't have it any other way.
 
Oh boy I should wait till after work to respond as I could go on and on but I can't help myself. At least some brief thoughts:

-The score attack format is awesome but I would explain and incentivize it better. This is not a thing that clicks with a lot of players and most will play for completion or survival. And that does not go great with the game.

- I agree some of the tracks get a little clumsy and feel a little out of control, but I think they are brief enough.

- I've thought fore a long time now that you could design some very interesting games around the concepts of plotting multiple 2d tracks in a 3d world like that. It's very interesting.
 
It's a great game that would be improved if it stopped pretending to be a 3D platformer. Which it really isn't, cause while you can explore the levels, there's basically nothing to do in them while on foot. The actual game only starts once you go airborne from one of the launching pods.

This ultimately pointless addition led to such false expectations when the game came out ("So it's like Super Mario 64?") that I really question the wisdom of including it in the first place.

I don't remember that impression being out there at all. It was posed as a kind of answer to sm64 but almost all images and text I consumed about nights was clearly showing a strange game where you fly though rings. Maybe there were some magazines that represented it as a 3D platformer? By that time, I was only reading Next Generation.
 
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