Christmas NiGHTS into Dreams (クリスマスナイツ 冬季限定版) is a one level Christmas-themed "demo" of NiGHTS into Dreams. It was originally released in November 1996 for the Sega Saturn.
Due to its freebie nature, Christmas NiGHTS is a much smaller game than NiGHTS into Dreams - there is only one level (Spring Valley - almost identical to the level seen in regular NiGHTS) however unlike the original it is playable as Elliot as well as Claris. When playing as Elliot the stage is mirrored.
Christmas NiGHTS is Christmas-themed, and so its graphics and music have been replaced with winter-esque versions of the original stage (but only in winter). For example, Ideya Captures are now giant floating Christmas trees, and NiGHTS wears red attire rather than purple. Gameplay is largely identical to the original game, including the A-Life system altered by defeating enemies.
If not played over the winter months, Christmas NiGHTS defaults to "NiGHTS: Limited Edition" and essentially acts as a no-frills demo. Between November and January it is "Winter NiGHTS" and during December, "Christmas NiGHTS".
Unlike NiGHTS into Dreams however, Christmas NiGHTS has a number of unlockable extras (or "presents") which include the ability to experiment with the game's music mixer, A-Life system, and even play the stage as Sonic the Hedgehog. Under the "Sonic the Hedgehog into dreams" mode, the player is restricted to traveling on foot, and instead of tackling the level's original boss, Gillwig, Sonic is put against an inflatable balloon version of Dr. Eggman in a battle similar to Puffy from the "full" game. The boss music is a mash-up of both Puffy's original theme, "She Had Long Ears", and "Final Fever", the final boss battle music from the Japanese version of Sonic CD.
Interestingly this qualifies as Sonic's first "true" 3D outing - Sonic Jam, Sonic R and the Saturn version of Sonic 3D were all released in 1997.
Clock Features
The visuals of Christmas NiGHTS change slightly depending on the time indicated by the Saturn's (or PlayStation 2's) internal clock.
The period between November and February is the most "active" part of the year, which scenery changing almost at an hourly rate.
Time
Background
Falling objects in foreground
00:00
Moon
Hearts
01:00
Moon
Snow
06:00
Northern Lights
Snow
07:00
Sun
Snow
08:00
Sun
Moons
10:00
Sun
Snow
12:00
Rainbow
Purple gems
13:00
Sun
Snow
15:00
Sun
Candy
16:00
Sun
Snow
18:00
Moon
Snow (though less of it)
19:00
Moon
Snow
21:00
Moon
Stars
22:00
Moon
Snow
The main part of the game is not unlocked until December, when Christmas NiGHTS mode is enabled. Here, the children wear Santa outfits, and defeating the boss (Gillwing) will lead to a credits screen.
On New Year's Day, there is a change of title screen, on Valentine's Day, hearts always fall, and on April Fools' Day, users can play as Reala instead of NiGHTS. Reala can be played at any point after the latter event is seen.
History
Release
Christmas NiGHTS was not sold in the same way as most Sega Saturn games. In Japan, it was part of a Christmas-themed Sega Saturn console bundle and not sold separately, however it was packaged in a plastic jewel case like the majority of the Japanese Saturn library. In fact, the Japanese Christmas NiGHTS clearly states "only this winter" on the box, and has always been treated as a limited edition of the game.
In North America the game was given away with the purchase of select Saturn games such as Daytona USA: Championship Circuit Edition. These versions were distributed in a cardboard slip case to cut costs, much like many early Saturn bundles. The game was also available for rent at Blockbuster Video locations in America.
In the UK, Christmas NiGHTS was not bundled with a console, but instead included in the UK's Sega Saturn Magazine in December 1997. Cardboard slip cases were used here. It is unknown whether the game saw a release in other European countries.
Legacy
Christmas NiGHTS was also included in the PlayStation 2 version of NiGHTS into Dreams. The Saturn disc can also be accessed via a Windows PC for extra content, similar to other Sonic Team games.
The game makes use of the Saturn's internal battery back-up as well as the Saturn Backup Memory cartridge to save progress and unlockable content. In addition, you can link save data of Christmas NiGHTS with the retail version of NiGHTS into Dreams and see in-depth information of save data from the retail version.
