Christmas NiGHTS into Dreams
From Sega Retro
| Christmas NiGHTS into Dreams |
|---|
| System(s): Sega Saturn |
| Publisher: Sega |
| Developer: Sonic Team |
| Genre: Action |
| Number of players: 1 |
Christmas NiGHTS into Dreams (クリスマスナイツ 冬季限定版) is a one level stand-alone "demo" of NiGHTS into Dreams that was released in November 1996 for the Sega Saturn.
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 is always treated as a limited edition 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. Later it was distributed with an issue of the US Sega Saturn Magazine, though these versions were housed in transparent plastic sleeves to further reduce expenditure. 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 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.
The game 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.
Contents
Gameplay
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 | Moons | Hearts |
| 01:00 | Moons | 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.
Saving Data
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.
| Name | Comment | File Size |
|---|---|---|
| NIGHTS_XMAS | NiGHTS dat | 55 |
| Name | Comment | File Size |
|---|---|---|
| NIGHTS___## | Score data | 30 |
| NIGHTS___## | A-life | 197 |
Production Credits
Executive Producer: Hayao Nakayama
Executive Management: Shoichiro Irimajiri, Shinobu Toyoda, Malcolm Miller
Producer: Yuji Naka
Director: Naoto Ohshima
Project Manager: Youji Ishii
Game Designers: Takao Miyoshi, Takashi Iizuka
Programmers: Takuya Matsumoto, Akio Setsumasa, Yasuhiro Watanabe, Tetsu Katano, Takahiro Hamano, Yuji Naka
Visual Designers: Naoto Ohshima, Hideaki Moriya, Tohru Watanuki, Toshiko Okano, Tomonori Dobashi, Osamu Ogata, You Nishiyama, Kazuyuki Hoshino
Sound Director: Yukifumi Makino
Compose and Arrange: Naofumi Hataya, Tomoko Sasaki
Sound Effects: Tatsuya Kouzaki
Recording Director: Tatsutoshi Narita
Narrator: Lisa Hart
DREAMS DREAMS A Cappella Version
Coordinated By: COMPOZLA.Inc.Tokyo
Sound Producer: Atsushi "Sushi" Kosugi
Co-Sound Producer: Makoto Suzuki (COMPOZLA.Inc.Tokyo)
Chorus Arrangement: Marlon D. Saunders
Singers: Marlon D. Saunders, Gabriel Morris, Issa Clemon
Recording Engineer: Alec Head
Mixing Engineer: Justin Luctor
Executive Coordination: Daizaburou Sakurai, Makoto Oshitani, Jin Shimazaki
Promotion Management: Ren Mori, Hideki Okamura, Hirokazu Kanno, Takayuki Kawagoe, Kuninhisa Ueno
Public Relations: Hiroto Kikuchi, Tadashi Takezaki, Masatoshi Kawaguchi, Yutaka Sugano
Visual Material Editors: Masato Yoshioka, Yuji Sawairi, Ikuo Ishizaka
Market Research: Seigo Tabira, Tsuyoshi Sawada, Miho Okamura
Manual: Hiroyuki Mitsui, Youichi Takahashi, Toshiki Yamaguchi, Chieko Nakamura
Internet Support: Mutsuhiro Fujii
Overseas Coordination: Ryoichi Hasegawa
Special Thanks: Akira Nishikawa, Akira Funada, Chika Ikegame, Miki Morimoto, Yosuke Okunari, Haruki Nakayama, Emi Sasaki, Nobuhiko Shimizu, Kazuhiko Hattori, Hideki Yokaichiya
Recording Studio: Cyper Sound, SEGA DIGITAL STUDIO
Produced By: Sega
Physical Scans
| Saturn, US |
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 Cover
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 Disc |
| Saturn, EU |
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 Cover
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 Disc |
| Saturn, JP |
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  Cover
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50x50px Disc |
Promotional Material
JP flyer
