Nights (character)

Nights
Series	Nights into Dreams... (1996) Nights: Journey of Dreams (2007)
First game	Nights into Dreams...
Created by	Naoto Oshima (Nights into Dreams...) Kazuyuki Hoshino (Journey of Dreams)
Voiced by	Julissa Aguirre (Nights: Journey of Dreams and Sega Superstars Tennis)

Nights (trademarked as NiGHTS) is a video game character from the games Nights into Dreams... and Nights: Journey of Dreams, developed and published by Sega. Nights is gender-less, known as a "Nightmaren" who resides in Nightopia, a dream world where the dreams of all human beings are acted out every night. The character wears a purple jester-style hat and outfit, with a diamond-shaped red jewel on the chest. (In the Archie comics, this was said to be a piece of a red ideya that broke off and latched onto his/her chest). All nightmarens, including Nights, as stated by Sega.

Game appearances

Nights' first appearance was in the video game Nights into Dreams... for the Sega Saturn. The second game in the series, Nights: Journey of Dreams, is for the Wii. Nights also appeared in the sampler game Christmas Nights for the Sega Saturn. Nights has a role in Sega Superstars Tennis as well. Takashi Iizuka reported that he is very interested in making Nights 3, but that will be up to the management at Sega to decide. [1]

Outside appearances

Nights has appeared in numerous other games besides the series, including Sonic Adventure (in the Casinopolis level), Sonic Adventure 2 (in the City Escape and Radical Highway levels), Shadow the Hedgehog (in Lethal highway, the title screen appears in a billboard without any text), and also in Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2, the player can raise a Chao that resembles Nights. Nights also appears in Sonic Pinball Party, Sonic Shuffle, Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg, Sega Superstars, both Sonic Riders and Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity (as a secret character) and Sega Superstars Tennis. Nights also makes a cameo appearance in Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing as the flagman.^[1]

Nights has also made a guest appearance in Phantasy Star Online I & II Plus, in an Episode 2 quest.

Creation and conception

Naoto Oshima was the original Nights designer and Kazuyuki Hoshino was the character designer for the video game Nights into Dreams....^[2] The game got a sequel, Nights: Journey of Dreams.^[3] Naoto Oshima had left Sega by that point, so Kazuyuki Hoshino was placed in charge of character design for Nights: Journey of Dreams. Takashi Iizuka, the lead game designer, felt that with Hoshino, they captured the style used for the character in the original game.^[4]

Nights' personality is described by Iizuka as "a mirror of the child's personality."^[5] They wanted Nights to speak in Journey of Dreams, so they gave Nights a voice. Nights was also given a British accent to meet the style of the games.^[6]

Character

Nights acts childish, never for a moment thinking of the consequences for its actions. Sometimes Nights scares people for fun, but most of the time, it is very chivalrous. It likes new and unusual things, but hates being bound and told what to do. Sometimes, when very relaxed, Nights will pull out an invisible flute and start playing DREAMS DREAMS, the game's theme song.

Abilities

Nights' flying ability is related to swimming the breast-stroke. During flight, a bright substance called "Twinkle Dust" emits from Nights' hands.

Nights has the ability to transform into just about anything (like a bobsled, boat, roller coaster, dragon, rocket and dolphin), an ability that was expanded upon in the sequel with the introduction of each persona mask. Even without the persona masks, she is still able to change forms and abilities accordingly.

Nights can also create small portals called paraloops with his Twinkle Dust if it flies in a circle.

Home

Nights comes from the dream world of Nightopia (also referred to in-game as the Night Dimension) and takes shape according to the thoughts, ideas, personalities, and will of the Visitors (humans from the real world). Nights lives alongside Owl, a brown owl who acts as elder and guide in the sequel, and the Nightopians. Nights, however, is a Nightmaren and henceforth its origin is in the dark realm of Nightmare. Nights attempts to stop Wizeman from taking over Nightopia.

Interaction with other characters

The Children: (Claris, Elliot, Will, and Helen) Nights is kind towards the children in both games, helping all four of them to defeat Wizeman on two separate occasions.

Owl: Nights shows disrespect for Owl on a regular basis, but also shows a sort of friendship with the bird. Owl often seems frustrated with his rambunctious behavior, and occasionally lectures him but to no avail.

Wizeman: Nights was once loyal to Wizeman, but Nights began to view that what Wizeman is doing is wrong and must be stopped. Nights also wished to have free will, which Wizeman didn't allow. Therefore Nights decided to rebel. Their hatred for each other is strong, and they both show no mercy in battle.

Reala: Nights' relationship with Reala appears complicated. He seems to still hold Reala as a friend, or at least a former one. Reala often plays on Nights' mercy, using it as an opportunity to imprison Nights. Reala sometimes refers to Nights as a "sibling".

Reception

In his review of Nights into Dreams, Kevin Vanord of GameSpot described the character as an "androgynous jester." Vanord said, "Nights is smoothly animated", but said its "vocal personification [won't really be] everyone's cup of tea." Vanord wrote, "The jester is genderless...and the accompanying voice is, well, correspondingly confused. But whether you think Nights sounds like a young woman or a young boy, it's a good fit for the character."^[7]

Referring to Nights: Journey of Dreams, IGN said "Nights was essentially Sonic in the air..." The IGN review of the game called Nights a "mysterious creature." The IGN reviewer noted, "strangely Nights and all other characters in Nightopia are from England?" but said the voice acting was "decent, if not a bit over-the-top."^[8] In the English version of the game, Nights is voiced by American voice actress Julissa Aguirre.

See also

• Nights into Dreams...
• Nights: Journey of Dreams

References

1. ^ http://sonicstadium.org/news/nights-is-in-asr
2. ^ "Game Credits for NiGHTS into Dreams...". MobyGames. http://www.mobygames.com/game/saturn/nights-into-dreams/credits. Retrieved 2007-12-21. 
3. ^ NGamer staff (2007-04-20). "NGamer exclusive - NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams interview". NGamer. http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=162369&site=ngm. Retrieved 2007-12-21. 
4. ^ James Mielke (2007-11-08). "NiGHTS Journey of Dreams Takashi Iizuka interview from 1UP.com". 1UP.com. http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3164230. Retrieved 2007-12-21. 
5. ^ Justin Towell (2007-11-27). "Nights team prefer Gamecube pad to Wii-mote". GamesRadar UK. http://www.gamesradar.com/us/wii/game/news/article.jsp?releaseId=20070402143948293070&articleId=20071127112247116075&sectionId=1006. Retrieved 2007-12-21. 
6. ^ Mike Taylor (2007-12-05). "Interview: Takashi Iizuka Talks Nights". nintendolife.com. http://www.nintendolife.com/features/interview_takashi_iizuka_talks_nights. Retrieved 2007-12-21. 
7. ^ Kevin VanOrd (2007-12-18). "Nights: Journey of Dreams for Wii Review". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/wii/action/nightsjourneyofdreams/review.html. Retrieved 2007-12-21. 
8. ^ "Nights: Journey of Dreams Review". IGN. 2007-12-18. http://wii.ign.com/articles/842/842331p1.html. Retrieved 2007-12-21. 

External links

• Nights: Journey of Dreams at Sega of America