NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams

"I wish I played the prequel..."

Most likely, you were one of the fans who dreamed of what the sequel to "NiGHTS into Dreams" would be like. I am not one of you. I am a person who had heard of the hype around the game "NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams" and couldn't find anything better to get with a gift card. It's not like I was wasting the money - it was on clearance for $10. At first glimpse, it looks flawless. The gameplay however is a lot less pretty.

A lonely soccer-playing boy, a guilty girl violinist, and a bi-gendered acrobat with a spectacled owl attempt to stop a villain named Wizeman ( -_- ) who wants to take over Nightopia, the friendlier of a pair of worlds making up the Night Dimension, its opposite being Nightmare. It seems that "Visitors" (the condescending term for humans visiting the dream world) have 5 Ideya that represent different aspects of the heart. Your goal as either of the kids is to collect the other 4 that have been stolen from you. How you are mugged by Nightmaren beasts without being aware of it, we may never know. Now let's get on with it...

From what I gather, NiGHTS into Dreams was a very popular game on the ... something or other that made a long awaited return in this Wii game. (No, I have no clue what the prequel is like.) However, there was a lot more work put into the appearance than the actual mechanics of the game. Very good ideas are presented, although with the controls the way they are, you have better luck trying to play this monstrosity blindfolded. With the WiiMote alone, you guide NiGHTS with a dot that appears on screen and attracts NiGHTS. The problem is, the signal for movement stinks, and the result is the equivalent of using a classic Nintendo controller pad. You're better off with the Nunchuk or Classic/Cube controller.

The substance is also lacking. In each miniature world you unlock, the game begins with NiGHTS being repeatedly captured by Reala, a Nightmaren with a strange resemblance to NiGHTS. How do you get out? I'm sorry you asked. You see, your character has the strange power to negate the cage's effect, however escaping isn't the only thing you must do. You have to also destroy all 3 of the cages in each world. Breaking out of jail just isn't fun these days. In addition, cutscenes are very rushed and perfectly pointless, with cheesy, unwitty dialogue. Speaking of dialogue, the entire cast seems to have their own British/Aussie accent, even though the lead characters technically come from Japan. NiGHTS is something a lot more complex. About half-way through the game, I've come to accept NiGHTS as the carefree, purple Australian jester she is...until at a very unfortunate time, when I first hear that I must save him. Not “It's NiGHTS – save her!” but the very opposite - “save HIM!” Suddenly, the sickening image of Sonic the Hedgehog talking like Minnie Mouse burns itself into my brain. The kid missions involve you trying to find NiGHTS or rescue the other kid from your world, wandering on neon signs and throwing blue chips at enemies. O_O?

The camera itself produces a very nightmarish problem (no pun intended, seriously). It sticks like crazy and never stays where you want it to go. Have no clue where you're throwing your last weapon? Too bad. Sonic Team, need I remind you of Sonic Adventure?

And as for time, each of the kids' stories will only take perhaps 3 hours each for hardcore gamers (who, on second thought, won't own this game) or 5 hours for slower, more casual players like me.

The music however, is very nice. Except for a very perky theme that gets lodged into your cranium for days at a time (“In the nights....Dream delight....”) the background music is admittedly well-done and fits each world well. As for bosses, the techniques for defeating each is unique. But with the irrational flight patterns.

But perhaps the most cunning idea with the worst execution is...the MyDream function. This idea of “building your own dream world” as the package described has me thinking of organizing different aspects of the landscaping and atmosphere. However, it is very different. It is nothing more than a big square, where any Nightmarens and Nightopians are sent if you happen to Paraloop them during a Chase Mission. It's just like the zoo! Only you can get mauled by the beasts because there are no cages, and all you're given are a few chips to kill the monsters you collected in the first place. As if this wasn't bland enough, let's add the “weather” function. If you have Internet connection, MyDream will adjust its weather based on your area's weather via the Forecast Channel. This means a different ground texture, a different sky texture, and different random objects popping up all over your garden which really is more like UnpredictableMonsterZoo than MyDream. However, you can also travel to other people's lame gardens too! Now you can fight Nightmarens in other people's gardens too! Not only that, but you can also interact with other players. How? By using a collection of maybe a dozen pictures that you can combine in a speech bubble. Isn't that just fascinating?! “ :D, <3, ^_^!”

My recommendation: rent before purchasing, or buy at very low price at GameStop for a used copy. There'll be a million copies there, trust me.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 02/10/09

Game Release: NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams (US, 12/18/07)