-- Christmas NiGHTS --
Formats: Sega Saturn Genre: Action Developer: Sonic Team Rating: K-A Debut: December, 1996
'Tis the season to be jolly, but Elliot and Claris realize that there is something missing from the picture. Despite the lights and decorations around Twin Seeds, the warm spirit of Christmas is lost amid rushing shoppers and commercialism. It's like a Christmas tree without a star; the situation perfectly represented by the elaborately decorated Twin Seeds Tower with an empty spire. That night, Elliot and Claris have the same dream...with NiGHTS! In the dream, Gillwing has hoarded the missing "star", and through the aid of NiGHTS, Elliot and Claris save the decoration. The next day, when the two teens spot each other on the street, they run to talk about their dream...when Elliot slips on the icy pavement, and crashes headlong into Claris! A small crowd gathers around the scene, and the sight induces a warm laugh all around as the two teens get up unharmed. The warm Christmas spirit fills the air, and as Elliot and Claris gaze at the elaborately decorated Twin Seeds Tower, the star seems to appear on the spire. The tree is complete.

   Just a few months after the release of the original NiGHTS into Dreams..., Sonic Team followed it up with this bonus game. Intended as sort of a Christmas gift for NiGHTS fans, the CD contained one complete level from the original game (Spring Valley), as well as the option to play the four "tracks" backwards (as Elliot). The real bonus was the game's time-based features. Christmas NiGHTS remains the only game in the entire Saturn library to fully utilize the system's internal clock & calendar. There are three different versions of the game, and many different seasonal specials. Here's how things stack up:

• For most of the year (March-October), the game is "NiGHTS: Limited Edition". The graphics, items, character models, music, and Gillwing boss are as they usually are.
• Come November 1, however, the game transforms into "Winter NiGHTS". Spring Valley is covered in snow, Claris and Elliot don their bright winter outfits, and the music becomes "Jack Frost's Chime".
• From December 1 through December 25, it becomes "Christmas NiGHTS". The snow-capped Spring Valley is decorated with colored lights, Christmas trees, candles, giant candy canes, and other such holiday paraphernalia. Blue Chips become color-changing Chips, Star Chips become bells (and make a special "bell" noise when you collect them), the orange loops become green wreaths, and Ideya Captures become Christmas trees! Elliot, Claris, and NiGHTS don their red & white Christmas garments, and even Gillwing gets into the holiday spirit. The background music is "Dream Bells" (a hip take on Jingle Bells), and the "Presents" option changes to "Christmas Presents". After beating the game in the Christmas setting, the "Christmas" option becomes playable year-round.
• On January 1, the game is "New Year NiGHTS", which is identical to Winter NiGHTS except for the title screen.
• On April 1 (April Fool's day), everyone's favorite Nightmaren Reala takes NiGHTS' place! After beating the game as Reala, the option to play as him appears under the "Presents" menu year-round.

   One of the biggest draws was the unique "presents" system. Each time after completing the game (either character's path), the player is challenged to a little game of memory match-up. Match a pair of cards, and the "present" pictures on those cards becomes an option under the "Presents" menu. Here's the complete gift list:

REALA -- Play as Reala year-round
Karaoke -- Sing along to "Dreams Dreams"	LINK ATTACK -- Go for the most Links	TIME ATTACK -- Go for the best time	Melody Box -- Mix music from the original NiGHTS	Nightopian Collection -- View the A-Life	SONIC -- Play Time Attack as Sonic
NiGHTS MUSEUM -- Art featuring NiGHTS	NiGHTS MUSEUM -- More art featuring NiGHTS	NiGHTS MUSEUM -- Art featuring bosses	NiGHTS MUSEUM -- More art featuring bosses	NiGHTS MUSEUM -- Art featuring Nightmaren	NiGHTS MUSEUM -- More art featuring Nightmaren
NiGHTS MUSEUM -- Art featuring Elliot Edwards	NiGHTS MUSEUM -- Art featuring Nightopians	NiGHTS MUSEUM -- More art featuing Nightopians	NiGHTS MUSEUM -- Art featuring Twin Seeds	NiGHTS MUSEUM -- More art featuring NiGHTS	NiGHTS MUSEUM -- Art featuring Nightopia
NiGHTS MUSEUM -- Art featuring Claris Sinclair	NiGHTS GOODS -- Images of various NiGHTS goodies	Movie 1 -- Preview movie from Tokyo Toy Show '96	Movie 2 -- Preview movie from '96 Summer Special	NiGHTS MUSEUM -- More art featuring NiGHTS	Christmas NiGHTS -- Play Christmas NiGHTS year-round

   As if jam-packing in all this cool stuff wasn't enough, the game was free! Couldn't really call it a Christmas present if Sega had made us pay for it. I'm not sure how the game was distributed in Japan, but in the US it was packaged with the holiday '96 newsstand issues of Next Generation and the now out-of-publication Ultra Game Players magazines. Personally, I bought one of each to make sure I got mine. Hehehe... The game didn't get a European release until a year later, packaged free with the December '97 issue of Sega Saturn Magazine.

-- MIDI Collection -- None Available

-- Related Media -- · Japanese cover

Singing 'Pians: You'll notice that in the "Nightopian Collection", NiGHTS' popularity rating among the 'Pians is represented by a bar graph at the bottom. If the little NiGHTS head is all the way to the right (meaning NiGHTS' popularity is 100% with every Nightopian and Mepian in the level), the 'Pians will sing you their own kawaii version of "Dreams Dreams". Secret Background Items: By setting the Saturn's internal clock (or just waiting for the appropriate time, if you've got that sort of patience), you can access special visual goodies. Set the clock to the following times for the indicated results: 12:00 A.M. -- Snow becomes Hearts 3:00 A.M. -- Lunar Eclipse in the background 6:00 A.M. -- Auroras in the background 7:00 A.M. -- Bright Sun in the background 9:00 A.M. -- Snow becomes Crescent Moons 12:00 P.M. -- Rainbows & Clouds in the background, snow becomes Red Crystals 3:00 P.M. -- Snow becomes Candy 6:00 P.M. -- Snow becomes Sparkles 9:00 P.M. -- Snow becomes Stars

Screenshots taken from Sega Entertainment Universe. Japanese cover thanks to Heidi "Zero-chan" Kemps. Information compiled and arranged by Jared "Green Gibbon!" Matte.