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[Innotech]

NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams Interview
SEGA Studio USA producer Takashi Iizuka tells us about the Wii flying game.
by Matt Casamassina


May 10, 2007 - Hardcore gamers jumped for joy when SEGA revealed that it was working on a Wii sequel to the NiGHTS franchise. Journey of Dreams is set for release later this year and we caught up with SEGA Studio producer Takashi Iizuka to learn more about the ambitious project. That interview below.

IGN: There's a rumor going around that the project began its life cycle for PS3/Xbox 360, but was later moved to Wii. Is this true and, if so, what prompted the decision?

Takashi: Ever since the disappearance of NiGHTS' over 11 years ago, this game has seemed to be shrouded in rumors and mystery. As a game studio, it is common for us to evaluate every platform before we start our development process for any game. Once we had collectively decided to create a NiGHTS sequel, our focus shifted to determining which system was be best suited for the game. Not only does the Wii offer an innovative new remote controller that challenges us to recreate the "fun" flight simulation of NiGHTS, but the platform's demographic appeal seemed a perfect fit for those who could appreciate the "heart-warming" story behind the game. Ultimately we want to create a sequel that our loyal fans will love as well as introduce a new generation of gamers to the world of NiGHTS.

Click here for our recent eyes-on NiGHTS

IGN: How long has the title been in development and, specifically, which team is creating the game?

Takashi: Our initial creative process for NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams started back in late 2006. It is very typical for our team to start very early in flushing out new game concepts that we are interested in. SEGA Studio USA works collaboratively with all of its internal departments including programming and artists to decide what game we will eventually make. In this way, we can increase our creative efforts incorporating ideas from all sections of our team. We find that this is a very invaluable process that encourages participation amongst all our team members.

IGN: Give us some examples for how you'll use the Wii remote to control the NiGHTS in the game.

Producer Takashi Iizuka
Takashi: During development of the original NiGHTS, we worked very hard to utilize SEGA's innovative 3D controller to enhance the flight sensation of our game and with the Nintendo Wii controller, we are once again challenged to repeat the task. Our ultimate goal is to create an experience that blends the "fun" flying sensation of NiGHTS with the player's interactivity with the controller.

Initially, we envisioned using the Wii remote as sort of a "magic wand", where NiGHTS could be directed simply by movements of the controller. But with any new input device, we were finding some limitations using just the remote. That is why we are also designing the game to be played using the remote with the Nunchuk for a more "traditional" control configuration. Our goals are two-fold, one to create a brand-new gaming experience with the sequel as well giving the player a choice to play NiGHTS like before. Either way, we hope that they find the game as enjoyable as we do.

IGN: Will there be cooperative and online modes? Please explain how they work.

Takashi: Currently, we are investigating a number of features that will utilize the Wii network capability. But, at this time we have not decided on any specific functionality yet. Ultimately, we would like to have multiplayer functionality as well as a way to tap into the Nintendo network where players could share their game experience on a world-wide level.

IGN: What is the game doing from a technical standpoint (graphics) that you're most proud of?

Takashi: When we first began thinking about the sequel, one of our main technical challenges was how to harness the current technology which would allow us to create the most fantastical, vibrant and unusual dream worlds ever seen. We focused our developmental efforts on our new 3D rendering engine to graphically push the envelope of the Nintendo hardware as we are very excited about taking advantage of today's technology that allows developers to make realistic-looking environments and apply that to making the dream world of NiGHTS truly come alive.

Eyes-on NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams
We're shown the first footage of the game in motion. How does it look?
by Matt Casamassina

May 10, 2007 - SEGA of America offered up a brief look at NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams at its pre-E3 Day 2007 in San Francisco on Thursday. Producer Takashi Iizuka took onlookers through a slideshow presentation meant to outline his vision for the flight-action title, which is based on a now-classic SEGA Saturn effort. Iizuka-san began by explaining that NiGHTS as a franchise was inspired by dreams.

"I want to explain the concept behind the dreams and how that inspired me with the game. I want to talk about dreams, not as a fantasy world, but the dreams everybody has when they go to sleep at night. Do you realize that your dreams are a way to uplift your spirit? So, behind that -- that's really where my core research started from."

Iizuka-san said he drew inspiration from Carl Gustav Jung, whose research on dream archetypes, including the great mother, old wiseman, shadow, anima and animus, provided the foundation for the characters in the NiGHTS universe. For example, the great mother is represented by the Nightmarens in Journey of Dreams, just as the shadow is actually NiGHTS.

"When developing the game, we really went into detail and thought about what dreams meant to everybody. The real vision behind the concept of NiGHTS was to bring this fantastical dream world to life. With the creation of NiGHTS the character, this was a character that I wanted to bring to life who was in everybody's dreams. With that dream-like character, NiGHTS is a character that everybody could meet in their dreams," said the producer.

Iizuka went on to speak about NiGHTS for Wii.

"The real core of NiGHTS is an action-flight game. 11 years ago, during the development of the original NiGHTS, the core mechanic was to bring fun to the mechanic of flying the character," he said. "With the introduction of the Nintendo Wii system, we've been able to incorporate the new analog device in a brand new way. When I'm talking about the analog device, I'm not talking about the remote, but the arm of the player as a component of that analog device -- we've incorporated that with the Wii controller to bring this new flight sensation to NiGHTS."

Iizuka-san said that the game can be played with gestures using the Wii remote, but he also noted that he didn't want to alienate gamers who had come to cherish the classic title. With that in mind, players will also be able to attach the nunchuk and control NiGHTS with the analog stick in addition to effecting movement with the Wii remote.

There are seven lands that comprise the world of Nightopia and they are separated into colorfully happy and cheery flying locations and the darker, more nightmarish lands inhabited by the bosses. Although Iizuka-san would not go into detail, he did note that boss fights in NiGHTS would be very different from the norm. Rather than hitting bosses over and over to eventually destroy them, boss challenges will revolve around puzzle-like challenges. He gave an example of rolling a ballooned ball-like enemy through a series of mirage mazes.

"With the advent of the new Wii system and how graphically advanced it is, we were able to bring realism to the fantastical dream world," said Iizuka-san, speaking on behalf of Journey of Dreams graphical presentation.

He then rolled a very brief video showcasing NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams in motion. The video was designed to be a sneak peek complete with voiceover and it played like a Disney trailer. The footage spotlighted a mix of rendered and real-time snippets and overall barely whetted our appetite for the game to come. In it, NiGHTS could be seen flying through a series of circles over fantastical beach-like environments. The game appeared to run with a choppy, still unpolished framerate, which is undoubtedly why Iizuka-san spent most of the time talking about it in slides rather than showing it in motion. We gained almost no understanding of how it's played based on the footage, but the environments and enemies in the snippets were varied, colorful, and highly stylized. The camera would oftentimes shoot the action from a traditional behind-the-back view, but we noticed several scenes where the angle was pulled to the side, offering a quasi-2D view in traditional NiGHTS form.

"We're promising a brand new story and all new characters," said Iizuka-san, who hopes that Nightopia will ultimately become a place that ".. everybody will enjoy revisiting again."

NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams is set to release exclusively for Wii this fall. Iizuka-san apologized for not being able to show more, but said that SEGA would pull back the curtain on the game in greater detail in the coming months.

[NOTiC]

graphics and framerate better not be a problem when it's done

[CronoMST]

Interesting. More and more it looks like you'll primarily be playing from a behind the back view, with occassional switches to other perspectives, depending on the situation.

[Innotech]

Interesting. More and more it looks like you'll primarily be playing from a behind the back view, with occassional switches to other perspectives, depending on the situation.

I would prefer it to be at an angle so you can accurately place NiGHTS. 3d isnt very good for gauging depth of field, which is essential to get the maximum links possible.

[whatabout_paul]

We're promising a brand new story and all new characters," said Iizuka-san, who hopes that Nightopia will ultimately become a place that ".. everybody will enjoy revisiting again."

Lets hope he's right. It's more ammo to support a 'new' game rather than a re-make of the first.