NiGHTS

For more information, see NiGHTS' Wikipedia article.

NiGHTS is the protagonist of the games NiGHTS into Dreams... and NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams, developed and published by Sega (and specificly Sonic Team). Like the rest of the Nightmaren species, NiGHTS is technically genderless, but is generally regarded as a female due to her highly feminine voice. She wears a purple jester style hat and outfit, with a diamond-shaped red jewel on her chest.

Relation to Sonic
NiGHTS makes occasional appearences in Sonic games, no doubt because Sonic Team developed all the NiGHTS games too. Her most notable contribution came in Sonic Pinball Party, where NiGHTS helped Sonic free Amy and Tails from Eggman's hypnotism. But in most Sonic games, NiGHTS simply appears briefly in a cameo role. Whether the Sonic and NiGHTS games series are based in the same reality has not been confirmed, and the canonicity of NiGHTS' relation to the Sonicverse is unknown.

Significant Game Appearances
The character's 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 Nintendo Wii. NiGHTS also appeared in the sampler game Christmas NiGHTS for the Sega Saturn, and featured in Sonic Riders and Sega Superstars Tennis.

Sonic Adventure/Sonic Adventure DX Director's Cut
In Sonic Adventure, NiGHTS appears as a Pinball game. The pinball game featured elements from NiGHTS into Dreams. Along with the NiGHTS Pinball, there was a Sonic Pinball game. These cameos reappeared in the Director's Cut version for the GameCube. In the missions, NiIGHTS' picture can be seen on a small billboard next to Tails' shop.

Sonic Adventure 2/Sonic Adventure 2 Battle
In the next installment of the Sonic Adventure series, NiGHTS made multiple cameos. In the City Escape stage, billboards and posters depicted ads for The NiGHTS Hotel, which can be seen in the sky lines of Shadow's Radical Highway stage. NiGHTS also makes a Chao cameo. The Neutral Fly Type Chao resembles NiGHTS, along with the Dark Fly Type, which resembles Reala or an evil looking NiGHTS. Some NiGHTS fans claim a third type of Chao resemble a boss from the first NiGHTS game, Jackle.

Sonic Pinball Party
In Sonic Pinball Party, NiGHTS appears, once again, as a Pinball game. The Pinball game features many elements from NiGHTS into Dreams. This is the only game where NiGHTS actually interacts with Sonic.

Sonic Battle
NiGHTS appears in the Speed Demon mini game where she can be seen flying in the background, similar to her appearance in Sonic Adventure 2/Sonic Adventure 2: Battle.

Sonic Riders
NiGHTS' first playable cameo is in Sonic Riders. She can be unlocked if the player reaches certain requirements. NiGHTS' Extreme Gear board is called the Night Sky. Sections of the SEGA Carnival/SEGA Illusion courses feature elements from NiGHTS into Dreams.

Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity
In the sequel to Sonic Riders, NiGHTS returns as an unlockable playable character. Also, in both the 90's and 80's Boulevard courses, you can see signs advertising NiGHTS and NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams.

Phantasy Star Online I & II Plus
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.... Though Nights into Dreams... was left without a sequel for over a decade, NiGHTS continued to appear within games developed by Sonic Team as a cameo, showing much affection for the character and the game. This led to the eventual sequel, NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams. 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 his in the original game. The character was specifically created to be gender neutral: neither male or female, according to Iizuka, this is so both boys and girls can identify with the character.

Character
NiGHTS is a first-level Nightmaren, created by Wizeman to steal Red Ideya. Despite being one of Wizeman's most powerful creations, NiGHTS is a remarkably mischievous free spirit who did not like taking orders, so much so that Wizeman has on multiple occasions, imprisoned NiGHTS within Nightopia to keep her out of the way. NiGHTS asks for the assistance of Claris and Elliot (Will and Helen in the new game) in defeating Wizeman simply because she doesn't like Wizeman, and not because NiGHTS is inherently 'good', a mistake even fans often make. NiGHTS' rival is another first-level Nightmaren, Reala.

Personality
NiGHTS detests being ordered around or restrained, and freely flies through the skies of Nightopia. NiGHTS is full of curiosity, and loves anything new or unusual. NiGHTS sometimes scares or makes fun of people. Although NiGHTS doesn't have a strong sense of righteousness, she is unhappy about Wizeman's attempts to eliminate Nightopia.

Abilities
Besides flying, NiGHTS shows various other abilities in both games.

In the first game, NiGHTS shows the ability to transform into a bobsled, an ability that was expanded upon in the sequel with the introduction of persona masks. Each mask allows NiGHTS to change forms and abilities accordingly, including those of a dragon, rocket and dolphin.

Along with the persona masks, NiGHTS is also able to transform into a boat and a roller coaster, as well as rolling up in a ball to roll down slides (a possible reference to Sonic Team's title character Sonic the Hedgehog).

NiGHTS can create small portals called paraloops if she can fly in a circle.

Home
NiGHTS comes from the world of Nightopia (referred to in-game as the Night Dimension), takes shape according to the thoughts, ideas, personalities, and will of the Visitors (humans from the real world). NiGHTS is, however, actually a Nightmaren alongside Owl (a brown owl who acts as elder and guide in the sequel) and the Nightopians. NiGHTS does what she can to stop Wizeman from taking over.

Interaction with other characters
NiGHTS sometimes scares or makes fun of people, but is playful in nature and shows kindness to Visitors.

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. NiGHTS shows the children around different Dream Worlds and works together with them to dispatch numerous Nightmaren.

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 NiGHTS' rambunctious behavior, and occasionally lectures NiGHTS, but to no avail.

Wizeman: NiGHTS shows a special distaste for Wizeman. NiGHTS is glad to put a halt to Wizeman's plans, and has defeated Wizeman in combat twice. Any orders given to NiGHTS by Wizeman are in vain, as NiGHTS simply continues the rebellion against the creator of Nightmare. It should be noted that the reason that NiGHTS rebels against her master is not because NiGHTS is good and Wizeman is evil, but simply due to NiGHTS' extreme dislike for Wizeman and his ideals.

Reala: NiGHTS' relationship with Reala appears complicated. NiGHTS seems to still hold Reala as a friend or at the least as a former one, while Reala pities NiGHTS for rebelling against Wizeman. Reala often plays on NiGHTS' mercy, using it as opportunity to imprison NiGHTS. Reala sometimes refers to NiGHTS as a "sibling." NiGHTS is frustrated with Reala however she cares for him deeply.

Reception
In his review of NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams, Kevin VanOrd of GameSpot described the character as an "androgynous jester." VanOrd said, "NiGHTS is smoothly animated", but said NiGHTS' "vocal personification (may not be) everyone's cup of tea." VanOrd wrote, "The jester is genderless...and the accompanying voice is, well, correspondingly, NiGHTS sounds like a young woman, it's a good fit for the character."

Referring to NiGHTS into Dreams..., IGN said "Nights was essentially Sonic in the air..." The IGN review of NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams 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." In the English version of the game, NiGHTS is voiced by Julissa Aguirre.

Trivia

 * Despite Sonic having visited a dream realm in Sonic Shuffle, he did not encounter NiGHTS there, although NiGHTS is playable in the game.
 * NiGHTS is now a girl.
 * First time Sonic became 3D was in the Limited Edition 'Christmas NiGHTS into Dreams' where he could be unlocked.