User:Tonygameman/NiGHTS Proposal (Battle of AGES)

Job #44 (90's Character) - NiGHTS (NiGHTS into Dreams - 1996)

Well, Opa-Opa won the previous character prompt, so let's get forward to my another most wanted character for this project, who has close relations to Sonic (like Opa-Opa with Alex) thanks to same developers (Sonic Team's Naoto Oshima and Yuji Naka), NiGHTS themselves (or himself as occasionally referred to with male pronouns in Journey of Dreams, though you guys are open to say otherwise and I also approve a character as "them" or "him/her" in some situations).

The game's plot involve two children, Claris & Elliot, who fight to save the world of dreams called Nightopia, from the evil nightmare forces led by Wizeman the Wicked (potential boss), with the help of a mysterious, titular Nightmaren being themselves as they face various characters such as their rival and sibling, Reala (who may work out as a potential clone or an assist).

The game received critical acclaim for its beautiful graphics, soundtrack, atmosphere and impressive gameplay. It even got a sequel, NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams, released on Nintendo Wii in 2007. While the series may seem fairly obscure by today's standards, it's still popular enough to appear on several lists of the greatest games of all time and Archie also published the comic book series and a role in the crossover Worlds Unite. NiGHTS was also referenced lots of times and even appeared in multiple games like SEGA Superstars/Tennis, All-Stars Racing/Transformed (as a flagman and a racer respectively) and Sonic games, alongside the blue hedgehog himself in Christmas NiGHTS. A mini-game is also playable by linking the Game Boy Advance to GameCube via Phantasy Star Online and Billy Hatcher.

Plus, it was reported that Mario and Zelda's creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, wished he had worked on the game. And Steven Spielberg himself, being the first person who played the game when he visited SEGA and used an experimental version of the new controller, which was called the "Spielberg Controller" during development.

A reason why I decided to submit NiGHTS was because they're not only interesting for their legacy, but also diversity in clever ways, as they're both genderless and probably the fifth "cartoon" character alongside Sonic, Eggman, Alex & Opa-Opa; compared to "realistic" ones in the same amount - Akira, Sarah, Kiryu, Sakura & Ulala. It was also their 25th anniversary a week ago as the game was first released in July 5th, 1996 (like how I suggested Eggman last month the exact day of his and Sonic's 30th anniversary).

Anyway, for their moveset potential, NiGHTS has many stuff to go with, such as their signature flight ability, acrobatics, Drill Dash and Paraloop. Because of this and flying mechanics being prominent in their series, NiGHTS will also get four air-dashes and has an air-oriented playstyle much like Opa-Opa, meaning that while they're maybe weak on the ground, they will be absolutely devastating when kept in the air.

They can also dualize by fusing into one with a Visitor or even split into two if more than one Visitor are assimilated (which I can see for a potential All-Star Move). Their arsenal includes a Dream Flute, which NiGHTS may use to summon Nightopians as a orbiting shield akin to Luma, and Persona Masks (sounds familiar?) to shape-shift into various things such as a dolphin, a rocket and a giant dragon.