Arcade veteran SEGA is no stranger to the racing genre. Since Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, their mascot’s latest spin-off, has been on the brain, I’d like to discuss a circuit from one of its predecessors. And since a certain jester just joined CrossWorlds, there’s no better time to tackle a track based on the NiGHTS series. Let’s travel back to 2012, when the company published Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, a fun fling that happily drew from many of their franchises (note: I’m playing the Xbox 360 version via my Xbox One. Steam and the PlayStation 3 also received the game, while the Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation Vita, and smartphones scored scaled-down versions). Any of its twenty-one tracks would’ve made for a swell subject. But the SEGA Saturn classic NiGHTS into Dreams… means a lot to me, and I want to explore how its unconventional nature beautifully powers Dream Valley, its Transformed tribute.
Image: Source Gaming. NiGHTS cameoed in Transformed’s predecessor, Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, due to fan demand. Transformed formally bringing NiGHTS into the fold was a victory, and I’m likewise glad CrossWorlds made space for the Sonic Team stalwart.
Alongside its headliner, NiGHTS into Dreams… stars two human protagonists. The opening level for the young lady, Claris, is the sprightly Spring Valley. Glorified demo disc Christmas NiGHTS lets her and fellow troubled teenager Elliot traverse its lush dreamscapes (although its layout is flipped when he visits). And Spring Valley has since risen as one of NiGHTS’ definitive settings, representing it in Transformed ancestor SEGA Superstars. Even the 2020 Sonic the Hedgehog film homages it! So it isn’t surprising that Transformed developer Sumo Digital drew generously from the canyon to create Dream Valley, home track to NiGHTS and sinister sibling Reala.
Somewhere long ago, I saw someone describe Transformed’s tracks as roller coasters, spectacles you wouldn’t see in Mario Kart (for reference, 3DS bestseller Mario Kart 7 hit earlier that year; the series hadn’t received an HD entry yet). Frankly, the SEGA crossover almost reads more like a response to the decade-older Diddy Kong Racing, boasting boats and airplanes alongside cars… except here your vehicle automatically transforms when you dash through a “transform gate.” But since NiGHTS into Dreams… and its joyless Wii sequel, Journey of Dreams, orbit a performer who flies perennially, Dream Valley champions airliners. This is the only course where you never drive a car once!
Image: Source Gaming. Composer Richard Jacques has a long history with SEGA. His Transformed score remixes iconic tracks spanning the company’s catalog, and an energetic one of “After the Dream” introduces this Valley.
Typically, the start of a race in Transformed mirrors the Mario Kart protocol: every contestant sits before the starting line, a countdown begins, and you can score an accelerated start if you time your button presses carefully. In Dream Valley, everybody’s instead automatically flying forward before the festivities begin, although the countdown and corresponding potential for a boost persist.
After passing the starting line, a stone pillar lies dead ahead that forces you to swerve left or right. Most players, I imagine, instinctively choose right. It’s slightly less direct than going left, but isn’t that string of orange rings fetching? Rightfully so, as moving through these NiGHTS fixtures provides a burst of speed! If you fly through them consecutively, you’ll soar faster, channeling how chaining rings together in NiGHTS rewards progressively higher point bonuses. Meanwhile, the left path is barren save for a stationary Alarm Egg, nuisance to NiGHTS buffs.
Image: Source Gaming. Dream Valley sports a simple layout you basically circle across gradually. Hazards grow peskier in subsequent laps, though you can take advantage of them and the scenery to earn “risk boosts;” perform a trick to dodge ‘em just before you’d crash.
After that small split, you’ll fly under another cliff and potentially through some item boxes. Then you’re funneled through another series of rings, one that’s basically unavoidable. If a newcomer skipped the first batch, now they’re forced to learn they’re helpful. A small break between two ring chains yields another chance to score a goodie. Should this somehow be a player’s first time controlling a plane, then they’ll likely learn another valuable lesson: aiming projectiles is much harder in the air! On the flip side, one advantage to flying—assuming you’re leading the pack, at least—is that you have much more room to dodge wasp swarms, Transformed’s Spiny Shell analog (and precursor to the obstacles Mario Kart World’s Kamek summon spawns).
Anyway, that second, long stretch of rings curves around an enormous tree. Players can avail themselves of the boost rings supply while preparing another one by drifting; make sure to practice that. More of the same follows: another item box breather, a stonehenge-esque structure to fly through and into more rings, and finally you have one final chance to arm yourself before dashing into more orange loops—which lead into a portal…
Image: Source Gaming. Real estate in Dream Valley is split between both NiGHTS contestants. Since elements from NiGHTS and Reala’s habitats never mix in their games, they don’t here.
Instantly, Dream Valley takes a wicked turn: you’re still flying straight, but now you’re in the twisted realm the evil Nightmaren Gillwing calls home! Even the music changes from a chipper “Paternal Horn” arrangement to one of “NiGHTS and Reala,” the rival’s theme (oddly, Reala’s All-Star jingle is instead a remix of big bad Wizeman the Wicked’s theme) as the dopey dragon swoops by. And the darkness is almost blinding, something the glowing, neon foliage helps alleviate.
Where the first part of Dream Valley mostly consists of an open sky, this dump whisks you through a tunnel full of plants that are a little too easy to smack into! Thankfully, three normal speed boosters are divided evenly, helping racers recover from a setback. And if you’re skilled at employing evasion boosts, there’s ample opportunity to prove it here! A gold “super pickup” box is also a pleasant reward for carefully maneuvering through a small hedge maze midway through, though you’re free to fly over or to the right of it if you aren’t confident in your maneuvering. Ultimately, you’re led to another Dream Gate portal, one that’ll bring you back to Dream Valley’s enchanting heaven.
Image: Source Gaming. Pro tip: if you have a blowfish or triple blowfish—the latter of which you can attain through super item boxes—drop ‘em just as you enter the river. You’ll likely catch a foe or two off-guard!
…But your plane turned into a boat! Hey, that actually tracks! NiGHTS morphs into one during a memorable Journey of Dreams mission and swims briefly in the original. And though the snowy mountains here are taken from the former, they still evoke Spring Valley’s winter makeover in Christmas NiGHTS. Slush isn’t alien to this lush wonderland.
Anyhoo, you’re now dashing down a river rife with opportunities to perform air tricks after jumping off a ramp (and ample room to waste ‘em; accidentally smacking into a cliff, a painfully easy mistake to make, eliminates your charge). First, there’s one drop, and you can perform a stunt or two to score some speed upon landing. Then there’s another quick split, the right path of which lets you linger in the air a tad longer; chaining three plus poses together is a cinch. A swift descent yields another drop, and then finally you’re given three potential routes. The left and right segue into a large pool, which contains a few item boxes and boosters.
Image: Source Gaming. An unpredictable dynamism fuels Transformed’s best levels. Dream Valley taps into that through its hefty makeovers, and its lone hovercraft section is startling on your first time through.
If you reach the ramp in the middle, you’re launched into the sky—and potentially into a super pick-up and transform gate! Depending on the angle you leap off, you may need to perform a few left or right flip tricks to reach them. If successful, you’ll score a slightly more straightforward route above the pool and another chance to nab an item. Either way, congrats! You’re gonna get funneled into a massive Ideya Palace, the prisons in NiGHTS into Dreams… where you merge with the demon clown. By this point, everyone’ll fittingly man their planes again.
Things aren’t quite as you remember, though. Those initial rings are now on the left of the pillar, which that gaudy clock is now circling. You’ll soar upwards into a new item box cluster and into another, new string of rings! It treads familiar terrain, but instead of moving through that tunnel, now you’re flying to the right of it. Levels in NiGHTS into Dreams… consist of four “courses.” Each share common ground, but also host unique areas. Maintaining the basic layout across Dream Valley’s Spring half but moving specific elements—for another example, now you move to the left of that huge tree—still keeps players on their toes, evoking that NiGHTS spirit.
Image: Source Gaming. Gillwing rules Spring Valley, but two more nasty Nightmaren share the stage here! That makes sense; they gave Sumo more material to work with, and squeezing in two additional cameos is deeply appreciated.
Naturally, Dream Valley’s dark half doesn’t offer the luxury of familiarity. Where the last lap whisked you through Gillwing’s turf, Transformed now pits you against Puffy, its counterpart on Elliot’s route. Again, the difficulty comes from dodging the scenery, and skilled players can take advantage of it. Starting in a fairly claustrophobic room, you’ll fly through a massive bookshelf into a square hole in the wall. The next room features a warped wooden structure (a bed frame, perhaps…?) you can fly through; three openings shelter item boxes and the middle one a booster. Aim for whatever you need most, a push forward or a weapon to potentially strike nearby rivals. Or you can fly around the frame, although that’ll cost valuable seconds.
Waiting at the end is Puffy, who… jumps into the wall as we approach, granting access to the next room (breaking through the wall can also be accomplished by shooting it with a projectile or driving into it, though naturally the latter slows you down). Nothing to see here, and soon she’ll slam into the next wall. We’re in the dining room now: a table set with items lies in the center while another booster hovers to its right. We’re almost done! Puffy smashes into two more rooms, the first of which is barren. When you enter the final room, all that stands between you and freedom is another bed frame. Try to fly through this one to grab the super pickup!
Image: Source Gaming. This is the first Dream Gate. Those floating rock formations litter the path in the third lap, potentially blindsiding newcomers to Nightopia.
Time for another swim. No swerves here; the river’s exactly as you remember it. Once you’re flying again, however, expect Sumo to mess with your muscle memory once more: rings are again relocated (this lap whisks you through the tree) and you’ll find yourself flying near the top of the stage, near those pesky rocks. And before you know it, you’ll enter one last nightmare.
Who’s our final guest, you ask? Why, none other than Wizeman! You had to go out of your way to crash into Gillwing, while Puffy, if anything, guided players across her abode. But their boss directly harasses racers while incessantly chanting generic threats. Thankfully, his waves of moving boulders, his go-to attack in NiGHTS, bob up and down in a predictable pattern, so dodging them isn’t too tough. Four speed boosters grace his glum ruins, as does a super pickup midway through on the left. Considering how compact his minions’ domains were, it’s oddly refreshing how relatively simple and open Wizeman’s is. Oh, and no—you can’t hurt him (nor Gillwing or Puffy). Projectiles fly right through the giant jerk! Regardless, you’re almost done. Another trek through the river closes Dream Valley with some comforting consistency.
Image: Source Gaming. Only those in first place or close to it will see Puffy and Wizeman. If you’re straggling, master Transformed’s boost mechanics. You gotta if you hope to clear its expert-level single-player missions!
Dream Valley is the first course in the Emerald Cup, the third cup in Transformed (the final track therein is based on Sonic & Knuckles’ Sky Sanctuary, again demanding proficiency with the plane). Anyone aiming to further mess with their muscle memory can try Valley’s mirror mode version. Moreover, the level shows up twice in the “World Tour” campaign, first in World 3 and again in the final one. Respectively, they’re a standard race and “ring race”—wherein you fly through rings in typical NiGHTS fashion—that gate off access to the purple performer and their red rival. Oh, and the expert staff ghost in “Time Attack” can clear a lap of Dream Valley in 1:15.586; you’re gonna need some practice to surpass ‘em!
Mechanically, Dream Valley isn’t Transformed’s most approachable or deepest track; it holds little in the way of shortcuts. Admittedly, it isn’t a level I voluntarily play often, and your enjoyment of it will largely depend on how comfortable you are in the air. But Dream Valley is nevertheless striking, unconventional, and exudes reverence for its source material—and, despite everything I just said, is my favorite level in Transformed. Really, it’s a pure distillation of NiGHTS. The Saturn cult classic’s surreal atmosphere, cast, and addicting score-attack gameplay are phenomenal, earning it a loyal fanbase, and SEGA’s catalog would be weaker without it. Similarly, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is richer for hosting Dream Valley.
Image: Source Gaming. When playing Mario Kart, sometimes I wish I could ditch the vehicles and run around as the plumber, Wario, or Kongs. Meanwhile, Dream Valley is a dream delight where it’s easy to pretend I’m playing an experimental 3D NiGHTS.
Thanks to NantenJex for helping with edits.
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