I could write an entire essay about this game, but I'll keep it brief. This game is designed to have you play a certain way and punishes you for failing to do so, with design decisions that on paper seem like terrible ideas. But these were not bad things, and I had fun once I adjusted and felt the thrill of being a tiny animal in a hostile alien world, surviving on my nimbleness and knowledge of the terrain. However, in order for a game like this to work, it has to make sure that if you die, it's because you screwed up somehow. The thing about this game is that sometimes, enemies will bug out. And because of the way the game is designed, this often leads to inescapable death, which just leads to a chain-reaction of frustration. Other death-inducers that weren't as bad included dead enemies blocking the exit, and controls that may or may not have been just a little too finicky. This all being said, there's no other game quite like it, and it somehow has a very positive on steam. So if you really like artsy hard games, and can brush off deaths that weren't your fault, you might have fun with it. MIGHT.
I don't see why people hate the game so much. This game has finally gotten governments to look into the predatory practices of loot boxes in video games.
Here's the deal: Nights: Journey of Dreams is bad. but it's the best bad game you will ever play. Yes, the acting is horrible, and yes, the animation constantly dips into the uncanny valley. These would normally break a game, But because Nights is already so bizarre to begin with, all these flaws become endearing. I don't find the occasional clunky platforming section frustrating. I don't find it offensive that the antagonist is Jewish(No really, Wise-man is a Jewish surname). They're all just addatives to the pot of crazy that is Nights. And because none of this actually ruins the core of its fun(if stiff) gameplay, It's all the best parts of playing a bad game without the bad stuff. So If You're looking for a 2 hour drug drip, Nights is the game for you. P.S. Sega, I hope you kept the guy who made the bosses around, because they are legitimately terrifying.
My experience so far is a cycle between fun and boredom. Fun when I explore the dungeons, frustration when I end up backtracking. Fun when I'm a wolf looking for the water spirits, frustration when I have to look for all the bugs scattered across the map. These among other annoyances(certain platforming sections, unskippable cutscenes, etc.) make me rather indiffferent to the game. I think part of is my own stupidity makes the backtracking and bug hunting more difficult than it should be, but I nevertheless put this as warning to anyone who gets annoyed by the same stuff. Update: I've finished the game, and I have some stuff to add. I really appreciate how they make sure every dungeon feels unique with their own atmosphere, especially towards the end, but they do that by giving you a new gadget in each dungeon, and some gadgets are almost only used for that dungeon. So it's very likely you'll forget how a gadget works or what puzzles it can solve when the game requires you to use it again in a different dungeon. So if you're feeling stuck, don't be afraid to use the walkthrough, because it really is the game's fault for giving you 15 different items and then ask you to use one after not having used it for the past 5 dungeons. Also, if you have a chance, play it on a GameCube, because goddamn is the wii remote bad. I can't tell you how many times I got stuck just because I forgot to press the camera button so I could look around and see the thing that was needed to progress. Another problem that was alleviated by a walkthrough.
Do you know why this was originally released for the psvita? Because it depended on real life distractions to periodically pull you away from the game to keep you from having a mental breakdown. The game is hard, and the battles end quickly, usually with your death, and it's emotionally taxing to watch your character bloodily massacred every minute. It's too easy to fall into a trap of not being able to stop playing because you're so emotionally invested but you're also too upset to think straight. You'll notice I gave it a 10 despite this. That's because the game is damn near perfect. It's only flaw is that it isn't meant to be played for long periods of time. Pace yourself. When you get stuck on a boss, stop playing and come back to it in the morning. Maybe have a timer set to 1 hour or 30 minutes. But whatever you do, DO NOT BINGE ON THE GAME. You will hate yourself and most likely break something.
