NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams is a sequel to the revered SEGA Saturn classic NiGHTS into Dreams, and has an almost identical story as its predecessor. Two twelve year old kids, named Helen and Will, are growing up in a world of disappointment and failure. They find their real life struggles seeping into their dreams when they sleep, turning into fantastic flying heroes (called NiGHTS) in a colorful, but dangerous world called Nightopia. Normally a pretty pleasant place, Nightopia is threatened by the evil Nightmarens (representative of Helen and Will's fears) who wish to make it somewhat less pleasant. SEGA promises the game is “ideal...for the entire family" with its themes of “courage, hope, and inspiration."

If that seems a bit heavy-handed or outlandish for a flying platform game, don't worry: the original had the exact same plot. All of this is an excuse for a character to fly through a bright and colorful world battling dark, sinister creatures. SEGA promises each level will be filled with things to do, like collect orbs or fly through rings (being the original's main goal), with many boss battles to complement the levels.

The core gameplay of Journey into Dreams is flying on rails (similar to Star Fox). The camera is sometimes directly behind NiGHTS and at other times at his or her side, as if the game is a flying side-scroller. This time around, you will be controlling NiGHTS with the Wii Remote as if it was an analogue stick. You will also play parts of the game on foot as Helen or Will before turning into NiGHTS, though you will still be in Nightopia (there's no word and no indication that we'll be visiting the very dream-like real world during the actual game). The visuals are in keeping with the oneiric theme, with kid-sized candy color worlds invaded by dark and shadowy creatures.

SEGA announced a new addition to the gameplay of NiGHTS recently in the form of Persona Masks: each mask will alter the flying attributes of NiGHTS, and can be used any time after being collected in a given level. One mask will turn you into a slow, but powerful dragon who is impervious to the effects of wind or gravity. Another will turn you into a speeding rocket, faster than any other mask. The last will turn you into a dolphin; normally NiGHTS cannot swim, but with the dolphin mask you can dive into underwater portions of the game. Click here for screens of the Persona Masks in action.

SEGA is also promising two-player support, an unspecified online mode, and the return of A-Life, a breeding game similar to Sonic Adventure's Chao game (the original A-Life side-game was the inspiration for Chao).

For a hands-on look at NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams, read James Charlton's impressions from the Tokyo Game Show.