Christmas is a time for family, togetherness and joy, and loving looks back at the past. While we must all remain distant this year due to current events, we can still look back on classic game we got on the holiday or have parts themed around Christmas, for a good dose of nostalgia. There are a few modern games that tackle Christmas well like Cthulhu Saves Christmas, but I feel that the best Christmas retro game is Christmas Nights on the Sega Saturn.
Christmas Nights is a rather unique game, and is almost like a forerunner to the modern day concept of DLC interesting. Nights into Dreams is one of the defining game from the Saturn and is the game that Shigeru Miyamoto from Nintendo says he wishes he had made. Sonic Team made a game that was like a platformer but used flying as a core mechanic, although there were parts of the game that had 3D platforming.
A Different Experience
The standalone release of Christmas Nights is rather minimal but you will soon see there is a surprising amount of content in its single level from the original game. Everything is redone with a makeover for the holidays. It is great to see everything decked out for Christmas with decorations & you can even enjoy a great new soundtrack full of holiday music as well.
There were really no other experiences like this at the time, and the game really did set some new trends. Among the unlockable extras was Sonic the Hedgehog as a playable character in one of his first 3D outings ever and this was a revelation at the time of release. You need to remember that Sonic had no 3D outing on the Saturn aside from a small tech demo in Sonic Jam, so this was the first time many played a 3D Sonic experience.
A Wholesomeness Still Playable
For those who want to play Christmas Nights in the modern day, you will be happy to know that the game is available on modern systems. Nights into Dreams on Steam comes with Christmas Nights, and the Xbox version is backwards compatible. There is a requirement as you must play both campaigns in Nights into Dreams with a C ranking or above on each level, but it is worth it. The game is wholesome joy and a wonderful experience that paved the way for future game innovation.
If you love classic video games and Christmas, then this is the combination of the two that you have been looking for. As it is available easily still, there is no reason you should not play it this Christmas. Play on Saturn, PC or Xbox and have yourself a happy holiday!
In addition, for access to an extensive variety of active retro gaming groups on Facebook, visit Retro Gamers Hub.