Nights into Dreams is a platformer game that starts with two young kids, Elliot Edwards and Claris Sinclair. Elliot was humiliated on the basketball court when a group of older kids challenged him to play, while Claris ran away from her singing performance due to stage fright.
The main character, Nights, was created by Wizeman along with his friends Reala. As time passes, Nights notices that his master, Wizeman, is becoming evil and refuses to follow his orders. Wizeman punishes Nights by locking him up in an Ideya Palace.
However, Nights discovers that he can escape by merging his body with a human dreamer, who are Elliot and Claris. He also finds out that they have a Red Ideya within them, which helps him defeat Wizeman.
The gameplay is similar to Sonic, but uses the special D-pad in a unique way. You control Elliot, Claris, or Nights as you fly through levels, collecting loop rings to finish each stage. Gaining bonuses can be achieved by dancing, easily done with the D-pad.