It is a bit strange to allow a pilot with very little intsrument experience to fly in conditions where they are expected to navigate solely by instruments.
Going by my limited experience, you'd be suprised just how much you can see at night. Visual navigation is in many ways easier as the cardinal features like roads and towns are readily identifiable, in fact it is like the world has shrunk, distant towns can seem very close, that is one factor that does require some adjustment. The instruments are obviously useful, but particuarly so just after rotation as there is little else to judge by at that point. Luckily due to the cooling air, cloud tends to clear up and night unless a front it passing through so the horizon is usually clearly visible too. The NQ is more a matter of adjustment and familiarisation than anything else.