Ecco the Dolphin

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ecco the Dolphin
developer Appaloosa Interactive , Novotrade International
Publisher Sega
First title Ecco the Dolphin (1992)
Last title Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future (2000)
Platform (s) Sega Master System , Sega Game Gear , Sega Mega Drive , Sega Saturn , Sega Dreamcast , PlayStation 2 , Windows , Xbox 360 (Arcade)
Genre (s) Adventure , video game

Ecco the Dolphin is a video game series , with the first time in 1992 by the company Sega for the Sega Megadrive published game of the same name was launched. The game was developed by Appaloosa Interactive .

Game flow

The player slips into the role of the young dolphin Ecco, whose adventure takes him into a strange but breathtaking underwater world . In this way you can help animals in need in some places that can no longer find their way around the underwater world on their own. Or you can catch fish, lead a school of fish or simply swim a race. When touching jellyfish or fighting biting sharks, Ecco loses its life energy. Since Ecco depends on breathing air, it has to constantly find the surface or air bubbles. Ecco uses his sonar for defense and communication. This means that he can not only communicate with other members of his own species, but also explore the surrounding area.

Ecco the Dolphin

The first part appeared in 1992 for Sega Mega Drive , Master System II and Game Gear ; later also on the Game Boy Advance (most of the music was removed there). In 1995 a PC version for Windows 95 and Windows 3.1 was also released .

The gameplay is similar to a horizontally scrolling platform game , but under water. Ecco has to avoid attacking enemies (e.g. sharks) and objects. It is necessary to solve the disappearance of his family and friends. The search for them leads Ecco through labyrinthine levels in tropical waters, the open ocean, the cold polar sea, and the sunken city of Atlantis.

Ecco: The Tides of Time

The successor from 1995 is a direct continuation of the first part. There are new puzzles, new enemies, and new skills. In some sections Ecco is transformed into a shark, a jellyfish, a seagull and a school of fish. The graphics have been improved and new levels with a pseudo-3D perspective have been introduced.

A third part was being planned but not developed.

Ecco Jr.

This game, also from 1995, is similar to the first two games, but is not a sequel, but a separate title. The level of difficulty is significantly lower because the target group was more of the younger players.

Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future

The Sega Dreamcast version from 2000 had a completely new, three-dimensional game world, which was described by the science fiction author David Brin . This also resulted in a different control system. Tim Follin composed the music.

The four parts of the alternate universe are:

  • Isle of Tranquility
  • Man's Nightmare
  • Dolphin's Nightmare
  • Demain of the Enemy

A second Ecco game was planned for the Dreamcast, but it was canceled in the alpha phase.

Games

Further products

A 6-volume comic book series was published in 1993 , based on the first part of the game. The Sega CD (Part 2) also contained the soundtrack by Spencer Nilsen .

Unofficial successor

In 2013, the designer of the original mega-drive games from Ecco the Dolphin, Ed Annunziata , started a campaign on the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter.com to develop the unofficial successor, The Big Blue . The aim of this campaign was clearly missed; only $ 55,764 of the $ 665,000 required was raised.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The Big Blue - Kickstarter for unofficial Ecco the Dolphin successor . SEGA-Portal.de. Retrieved April 7, 2013.
  2. ↑ The Big Blue, at underwater adventure game kickstarter.com. Retrieved February 19, 2015.