Retro|Spective 133: Ecco the Dolphin

[Neon Ignition]

History in Games:
1992 - Ecco the Dolphin
1994 - Ecco: The Tides of Time
1995 - Ecco Jr
1995 - Ecco Jr and the Great Ocean Treasure Hunt
2000 - Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future

Overview:
Someone, somewhere was smoking something the HR department at Sega should have looked into when the concept was created to spend large amounts of money developing a game based on a dolphin who travels through time to stop alien invaders. Somehow that sales pitch passed through and even more incredibly it worked as the character rode a wave of popularity primarily during the days of the Mega Drive before one last attempt to get fans to tuna in on the Dreamcast twenty years ago. The franchise seems to be permanently rested now.






What are your thoughts and memories of Sega's Blue Ocean series?

[Hirst]

I like the 2D ones but I never played the Dreamcast entry, just didn't get round to it I guess. Something I found particularly memorable is how weird and sinister the games would get as they went on - both the first and second games started in beautiful and welcoming surroundings, but would gradually take you to more dismal (but not ugly!) and abstract places until you were inside a giant aquatic computer or some kind of empty lifeless world full of vacuum tubes and not much else.



The later levels of Ecco 2: The Tides of Time had a really weird atmosphere that felt incredibly depressing and hopeless, combined with the soundtrack (play this one for effect - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QousDdXrjWo ) and the fact you were dying every minute or so by then. Not in a bad way, it stuck with me. It was a fairly unique experience for a game of that era to have a game that gave you more emotions than "I wish I'd stop falling down holes" or "Bubsy really isn't that good". I want to play the CD version which had a different but apparently equally excellent soundtrack.

Would also like to give a mention to the Hungary-based developer Novotrade as I don't think they get much of a shout despite putting out a few really good and interesting games over the years - Three Dirty Dwarves, Kolibri, Cyborg Justice.

[Dogg Thang]

This is one of my favourite series of games. Here's goes...

Ecco the Dolphin
I remember being in GAME on Grafton Street in Dublin. Back then, game shops were better. That's not nostalgia talking. GAME was something like three floors, in the centre of Dublin's main shopping street, and it was a very cool place. I walked in and went upstairs and, on an absolutely giant screen, there was Ecco the Dolphin. I knew it was coming and I had seen tiny screenshots in magazines but I was unprepared for how good it looked on that screen. But more than that, I was unprepared for how great it sounded. The person working there asked me if I wanted a go but she was really pretty and I was at the height of my shy awkwardness so mumbled some sort of no, but I did ask if this was the Mega CD version because surely that's the only way it could sound so good. But no, this was the regular Megadrive version.

When I got it and played it, it was beautiful. It's a hard game and some of the design these days would be called a little janky, particularly moving those rocks around, but it still feels so fluid and lovely. There is something special about just swimming around in that game. The levels go from pretty hard to rock hard later on as you travel back in time and then the final level is a memory test where you just have to play it, die, learn from that and continue over and over until you finally get it. But I persevered and beat it and it was wonderful.

Ecco: The Tides of Time
How could the sequel better that? Well by totally overhauling the graphics from scratch (which sequels often did back then), making the design better so far less jankiness, expanding the influences to make it even more beautiful and having an amazing soundtrack. The sequel isn't quite as hard too and I really appreciate that. There is one frustrating tricky section (navigating the sky tunnels) but, overall, it's a much smoother experience and not as punishing. The ending is much easier and it's just a joy to play through. Totally gorgeous.

The Jr games are probably fine for what they are but I only ever played a few minutes of the Megadrive one and I'm not the target age group so...

Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future
This is an entirely different game. The obvious difference is that it plays in 3D and that changes everything but the differences go deeper. Where the original games avoided the influence of humans, this Dreamcast sequel doesn't and that alters the feel of many of the levels with some later ones feeling more grungy mechanical (there was mechanical in the 16-bit ones but it was sci-fi otherworldly). The shift to 3D brought some problems. Navigation was very tough so it was easy to get lost and have no idea where to go next or why. Some parts (jumping the bubbles) were a pain in the rear end. And yet still, overall, I love the experience. There is nothing else like it. The music again was beautiful and you could just immerse yourself in the game and feel like you're living some whole other life.

While I have played through the originals recently (and tend to play through them every two to three years or so), I haven't played the DC one in many years so would love to see a port come to a modern system. I imagine the chances of that happening are very slim.

Overall, I totally love this series. It's very special to me. Also, if there are any fans of The Midnight here who love Ecco, look out for their new album.

[wakka]

I had the first game as a very young kid. I liked floating around the ocean but could never figure out what I was supposed to be doing, so got precisely nowhere.

However it’s always been a series that’s fascinated me. It’s such a unique idea and a cool aesthetic. I really must return to it as an adult!