The game begins innocently enough, with Ecco
chosen as the lone hero to save the world from
doom as only a dolphin can do. After a string
of very impressive intro movies (and even more
impressive in-game graphics) telling the tale
of the fate of man and dolphin in the future,
living peacefully in some weird utopian
human-fish world, we discover that this peace
is now being threatened. Ecco must then travel
back through a time portal to take out the evil
encroaching from the past in order to (drum
roll please) defend the idyllic future.
In order to do this, Ecco will need all the
help he can get from the Guardian (in the guise
of "hint stones" that provide you with clues)
and every single one of the friendly denizens
of the deep. Much like his former outings on
Genesis and Sega CD, Ecco is able to do spiffy
things like charge in order to bash sharks or
move heavy rocks as well as use sonar in order
to communicate with allies. Throughout the
game, you'll also gain new powers and learn new
songs in order to help you along.
After you've earned the right to use a new
"gift" or power, you'll then be able to access
different crystals scattered throughout the
ocean depths to complete different objectives.
Songs help you to carry out certain tasks, such
as calling out to schools of fish to follow
you. And just as in the game's predecessors,
these skills add a distinctly deep adventure
feel, giving players often complex tasks to
perform in order to complete progressively more
difficult objectives.
And it's these sometimes difficult missions
that will scare off more timid gamers, simply
because often players are left out of the loop
in terms of where to go, what to do and how to
do it. The amount of freedom you have in
meandering the ocean floors and the stunning
degree of beauty in nearly every texture and
polygon belie Ecco's tough chewy center.
Hintstones that appear throughout the different
areas will become vaguer and vaguer, providing
gamers used to more straightforward
instructions with goofy riddles and
touchy-feely haikulike directions. And though
this can be frustrating, especially when you're
stuck on the same level for countless hours,
somehow the poetic nature of these "hints"
lends itself quite nicely to the immersiveness
and feel of Ecco's overall feel and
concept.
For the determined gamer in the bunch, this
will simply add to the challenge of solving
every mystery hidden within Ecco, making
the reward that much sweeter. So, when you
stumble across that secret cavern (the hidden
2D stage tucked away in the level Up and Down
is one of them) or make it through that cramped
tunnel just in the nick of time to gulp some
air at the end, you'll feel that you've really,
truly accomplished something grand.
And it's in these small, but truly amazing,
game moments that Ecco really flexes its
dorsal fin muscles. When you slip through a
crevice and emerge in a shady pool housing
manta rays, the wow factor sets in. To say that
Ecco is merely "gorgeous" is an
understatement to the nth degree. With an
amazing level of detail in every single object
or creature,Ecco is quite possibly the
best looking and most technologically
impressive game to grace Dreamcast. Ecco's
fluid dolphin-y animations and the natural way
in which he interacts with his aquatic
surroundings make this more akin to a dolphin
simulator than anything else. Often you'll find
yourself yearning to simply while your time
away perusing aimlessly through cavernous
underwater trenches or bright sunlit stretches
of ocean. But if you want to proceed, you'll
have to get playing.
In the end, Ecco is not a game for
those looking for a pretty, casual or quick
ride from start to finish. Those willing to
invest the time and the persistence may very
well have met their match. For these gamers,
Ecco comes with the highest recommendation.
With only a few camera issues to stomach and a
raised eyebrow given to the level of difficulty
(especially in later stages), Ecco's 25+ stages
of fluid, gorgeous gameplay show it has the
brawn to back up its beauty. The question lies
in how many brave gamers out there are willing
to shell out the dough and take up the
challenge.