Gorgeous - that's the first
word that comes to mind when you start up Ecco the
Dolphin: Defender of the Future. Well, that, as well as
beautiful, stunning, dazzling and breathtaking. The
graphics in this game are simply amazing, and not just
because of the high resolution that the dreamcast is
powered to provide - the animations are the real treat
here.
One example of Ecco's animation that I noticed in the
early stages of gameplay is how easy you can
differentiate a shark with another dolphin, even from a
distance, simply by watching their movements. The
dolphins in the game kick their flipper to a greater
degree than the sharks, and also move a good deal
faster. This is not to say that the sharks are slow - I
can't count how many times I thought I lost them, only
to turn around quickly and have the barstard give me the
fright of my life by attacking at that very instant.
Back to the point about animation - while the sharks
are out of attacking mode, they will swim as if
stalking, portraying the brilliant real-life predators
that they are. Turtles swim slowly but steadily,
jellyfish are semi-transparent and puff themselves in
and out and schools of fish dart away quickly when you
approach. All-in-all, this game is a joy to behold
graphically. One factor that allows this game to be such
a graphical masterpiece is the short view distances that
accompanies the underwater feeling. Because you can't
see a great deal into the distance, this allows the
immediate graphics to be that much more detailed.
So the visuals are fantastic, but how's the gameplay?
First up, let me say that this game is hard. And
I mean hard. You'll literally be swimming around in
circles for hours trying to decipher the clues given to
you by "The Guardian", who is represented by a white
crystal. Sound confusing? It is. I hate to admit it, but
I have had to refer to a game guide on the internet
several times, just so I don't become so frustrated that
I hurl the CD out the window and resort to a more
conventional diversion such as Soul Calibur.
If you can put the crazy difficulty level aside,
you'll have a lot of fun here. After all, what could be
more fun than being a dolphin? The carefree nature of
the creature is something we all admire, and by
controlling Ecco we can get a taste of what it would be
like to swim quickly underwater for long periods of
time, to build up speed then jump high out of the water
to complete a double somersault, to walk along the
water's surface on our tails, and best of all, to fight
a shark and actually win - without losing a vital limb.
And you can do all this, and more, in Ecco. The
controls are fairly basic, with maneuvers including the
fundamental acceleration and swim, sonar and charge
buttons, and the more advanced 180 degree turn, barrel
roll, swim backwards and walk-on-water combinations.
The only real problem with the controls is the
disorientation - when you're flipping around in circles
underwater, it's very easy to forget which way you're
facing. The game tries to correct this by automatically
rotating Ecco so his fin is facing the surface, but at
times this can add to the confusion. I also found myself
stuck against a wall at times, with the only option
being to wait until my air ran out and continue.
Essentially, Ecco is a problem-solving game that
requires the patience to do so. The early missions are
fairly basic, and involve tasks such as returning three
young dolphins to their mother. As the game progresses
these tasks become more difficult to solve, and a lot of
this is left to your own logical thinking. Clues become
less obvious, and it's not always clear as to what
you're supposed to be doing. This can be extremely
frustrating at times, but also makes for a great deal of
satisfaction when you finally figure it out.
Several power-ups can be collected throughout the
game to add to your basic abilities, most noticeably the
power of sonar, which can be used to attack enemies or
break walls with your sonar and the power of air, which
gives you a much greater lung capicity. All of these
powers give more substance to the game, and, although
they're all discovered relatively early in the game,
make you want to keep playing.
Sounds in Ecco are a tough call - who's to know what
the sound of a dolphin ramming a shark sounds like in
the depths of the ocean? Nevertheless, the sound effects
do sound as realistic as one can assume, and the music
does a good job at heightening the tension when you're
in a tricky situation avoiding a giant octopus and the
like. But there was nothing that blew me away in this
department.
As I mentioned earlier, this game is hard. What makes
it even more so is the huge length of the game. At 27
levels, some of which are very long, this game will take
you a long time to beat - even if you're using a
walkthrough.
The length and difficulty is not necessarily a bad
thing though. After all, what do we all do with an
adventure game once completed? Put it back in it's case
and play something else right? Well, since you'll be
spending a lot of time swimming around and solving clues
and puzzles, the game should last you a while.
Another thumbs-up for Ecco is the wide appeal that
the game presents. This is one of those rare games that
will be enjoyed by males and females equally, and people
of all ages will have a good time. The younger children
will probably be more into swimming around in the early
levels and somersaulting out of the water, while the
shark-fighting and problem solving will most likely be
left to the more logically-minded of us.
All together, this a very solid title. The graphics
are amazing, no one could complain about controlling one
of the most graceful creatures in the world, the sound
is good and there's something here for everyone, from
young to old. If you're looking the fun of Sonic
Adventure mixed with the real-life tension of Resident
Evil, this is it.
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