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Ecco
the Dolphin: Defender of the Future Sega's aquatic hero
makes a big splash on the DC - Review By Tren
The original Ecco the Dolphin was released upon the
unsuspecting public back in 1993 on Sega's Genesis/Mega Drive.
The game was an instant success thanks to great graphics,
challenging gameplay and an environmentally-friendly theme.
The game gave players control of the titular Ecco the Dolphin,
guiding him around 2D underwater labyrinths to restore
equilibrium to the oceans. Ecco's first 128-bit outing is no
different in formula, except the action takes place in
glorious 3D.
The game's full title, Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the
Future, implies that Ecco has some serious responsibility
on his hands (or rather, flippers). This is true. The game is
set on a futuristic Earth where the Guardian, the source of
the Earth's defences, has been shattered by an
extraterrestrial race from a far-off galaxy. The enemy, known
only as 'The Foe,' has made many attacks on Earth, with their
most recent shattering the planet's protective crystal. As
you'd expect, it's up to poor little Ecco to collect the
pieces of the crystal and restore the Guardian.
The Good
 Beautiful. | After
the fantastic prologue (which, impressively, uses the
in-game graphics engine), your adventure begins. You start
in Aquamarine Bay, where the player is introduced to
controlling Ecco and the basics of the game.
The first thing that will hit you is the game's fantastic
graphics. There really aren't enough positive adjectives to
describe the lavish and beautiful world Appaloosa has
created here. The geometry and texturing of Ecco's aquatic
world are near perfection, creating a stunning, incredible,
and believable environment. There is fog, however the fog
line isn't too close and it helps to enhance the atmosphere
and immersion (no pun intended). But this scenery isn't all
there is to Ecco's world, as the sea is alive with exotic
fish, turtles, other dolphins, and enemies like the
jellyfish and sharks. The overall graphical gloss is very
high, with lots of fantastic little touches: the animation
on the animals in the game is superb (particularly Ecco),
the lens flare is great, and the underwater shimmering is
very realistic. Of course, with all this detail the frame
rate does suffer at times; however, Ecco is the kind
of game where a frame rate which hovers between 60 and 30
isn't as noticeable as, say, a racing game or first person
shooter. Once you get into the game proper you might not
even notice it.
The game uses the analogue pad for control. Although it
takes a while to get to grips with controlling Ecco
precisely, you'll soon be gracefully swimming in and out of
the coral reef, darting into schools of fish (this is
essential as it replenishes lost health), and performing
fantastic jumps out of the water. The analogue allows for
true 360 degree control, which can be weird at first as
you'll have Ecco going around in vertical circles. The
control is akin to flying a plane, except Ecco is far, far
more agile. Thankfully Ecco will self-right himself so you
wont get completely disorientated and start swimming upside
down. The A button is used to propel Ecco forward, and the
faster you tap it the faster Ecco goes. Thankfully, once you
reach a desired speed you can maintain it by simply holding
the button down, to save your fingers from exhaustion.
 The
combat is a little tricky at first, but Ecco soon
acquires abilities that make it
easier. | The X
button is Ecco's sonar, which allows him to communicate with
the other animals in his world and also brings up a small
map of Ecco's current area. This map is extremely useful,
especially when in the complex, maze-like underwater tunnels
which feature predominantly in many of the early levels.
Lastly, the B button is the speed burst button, which
propels Ecco forward very quickly after a brief recoil. This
is Ecco's primary form of attack, and allows him to take out
sharks, jellyfish, and the alien enemies introduced in later
levels.
As you progress through the game, Ecco learns new skills
he can put to use via his sonar. For example, in the second
level you save a turtle from some sharks and a friendly
dolphin teaches you the shark song. The shark song lets Ecco
confuse sharks in future battles, allowing him to take them
head on, making them much less formidable opponents. As you
progress through the game you'll learn other songs, such as
a song to control the manta rays, or one to control schools
of fish (this is particularly useful in that you can gather
glowing fish to light up a dark cave). The ocean is
scattered with shining crystal which offer advice and
cryptic clues/rhymes on how to complete the level. The main
collectables in the game are Vitalits, which increase Ecco's
health bar, along with powerups which allow Ecco to swim
against strong currents, knock down loose boulders, or give
him a limitless air supply (normally you need to return to
the ocean surface or find a bubble stream when your air
supply runs low).
The game has a suitably epic, yet still somehow subtle
soundtrack. The music changes according to Ecco's current
location. For example, whilst swimming around the mazes in
the fourth level frantic music plays, however once you reach
a safe-pool it relaxes into a slower melody. In the darker
and murkier levels, the music adds an incredible amount of
ambience, with some eerie, slow songs. As for the game's
sound effects, these are great also, with subtle distant
background noises and great dolphin yelps and chatter.
There are 34 levels in total and there's no denying that
Ecco is an utterly vast game which will take a long time
complete. However, once done so there is little incentive to
return, but for collecting remaining Vitalits. Ecco travels
back and forth through time in his quest to restore
equilibrium to Earth's future, and as such returns to
certain levels in his quest as events in the past affect
those in the future. Unfortunately the plot isn't quite as
intricate as you may hope, but more on this in a moment.
Next:
The Bad and The Final Word
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