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Ecco the Dolphin, Defender of the Future Story Overview Since the dawn of memory, Dolphins and Mankind observed, respected and admired each other from afar, sensing kindred spirits. But Dolphins concealed the true extent of their sentience, patiently awaiting Humanity's maturity. And, when at last Dolphins revealed their intelligence and culture, a Human-Dolphin civilization was born and The Golden Age began. Centuries of peace and prosperity followed before signals arrived from beyond the Earth, compelling Dolphins and Humans to move into the vast unknown. Some dolphins remained as caretakers of the Earth, which was protected by the single greatest creation of their civilization, the Guardian. A repository of wisdom and power, the Guardian was advisor and protector, linking those who had ventured outward to those who remained behind, and channeling the energies of the Earth itself to safeguard the planet. And even as Humans and Dolphins went out in peace, forces dark and deadly scrutinized their world. These creatures feared the combined goodness and power that Dolphins and Humans carried to the stars, for their kind knew only conquest and domination. Driven by raw fear and hatred, they relentlessly probed for weakness, and upon finding it, struck. The Guardian was wounded, leaving the Earth defenseless before them. Knowing they were unable to withstand the fury of the Humans and Dolphins who would surely return to defend their world, the Foe sought to strike a final blow and tore a fissure in space and time. But this temporal vortex inadvertently bore a single Dolphin with it. Ecco -- a dolphin of rare and special abilities -- found himself in the distant past, at the historic moment when Dolphins had gathered to reveal themselves to Humanity. The Foe had come to prevent this, robbing Dolphins of their emotional and intellectual qualities. Thus diminished, they were unable to contact Humans as equals. The great Human-Dolphin alliance was never founded, and the reality that produced Ecco never existed: for Ecco, there is no home to return to. Ecco must travel back into the future in pursuit of the Dolphin qualities stolen and scattered by the Foe. There, he finds an unpleasant alternative future where Humanity's excesses -- unchecked by Dolphin's intrinsic qualities -- has resulted in a decaying, polluted nightmare world. If the player is successful, Ecco will find some of the Dolphin qualities in this alternative timeline. Restoring these to the Dolphins in the past results in yet another alternate future, in which Ecco must seek more of the stolen Dolphin qualities. As the "Defender of the Future," Ecco's mission is to travel through several alternate timelines, overcoming the obstacles and dangers inherent to each of these worlds in order to win his own future back. |
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