Ecco the Dolphin

"Skipjack? Albacore? No. Dolphin."

There's a certain undeniable flair to games that pack an original premise and execute it well. When something experimental shows it can work as well as any tired formula, it helps prevent the stagnation of a console's library. That's always been the case, as much as it was for the Genesis as it is for today's consoles.

Ecco the Dolphin has to be one of the most unassuming games ever. How many people who tried this game with no prior knowledge thought it was a lighthearted game about dolphins in the sea? I'd wager quite a few. The truth of the matter is, this game is much darker than it initially presents itself. However, this is pulled off in both a tasteful and compelling manner.

It's difficult to go into the plot of Ecco without mentioning any major spoilers, but Ecco is eventually displaced from his pod and so his main goal becomes being reunited with his family. This is innocent enough. However, as you play through the game it becomes apparent that the source of the problem is either very sinister, completely natural, or some combination thereof. Ecco sets out to seek the advice some of the oldest lifeforms in the sea and discovers that the problem runs much deeper than his separation from his pod.

But I digress, though the plot runs deeper than is initially apparent - it's done tastefully. It's not like Ecco is revealed to be some glowing super dolphin with a resistance to tuna cans. No, the tone is kept dark and subdued and is all the more sinister for it.

The tone is set amply by the game's art. The surface is often bright and cheery early in the game, but when Ecco dives beneath the waves the colours often become more subdued. It makes the corridors seem tighter and the mood more somber. As you get further into the game, even the surface and few structures become more muted. The game takes on a continually more serious tone.

This is helped by the usually excellent art direction and execution. Few Genesis games look as nice as Ecco, and this is enhanced by the way the game actually takes advantage of the typical 16-bit muddied palette (as described in the paragraph above). All of Ecco's movements are super slick, even when he's going very fast. There's no slow down, and most of the environments are very well realized.

The only major contention arises when large sprites move quickly around the screen with barely any animation.. This is almost comical in light of the otherwise excellent art in the game.

The one thing I was truly disappointed in on the art side of things, however, was the music. Ecco's music is... appropriate. That's not necessarily a compliment. While the music does fit the tone, it's pretty standard Genesis fare and _does not accentuate_ the atmosphere. Instead, the music only works because of the atmosphere.

It doesn't actually add anything, or take anything away. I really can't penalize Ecco too much for lacking a totally rockin' album cut to perfection, but the music should more often enhance the atmosphere. It does in a few cases, but not nearly often enough.

The actual sound effects are on a different level altogether from the rather bland soundtrack. The sounds are normally clear, crisp, and well done. As well they should be, you'll be using your sonar a lot and anything less would have you frothing.

The sonar is but one of Ecco's tools as he searches for his lost pod. Specifically, sonar is used to view a small map of your surroundings (hold your button and let the sonar bounce back to Ecco) and to interact with the environment and friendly sea life. The game becomes very much like an adventure game at parts where Ecco uses his sonar to find a song at one point, then bring it to the appropriate point to progress with the level. His sonar lets him scope out paths to spot dead ends, environmental features, enemies, and so on. There's a lot of exploration in Ecco.

However, it's not all a casual, meandering swim beneath the waves here. There are more than enough hazards out there to keep Ecco on the move. There are plenty of enemies to attack Ecco directly, spikes and sharp shells to ram into, and even the lack of air. Dolphins are mammals, after all, and as such they get their oxygen from the air. Ecco needs to return to the surface for air, or find bubbles and air pockets beneath the surface to refill his lungs. All of a sudden, your simple sonar graduates from convenience to life saver.

If Ecco runs out of air, he will start to quickly drain health. If he runs out of health, he dies and you must start the scene from the beginning. The enemies are normally none too threatening. Though they can appear in large schools at time, Ecco can usually stun or dispatch a few with his ramming charge, or just avoid them.

There are a few choice enemies that are poorly implemented, however. In certain levels, an enemy will suddenly fly through the wall and chase Ecco - interrupting what you were doing. This often forces you to deal with the enemy and drop the puzzle - often having to reset its elements in the process.

These enemies are relentless enough that they will follow Ecco from the end of the stage all the way back to the beginning. They can move through solid ground, are very fast, and have an incredibly tight turn radius. You have no recourse other than to stand and attack them. Sometimes, Ecco simply isn't prepared for that if he has one or no life bars, or no oxygen. You may have to retreat to a supply spot with the enemy hot on your tail before you kill it.

And when you return to the spot you were attacked? It might already be back. But the enemies aren't always there, and even if they are they might not even come after you right away. I had cleared a small pit of all of its jellyfish and began to lift a block up out of this pit without leaving the screen when one of these appeared. It seems totally random.

Thankfully, Ecco can gain the ability to attack with his sonar when he sings while dashing. This
can be unwieldy but is absolutely necessary against these threats. Practice with it so you can use it while barely moving. You'll need it. The enemies become manageable but the fact that they _will_ get the drop on you so often means you need to be really quick on the draw. In the end, the enemies are a fine challenge with their actions, but the haphazard way they appear in the stage is outright puzzling. I've had one be killed once and never return, then the next time I played the stage it would be back every time I passed that point - which was often.

More distressing is Ecco's penchant for getting stuck. After charging he will often be stuck at the water's surface or on a wall. When he improperly charges a breakable shell, he might get stuck on it and take a few screams of damage. Ecco has virtually no cooldown between one register of damage and the next. Meaning? An enemy can get a few consecutive hits on our dolphin buddy in very short order.

He might even get stuck in a group of enemies. This quickly becomes deadly, especially against objects that can crush you. Some moving shells will hurt Ecco but can also crush him. The first hit interrupts Ecco's swimming and makes him get stuck. The second hit crushes him against the wall.

This is a problem of balance. There's a few instances where the enemy placement is terrible. While most of the time they're fine, they will sometimes have the threat approach form a total blind spot.

Thankfully, the most extreme cases are few and far between. And the game tries to compensate for this later by placing copious edible fish, clams/sponges (whose bubbles often heal Ecco) and defense barriers in the sea. Still, the best way to cover up bad design is to fix the underlying problem, not drown it in recovery spots.

Ecco otherwise handles very smoothly, and with enough space he gives the player a much greater sensation speed than the Genesis' resident speedster Sonic. The freedom of the open sea as you build up speed and momentum, and the amazing jumps you can pull off because of it. It's truly captivating and definitely suits our dolphin pal.

There are few games that have better swimming than Ecco. The much later Densetsu no Stafy series is much more responsive, but Ecco's response can be attributed to his shape and size. We can't expect Ecco to be perfectly agile in a narrow corridor. If Ecco moved like those uncanny enemies I mentioned before, then it would be a very, very easy game on top of already short levels.

Once you learn the ropes of Ecco, how he moves and how to jump high, it's second nature. There _is_ a learning curve here, but once you pass that, it's cake. Ecco moves really well when his nose isn't stuck against the wall.

And once you learn the ins and outs of Ecco, the stages become much more simple. Simple to a fault, really.

Most levels aren't terribly long. You normally have to perform a task then reach the exit. This means you have to locate the proper path into the level. Once you're underwater, a lot of levels fall into one simple pattern: There is a glyph in front of you that is blocking the path. Find the other glyph in this area, touch it to gain a song, and use that song to pass the barricade glyph. Rinse and repeat as necessary, and then exit the stage.

Later levels have a lot of object manipulation or simple elements to be activated. This may be a special glyph you have to press or sing to, then find the door it opened, or event it activated, or what have you. The thing is, there are very few variations in here. Even the different elements often end up being “find the big obvious glyph and activate it.”

Still, for what it is the exploration and gameplay are fun. It's not a boring game by any stretch, but let's just say if it were much longer they wouldn't have been able to get away with such repetition as easily. As the game stands, however, it is very apparent and really can't be ignored.

Ecco is a decent game. I have focused on the poor implementation of some hazards and the lack of original level design pretty strongly, but the game truly is a rewarding experience. It carries a momentum unlike few other Genesis games. It has the power to get the player caught up in the atmosphere and terrific gameplay. It's a good game, but it's also by no means perfect and the flaws really needed to be laid down.

Once you know how to play Ecco, it's an excellent game to play. If you don't take the time to learn all of Ecco's capabilities you _will_ be frustrated by this game.

All of Ecco's stages can be memorized and passed with ease and enough patience. There are a few stages that would test even the most stalwart of monk's patience, but there are very few truly badly designed levels. Some just have parts the seem inserted as a roadblock that doesn't take into account Ecco's abilities. But like I said, the levels aren't bad - just repetitive.

While it ends up being largely trial and error at times, there are truly inspired spots of exploration, action, and atmosphere. It's one of the most original games on the Genesis. It's just too bad level design doesn't always reflect the uniqueness of the concept.

Ecco is a case of a good game and great concept with undeniable flaws. As the first game, one might forgive it. But with so little to do here... some of the problems seem easy to fix. The game remains above average Genesis fare in spite of these flaws. It's a good game. I'll reiterate - it's inherent qualities make it a good game, but the level design keeps it from being great.

But I do urge you to play Ecco, at least give it a shot. There's a learning curve, and it can be unforgiving at times. But it's one of the most original series on the Genesis, and if you're a fan of the console it's definitely worth checking out.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 06/06/08

Game Release: Ecco the Dolphin (US, 07/29/93)