Ecco Jr.

"A wonderful kids game."

Introduction to: Ecco Jr.

Ecco Jr. is part of an series of Ecco games, all of which are based off of dolphins. Ecco Jr. is a kid's puzzle game. It was released by Sega in 1995.

Graphics

The graphics in this game are actually pretty sharp. The sea in very vast with so many different organisms in it in real life, and to portray it in a video game is obviously very challenging. For its time, the graphics in this game were very impressive. There is a great use of color, everything is very vibrant, and a wide spectrum of colors are viewable.

Gameplay

While boring for adults, the game is fun for kids. You are provided a task, usually involving swimming around to find your friends or helping out other sea creatures, and you must complete it and collect the crystal at the end. The tasks are easy, but if you have trouble and need a hint, you can use your sonar to track down what you are looking for. The sonar system is actually very good, the arcs you make will bounce back at you if you are aiming towards what you are looking for.

I also like the control in the game. You can swim and flip around realistically, and when you want to, you can also speed up really fast and even flip through the air to reach new areas you couldn't swim to. Overall, the game is very cute, and can be fun for young children.

Story

The big picture is to collect all the crystals, and to get them, you must perform acts to help out your friends, and even play some games too, like tag. It's pretty simple.

Sound

For the most part, the sound is great. The music is well-written, and it sets the mood of the sea. The sounds in the game are also well-chosen, like the sonar and the different sea creatures. Overall I think that the sound is good, the only annoying thing is some of the sounds during tag games. Sometimes they get messed up if you switch from being it to not being it too quickly, and it is also an annoying squeaking sound. Other than that, the sound is great.

Final Word

So basically, this game will be very boring for you if you are older than 7 or so. But if you have kids or know someone with kids in that age range, they might enjoy this game.

Final Score: 8

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/13/06