Ecco the Dolphin

"Half magnificent, half frustrating beyond belief"

Back when I was a kid, I was one who had a Sega Genesis instead of an NES or SNES. I had plenty of games as well, and one of them was Ecco the Dolphin. I never beat that game, but still had a lot of fun playing it. Well, I sold my Genesis a while back (something I regret doing), but when I heard Ecco would be available on the Wii I decided to download it. Now that I've played and beaten it, I wonder why I ever liked the game. Not because it's bad, but because it's very, very difficult.

It's a simple enough storyline. Ecco and his pod are swimming around, having fun, when they start to challenge him to see how high out of the water he can leap. Ecco takes that challenge, but just as he leaps out of the water, a wormhole comes out of nowhere and sucks all the life out of the ocean. Ecco, because the only thing out of the water at the time, was spared, and it became his duty to rescue his pod. He has quite an adventure, traveling to many different climates, and does some things that make this just as much a science fiction story as a game about dolphins. It's quite odd, but it's still interesting for a game with little dialogue.

The most impressive thing about this game is that it has STYLE. All the characters and enemies in the game look fantastic, and very well detailed. The environments Ecco goes through may look a bit similar, but that's actually understandable, since it's not like people go around underwater changing the coral reefs or something. However, there are several different places Ecco travels to, each with their distinct and well-done style. I really don't want to spoil the game, but they're really beautiful and awe-inspiring...for a 16-bit game, anyway. The game also has a wonderful musical score that really sets the mood well...some tracks are soothing and peaceful, while others are heart-pumping (specifically when you're deep underwater), and the final level's track is...scary, actually. It was meant to put the fear of God in your heart, and it really works.

Now, this being a 2D, 16-bit game, you can't expect a complex control scheme or anything like that. However, the developers did a great job of actually making you feel like you're controlling a dolphin's every movements. Ecco is free to move in all 8 directions, jump out of the water and do a flip, and swiftly evade shark attacks. He has a charge ability that lets him attack enemies at high speed, the ability to increase his speed to get through large distances in a short amount of time, and a sonar. The sonar was implemented very well, and does a variety of things. Throughout the game there are glyphs, basically large crystals. Some of these will block your path, others give you the ability to get by the other crystals, and some are insignificant to gameplay but provide hints and help flesh out the story. The sonar also lets you communicate with certain animals, and late in the game, can be used as a weapon.

However, while the game controls, looks, and sounds great, the levels themselves...are sometimes poorly designed. Don't get me wrong, most of the levels play just fine, and are quite fun. Other levels...like the one that requires you to pull off a huge leap, or the nerve-wracking final level of the game, will frustrate all but the most patient of players. It's possible to get through these (I did, after all), but not without several tries. Still, it's quite rewarding when you finally get past a difficult point in the game.

Don't download Ecco expecting a nice, happy game about dolphins. The story is surprisingly dark, and the steep difficulty is certainly a turn-off. If you are a very patient gamer and are willing to retry a level 50 times until you get it right, and you enjoy lush visuals and a beautiful soundtrack, I highly recommend this game. If not, there are plenty of easier Virtual Console games to download instead.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/08/07