ECCO THE DOLPHIN FAQ ver. 1.0 by "T3" Updated: 3/14/2005-- Clarified some rather ambiguous instructions on rescuing the first dolphin in "The Vents". Thanks to Pure Mind for poitning this out! 7/26/2004 -------------------------------------------- CONTENTS: 0. Intro 1. Controls 2. Enemies 3. Walkthrough i. Home Bay ii. Bay of Medusa iii. Undercaves iv. The Vents v. The Lagoon vi. Ridge Water vii. Open Ocean viii. Ice Zone ix. Hard Water x. Cold Water xi. Island Zone xii. Deep Water xiii. Marble Sea xiv. The Library xv. Deep City xvi. City of Forever xvii. Jurassic Beach xviii. Pteranodon Pond xix. Origin Beach xx. Trilobite Circle xxi. Dark Water xxii. Deep Water 2/ City of Forever 2 xxiii. The Tube xxiv. Welcome to the Machine xxv. The Last Fight 4. Passwords 5. Cheats 6. Legal Stuff --------------------------------------------- /////xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx\\\\\ 0. INTRODUCTION /////xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx\\\\\ This is (hopefully) a comprehensive guide for the Genesis/Mega Drive version of Ecco the Dolphin. (That is to say, the information here isn't relevant if you have a Sega CD/Game Gear version of the game.) This is my first ever FAQ/Walkthrough, so do feel free to email me with any suggestions/comments/death threats you feel are appropriate after reading this FAQ at mst3kman2000@yahoo.com. UPDATE: You can now also find em at my newer, spam-less email address, mst3kman@gmail.com. I check both emails regularly, but this is a heads up in case I someday forsake the yahoo address. I recall this as being one of the most infuriatingly difficult games I'd ever played when I first played it long about 12 or so years ago. After several years, I finally beat the game without cheats of any kind, and now can even do so in one sitting. (I have no life, see.) Now at least I hope to assist anyone else who can't get past that damn octopus on the third stage. You can use your browser's "find" function to skip straight to any particular section you want. Anyway, that being said, on with the FAQ. /////xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx\\\\\ 1. CONTROLS /////xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx\\\\\ No game I can recall designed with the Genesis' 3-button controller had terribly complicated controls, but I might as well cover a few things before moving on. The A button will shoot out a wave of sonar. Holding down the A button will cause the sound wave to bounce back, displaying a map of the immediate vicinity. Hazards, enemies, air pockets, and other objects will be highlighted. The B button will send Ecco charging forward. You can build up more force if you hit B while stationary. While moving, the B button will simply give you an acceleration boost. The C button pushes you forward a little. The more rapidly you hit the C button, the faster you'll go. Some time into the game, you can learn special sonar attacks. To use these attacks, hit the B button while stationary, and hit A before you charge forward. The resulting sonar blast will either confuse or injure enemies. /////xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx\\\\\ 2. ENEMIES /////xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx\\\\\ Here's a catalog of enemies in the game, in alphabetical order: Clams - Some clams are good. Some are bad. The ones that emit brown bubbles are bad. Crabs- Surprisingly dangerous are the crabs in this game; they jump at you and won't leave you alone until you're out of their range. ANNOYING. Dark Starfish - Circles of these things will fan out and try to hit you. There's not many of these, but they can do some damage if you're not careful. Jellyfish - alone, they're not much trouble. As you'll soon find out, though, they can be very annoying in numbers. A single charge is enough to kill them, but it's usually best just to avoid them if possible. King Crabs - Huge arctic crab monsters. They're just like regular crabs, but a lot bigger and more dangerous. Fortunately you'll only have to deal with them for a few stages. Leeches - They're especially dangerous in deep water, worse is when you're running low on air. Charge madly to escape them. Octopus - A glyph contains the tip "swim slowly past eight arms." Just tap the D pad slightly when going past one, or else it'll deal a near fatal blow with its tentacle. Prehistoric Sharks - Basically as dangerous as regular sharks, just a lot more ugly. Pufferfish - After they inflate their bodies, they usually start chasing after you. They can actually cause a lot of damage, if you don't get rid of them or loose them right away. Sea Horses - Rarely seen (thank god) these huge creatures block your path in and out of caves. They'll launch baby sea horses at you when you strike them; otherwise they just float there. Invincibility shields are very useful. Sharks - Great, big fish monsters. They'll attack you as soon as they see you, and they can take quite a bit of punishment. You might wanna think twice about taking on multiple sharks. Squid - These come in two forms: skinny, light-colored ones and larger, dark colored ones. The skinny ones travel in lines, like rays, but the large ones move diagonally. Sting Rays - They drift along straight lines. Avoid touching them as best you can. Tiger Sharks - They only appear in the arctic stages, and they're pretty docile. Touching them will hurt you, but they're slow and pretty easy to avoid. Trilobites - These bottom-dwelling crabs are able to penetrate walls and barriers to chase you down. They're inexplicably fast and dangerous. Kill them as fast as possible. Vortex Drone - These spooky looking space monsters are among the deadliest enemies in the game. With the Asterite's power, you can use your sonar blasts to dispatch them quickly. Just make sure they don't gang up on you. Vortex Queen - The source of all the drones you've been dealing with. Killing it is a long, arduous process, but it can be done. /////xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx\\\\\ 3. WALKTHROUGH /////xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx\\\\\ ===================== i. Home Bay ===================== Swim around, get used to the controls, talk to your podmates, etc. Now, jump into the sky and watch as all that you know and love is hurled into the sky by a vortex of water and... lots of clams. Head to the far right and look for a cave leading out of the stage. ===================== ii. Bay of Medusa ===================== Get ready to dodge jellyfish. Loads of 'em. But first, jump the first small island and head down. Go left into the air pocket and jump over the small rock pillar. Now swim down, then right, down some more, and right again. Touch the glyph and go back they way you came. Now alllll the way to the right there's a barrier glyph. Use your sonar to get rid of it and exit the stage. ===================== iii. Undercaves ===================== Head up and touch the first glyph. To your left is a barrier glyph, use your sonar to knock it down. Charge by the next pit before the current pulls you down. Go under the big rock in the next chamber (the current above is far too strong to overcome) and charge the shells until you have cleared a path. Swim up until you see 3 jellyfish near a small cave. Head right (might want to surface in the air pocket.) To the right is another key glyph, but watch out the four puffers in the way. Now, head back out to the main chamber. Knock the cone shaped shell into the wall of round boulders. Once a path is cleared, bolt to the right and get some air. Knock away the barrier glyph and proceed to the room with the octopus. SLOWLY swim past him, if you go too fast he'll strike and probably kill you. Once past him, hurry to the left for yet another key glyph. You might be running low on air by now, so hurry back past the octopus and grab some air in the nearby pocket. FINALLY, knock away the next barrier glyph and swim down and to the left. At the very end, you're practically where you started the level. Get the final key glyph and head back to get rid of that last barrier glyph and get out of this god-forsaken stage. ===================== iv. The Vents ===================== This stage isn't too bad, especially after that whole mess with the octopus. Anyway. You'll notice a dolphin nearby when you start the stage. Talk to her and you can start an optional mission of rescuing her lost children. You'll find the first dolphin by heading straight down (use the boulder just to the right of the upward current to make your way down) and entering the third cave on your left. Swim just in front of him and he'll follow you. There's also a key glyph in the cave below you. Get it. After returning the first dolphin to it's mother, head back down and enter the third cave on your right. Use your sonar to knock the barrier out of the way, and grab the other key in the cave at the top of the room. Break through the shell wall and move the next barrier glyph out of the way. Head up; another shell wall. You know the drill. Further up, there's another key glyph. Further up still there's another barrier, behind which is the second dolphin. Head back the way you came, grabbing key glyphs and knocking out barriers as you come across them. Once you've returned the second dolphin, make your way to the right and jump over the islands. Once you've passed the 4th island, head down and use the rock to swim downward. On the second cave to the left you'll find another key glyph. Use the boulder near the mouth of the cave to swim down to the bottom of the pit and get rid of the final barrier. Inside the cave behind said barrier is the third and final dolphin. Return him and you'll have the power to shoot sonar at enemies to hurt them. (See the controls section.) The cave just above where the third dolphin was is the exit. ===================== v. The Lagoon ===================== There's another dolphin-saving mission here. As in the previous stage, it's entirely optional. Head straight down past the sharks 'till you find a dolphin at the bottom. Lead him back to the top of the pool, and jump over the island to your right. Once he's returned, head back the other way and jump over the next 3 islands and head down until you see another cone-shaped shell. Run it into the round boulders in your way and head through the gap to your right. Get the second dolphin and grab the key glyph in the cave below you. In the upper right-hand corner of the cavern there's some starfish. Use your sonar to direct them back to the round boulders, which have respawned by now. Running the stars into the boulders will destroy them somehow. Return the second dolphin and head back to the pool you started in. Head down and enter the second cave on your right and destroy the shells in your way. Enter the cavern nearer the bottom and find the cave with the starfish in it. Direct them back into the larger cavern and then straight up towards the octopus. (Don't worry, this one's far easier to avoid and he doesn't do as much damage.) Use the starfish to destroy the boulder just behind said octopus and proceed right. (Make sure not to get hurled up by the current here.) Further in the cave there's a barrier glyph. Get rid of it and head down. Enter the cave on your left, head down, and head left again. Lead the dolphin out the way you came and bring him back to his pod. You now have a song to confuse sharks with. Make good use of it. Go back past the octopus, head all the way down the cave this time. (Avoid the leeches.) Destroy the shell wall and hurry past the crabs. Get some air, and take out the nearby pufferfish. Enter the lower cave and hurry past the crabs. At the end of the tunnel head up and left. In the upper right hand corner of the big cave are some more starfish. Direct them diagonally down and straight into the cave near the bottom of the screen. (Also they make a good shield against the crabs.) At the end of the tunnel are some boulders; again use the starfish to destroy them somehow. Go up and to the right until you see a huge tunnel leading upward filled with shells. Head upward and exit this death maze. ===================== vi. Ridge Water (aka "Deep Ridge") ===================== Head down from the starting point and use the rock to go down against the upward current. Near the bottom is a cave to the left, enter that and try to grab the cone shaped shell. Run it across the bottom and into the wall at the end of the cave. Now swim around the landmass in the center of the chamber and swim all the way up to the small cave with a key glyph. Head back to the main chamber and go above the landmass in the center. Direct the cone shaped shell down into the wall blocking your way to the lower cave. Make your way straight through he tunnel and get rid of the barrier glyph. Head up into the next big cave, continue to go diagonally upward into the long tunnel full of sting rays. All the way at the end are some starfish. Use your sonar to push them back along the way you came. Once at the end of the cave, push them downward and take out yet another wall. In the next chamber, head downward and swim into the small tunnel near the bottom. Once at the end of the tunnel, head upward and get the starfish from the small tunnel. Bring them down to the tunnel near the bottom, and push them along to the right. Eventually you'll take out two boulders. Swim ahead and head up into the next cave, and go into the tunnel to the left. Head diagonally up past the sinking shells, and go left once you're in the huge bay. To the far left is a small cave with an orca and a key glyph. Grab the key and head back to where you entered. Next to the cave you came through earlier is a barrier glyph. Knock it away and get past the 2 sharks to the exit. ===================== vii. Open Ocean ===================== Simply head right and avoid the droves of sharks that are out for blood. You may have an easier time if you stick to the bottom as much as possible. ===================== viii. Ice Zone ===================== You've finally reached the far north, where the Big Blue is supposed to go to die. The levels here are divided into sections, separated by huge chunks of ice. Get to a different area by jumping on top of the ice and sliding across it. Start by jumping on the first mass of ice to your left. Fall into the fifth body of water you see. (This is also counting ones that are frozen over.) Swim down, but watch out for arctic crabs and jellyfish. A ways sown, there's a cavern with a key glyph hit it and go back up the way you came. (If you need it, there are some edible fish two areas to the right.) Slide back to the area where you started, and swim down until you find a barrier glyph. (Use your sonar map to make sure you're going the right way.) The exit is to the right. ===================== ix. Hard Water ===================== You'll start this level surrounded by tiger sharks. They're pretty docile, so you should be able to avoid them easily. Jump up onto the ice on your left, and slide into the first open water that you see. Going down, you should see a huge block of ice moving back and forth in the current. (One weird current...) Go straight down, darting past the blocks as soon as they move out of the way. At the bottom, there's a bunch of arctic crabs and a key glyph. Get it and head up the path to the right. Yes, there's more moving ice blocks. Avoid them as best you can until you've reached the surface. Leave through the opening that you entered and slide as far to the right of the screen as you can. Go down (for some reason, the tiger shark here has AI like a regular shark. i.e.: he'll attack you.) and get past yet more ice blocks. There's a huge open area with lots of erratically moving ice blocks. Stick as close to the glacier to your left as you can. Only one of the nearby ice blocks should move diagonally and come close enough to crush you, dart past when it moves away. Hit the barrier glyph, and pass by yet more ice blocks, and get the hell out of dodge. ===================== x. Cold Water ===================== From where you start, head down and to the left, and swim up the narrow opening as quick as you can. (There's some jellyfish, but they shouldn't be too much of a problem. Just avoid them and fight the current.) Jump out to your left, and grab the key glyph hovering just above the surface. Jump back on the ice, jump over all the hazards you come across, and fall into the first opening you see. (Make sure to plan your first jump, don't wait until you're right in front of the hole or you'll run right into the spikes.) Some ways down the narrow opening to the right (under the two glaciers you'll see) there's a barrier glyph. Swim under the next big chunk of ice you see, past the glyph, and keep going 'til you see the giant blue whale. (Hard to miss, really.) Talk to him, and now your next goal is to find the being known as the Asterite. Leave the way you came (hurry, you'll probably be running low on air by this point.) Use the key glyph to knock away the barrier glyph a second time. Fight your way back to the opening by means of which you came in, and jump to the right as far as you can go. Going down, you'll see a Tiger shark. Just behind him is the exit. ===================== xi. Island Zone ===================== Jump over the first 4 or so islands (jump no less than 4 and no more than 6) and head down into the huge chasm with assloads of pufferfish. There's a cave to the left a ways down, go in there and grab the key glyph all the way to the upper left. Go further down into the main pit and up into the right part of the lowest cavern. Here is one last octopus to sneak past, same as with the rest. Go over into the next chamber and rid the world of another barrier glyph, and head into the series of tunnels. Simply head straight down until you get to the bottom, and head left. Here is one loooong tunnel, keep going as far left as you can until you get to a huge open cave. (stop for breath periodically...) This place is full of sharks, so watch out. In the upper half of the chamber there's a glyph. Hit it and head back into the ungodly long tunnel. Pass the first tunnel going upwards, and keep going til you come upon a second tunnel. Head up and take out the barrier glyph. ===================== xii. Deep Water ===================== The main strategy for this stage is to head down as quickly as possible. There are every few air pockets, so breathe at every opportunity. Firstly, head down under the big chunk of rock and head straight down the hole. Enter the second tunnel on the left. Going further down, you'll enter and exit another long tunnel, and at the bottom of the next cave is yet another set of tunnels. Continue going down, and when you see 2 tunnels take the left one. The first right, then go down, then right again. Talk to the Asterite and exit the level by heading straight left. ===================== xiii. Marble Sea ===================== Head left from the tunnel where you begin; there will be a large ruin with a tunnel leading underneath it. Go into this tunnel, soon enough you'll find a strong current pushing up. Head to the left and there'll be a large block sitting on a brick surface. Push the block into the current and trail behind it, leaving enough room to charge at and destroy the chains in your way. Once past this obstacle, head left for an invincibility statue. Head down and right to a small tunnel. Destroy the puffers and crystals in your way. Along the tunnel somewhere is a block, which you'll need to run into the chain at the end of the path to destroy it. In the room at the end of the path there's a key glyph. Head back the way you came, using the starfish to break the chain, and go down further through the tunnel on the left. All the way at the bottom there is a glyph that, when hit with your sonar, will say "Access granted". Head into the path above you, head right, and take out the barrier glyph. If you hit the Access glyph, the exit will be open. ===================== xiv. The Library ===================== Head left until you get to the large chasm. Head down until you see a big chain stretched across the span of the hole. Head left into a large hallway and go up at the end. Somewhere above you is a statue which will render you temporarily invincible when you shoot your sonar at it. Use the block you see sinking down and push it over the large brick walls. Use it to destroy the chains. Once that's done, proceed to the right and watch out for the huge stone plungers that move rapidly up and down. Watch their movement for a bit and dart through at just the right moment, or you'll be crushed. At the end of the next chamber is a tunnel leading upward. Watch out again for these crystals that sink down towards you, as they can cause a lot of damage. A single charge will destroy them, though. Now head left, avoiding the crystals mounted on the floor and ceiling (they can't be destroyed) and keep moving until you get to the exit. ===================== xv. Deep City ===================== This level starts out with a tremendous wall you have to jump over. Back up and get a running start to build some speed. Charge as soon you reach the surface and hopefully you'll clear the wall in less than 50 tries. Next, swim all the way to the right. Head down and destroy the gold colored chain by charging into it. Head all the way down and to the right, then down again. (Use the block to fight the current, and try keeping to the right.) When you see the barrier glyph, keep going further down and you'll find a key glyph. Now blast the barrier away and use the invincibility statue to restore your health. Head up and over the wall, taking out any chains you come across. When you're going down, you'll see two paths. Take the higher one and head upwards 'til you see another, larger tunnel. Follow the winding tunnel, taking out the crystals as you see them, until you see a pit heading down. (Be sure to make use of the invincibility statue here.) Head straight down using the block and then dart left. Get the glyph to grant you access to the exit, and head back up and to the left. There are a few strong current pulling upward, dash past them or you'll have to use the blocks to fight the currents back down to the main tunnel. (and this is a very tricky and tedious task...) Dart quickly past the second current and you'll be at the exit. ===================== xvi. City of Forever ===================== Head right and avoid the jellyfish. Eventually you will have to head upwards, and you might see a large greenish block. Swim further upward and to the right; eventually you'll see a greek statue. Hit it with you sonar and you'll see the message "Access Granted." Head back to where the green block was and swim into the glowing circle. You'll be warped straight to the end of the stage! Now just swim up and hit either of the time machine's dishes with you sonar. ===================== xvii. Jurassic Beach ===================== From where you time warped, head down and to the left. Watch out for the Cenozoic fish monsters, they're like sharks but more vicious. Talk to the glyph, it will summon a Pteranodon for you. Head back up and to the right and jump into the air. The aforementioned Pteranodon will catch you and bring you to another pool. Leap between the two sand bars and into the tunnel leading downward, into the huge cavern. Swim into the rightmost pool of lava (...) and grab the key glyph. Swim left, and enter the second-to-last large lava pool. Head down and take out the barrier glyph at the end of the large slope. Head all the way down and HURRY through the huge tunnel. There are trilobites, and they don't mess around. (almost as deadly as horseshoe crabs, they! Seen a couple of 'em get ahold of a dog once... ooh, boy...) Anyway, at the end of the tunnel is an invincibility glyph. Take out the trilobites and head up and to the right. Get another key glyph. Head back to the invincibility glyph, and head left and then up. Take out the next barrier, and go all the way up. Now go right, where you'll eventually find the exit. ===================== xviii. Pteranodon Pond ===================== From where you start, head up and jump over the small island. Head all the way to the left and talk to the glyph. It will summon another Pteranodon. Now head back to the island and the Pteranodon will airlift you to another pool. Dive down and under the first ridge of rock you see. There's a key glyph there. Grab it, and continue heading downward. Eventually you'll see a barrier glyph. Dispose of it and head into the next cavern. In the upper right hand corner there's an invincibility glyph. Make use of it's usefulness and head over to the left. Straight up the tunnel is another key glyph. Get it and head back down, hit the invincibility once more and swim down to where the barrier glyph is. Head through to another chamber, swim straight down and take the left path. Hurry through around the circuit, and near the bottom there's another key glyph. Grab it, and watch out for the trilobite nearby. Continue along the circle until you see the leftward current. Swim up and to the right, to where there's yet another barrier glyph. Head up and to the right, riding the current through the tunnels. Once you cannot go any higher up, go left and down another tunnel. Check your sonar map for an area with 2 glyphs. The one in the room on the other side of the rock ridge is an invincibility; you can still reach it with your sonar so get it. The nearby glyph is a key glyph. Grab it and head back to the first tunnel; this time head right into the wall near the top of the cave. In the next area, head down and get rid of the barrier glyph. In the cave below is another glyph that summons a pteranodon. Head up to the surface, going towards the left so you're in the right pit. Leap up into the thing's claws and he'll carry you to yet another pond. Swim straight to the bottom, the exit is on the right. ===================== xix. Origin Beach ===================== TRIVIA: This level contains the remnants of what was supposed to explain how Ecco's ancestors first started living in the water. Swim to the far left or far right side of the level, and shoot your sonar diagonally up into the air. A message will come up, supposedly this is the land-dwelling mammals of the Cenozoic Era (hence the name "Jurrasic Beach" a few levels ago is inaccurate. It's more likely these stages take place in the Tertiary Period... although Pteranodons I think lived during the late Cretaceous, and I think Trilobites were around at still another time period... man I'm a geek.) hearing their kind in the ocean, hence Ecco wound up being the answer to the commonly posed question in this game- "if we breathe air why do we live beneath the waves?" Ironic, ne? Anyway. On with the walkthrough. Head straight down from the starting point and into the center pit, where you'll find a glyph (and a trilobite... kill the little bugger before proceeding.) Swim up and to the right, and jump over the island. Head straight down ad take out the barrier glyph. Head right until you see a chunk of rock in the middle of a large cave, go under it and swim down the pit. (Go all the way down for some air pocketey goodness.) In any case, swim through the upper left tunnel. Keep going left, past the second airpockets, and go down the lowermost tunnel. Follow the tunnel through the caves, and when you get to a series of tunnels branching out, take the rightmost one. Once you exit this tunnel, head left and exit the stage. ======================= xx. Trilobite Circle ======================= Head up until you reach the surface. Jump over the next 3 islands to the right and head down diagonally until you see a HUGE seahorse. You can just barely squeeze over him into the next room, just wait for him to drif downward. The glyph in here is both a key and an invincibility glyph. Get both powers, and either slip more easily past the seahorse, or beat the hell out of it. Swim down, and left once you're near the bottom. Take out the barrier glyph and continue left (though there is an air pocket at the top of the room just past the glyph.) Go left as far as you can, and go straight up, making sure to take the left path. Jump straight in the air to the... exit... ===================== xxi. Dark Water ===================== Head right until you see a tunnel leading down. Dive waaaay down there until you get to a big chamber with some Cenozoic fish monsters. (Watch out, at one point there is a shell that moves like those ice blocks from earlier.) To the far right is a tunnel leading down, but first go straight up and get the invincibility. Head back down, where there are 2 more death shells. Get past them, and go left and up through the small tunnel. Go left, and down toward the key glyph. Go back the way you came, until you get to the room with the invincibility. Get it, and swim over to the area where a current pushes you back. (There are two spikes on the roof.) Pressed as far to the ground as you can get, charge like hell past the current. Head up the path, take a minute to mock the barrier you just snuck past, and head left. Take out THIS barrier, and head up into the Asterite's chamber. This is tough, but you must strike 4 globes of the same color while avoiding his devastating lightning attack. Once you've done this, you'll warp back to the Deep Water stage. ================================================== xxii. Deep Water 2/ City of Forever 2/ Home Bay 2 ================================================== Same strategies as before. But once you return the Asterite's globe, you no longer have an air meter to worry about. ===================== xxiii. The Tube ===================== Wooh. Here's a tough one. I thought about making a map or something, but the stage is just too damn big. Anyway, while a walkthrough is not really possible for this stage, here are some tips at least: Early on, the walls are lined with these radiator looking things. They hurt you when you touch them, but a single charge can destroy them. As the level goes on, the auto scrolling becomes faster and faster. Soon, small radar looking boxes start floating around, but your sonar can destroy them. Later still, small diamond looking things show up. They too can be destroyed with your sonar. You'll know you're approaching the end when cylinders on either side of the tube start shooting lighting bolts at you. They do pretty mean damage, but your health is perpetually regenerating from here on out. ============================= xxiv. Welcome to the Machine ============================= Dig the Pink Floyd reference in this stage! Anyway. This stage is hell in it's most unrelentingly infuriating form. The Machine is an auto-scrolling stage, meaning if you're caught behind something, the camera won't wait for you and you're dead. To make matters worse, Vortex Drones continually pop out and attack you. Use your nifty enhanced sonar to destroy them. ===================== xxv. The Last Fight ===================== This battle isn't all that hard once you get the hand of it, but be prepared to hate it none the less. If you get killed, you get sent back to the beginning of the MACHINE. Damn. Also, your health no longer regenerates. Anyway, here's the basic strategy to killing the Vortex Queen: ¥As soon as you start the stage, start sonar-ing like crazy. A Drone is waiting right near the entrance, and you can take some badly unwanted damage from it if you're not careful. ¥Next, swim down to either side of the huge, ugly green head. (That would be the queen.) Shoot sonar at one of her eyes until the pupil comes out. (But watch out for the blobs that periodically come shooting out of the walls, as well as the spheres that some shooting out of her eye every time you hit it. ¥Once both her eyes are out, strike her jaw by charging into it FROM THE SIDE. Don't do this from the bottom! (Also make sure she's not about to inhale before you do this.) Her jaw wills top regenerating after it's been knocked off about 3 times. ¥Now, you're almost done. Start charging the roof of her mouth, and she'll flash red. Be careful, because every time she turns red, a few Drones will show up and attack you. Eventually, she'll start sinking and coughing up dolphins. Congratulations, you've beaten the game! Reward yourself with a cold beverage of you choosing. /////xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx\\\\\ 4. PASSWORDS /////xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx\\\\\ The Undercaves: SYCIACCE The Vents: MWVLACCS The Lagoon: VDIYTAJG Ridge Water: KCLABVNG Open Ocean: TGQLBVNJ Ice Zone: ZOTAEVNS Hard Water: UOAXDVNQ Cold Water: WZWAWJNJ Island Zone: HGIETJNO Deep Water: HHULTJNX Marble Sea: JKSPVJNR The Library: BRLTVJNN Deep City: GZZLVJNG City of Forever: QVEXVJND Jurrasic Beach: RHZIMCLE Pteranodon Pond: ZESMMCLG Origin Beach: IPLQMCLX Trilobite Circle: XMAFCZLA Dark Water: IXIQUNLV City of Forever 2: BCAJGPLS The Tube: KXGFKMLZ The Machine: TNOBKMLC The Last Fight: LYWMLMLU /////xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx\\\\\ 5. CHEATS /////xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx\\\\\ Here are some helpful cheat codes for this game: ¥ Turn Ecco back and forth and pause when he is facing you. Now press R,B,C,B,C,D,C,U. A cheat screen should come up. ¥ Enter a level password, and hold A and Start when the level name comes up. Hold A and Start until Ecoo appears on the screen. Unpause and you are invincible. ¥ Enter 'LIFEFISH' as a password to get unlimited air. /////xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx\\\\\ 6. LEGAL STUFF /////xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx\\\\\ gamefaqs.com, neoseeker.com, and cavernsofhope.com currently have permission to use this FAQ. Ecco the Dolphin, Sega, Genesis, Sega CD, and Game Gear are all trademarks of SEGA. (c) 2004 Keith Richards
