Ecco the Dolphin (series)
Encyclopedia
Ecco the Dolphin is the collective name given to a series of action/adventure
science fiction
video games developed by Novotrade International
(now known as Appaloosa Interactive) and published by Sega
. They were originally developed for the Mega Drive/Genesis and Dreamcast video game console
s, but have since been ported
to numerous systems. The games are named after their main character
, Ecco, a Bottlenose Dolphin
. They are known for their high difficulty level
. Ecco was created by Ed Annunziata, who also produced Chakan: The Forever Man
.
The Ecco the Dolphin games hinge on the idea that cetaceans are sapient beings and have their own society. In the Mega Drive/Genesis games, humans aren't acknowledged. The cetaceans call themselves "singers". In the Dreamcast game, dolphins and presumably other cetaceans have united with humans in a cross-species society.
Ecco himself is a young adult male Bottlenose Dolphin, though his gender was ambiguous in the original game. He is very strong and intelligent, even for a cetacean. He is also able to use many unusual powers, such as shapechanging and using his sonar
as a weapon. He has five distinct markings on his head which form the shape of the constellation Delphinus.
and lacked the sophistication and difficulty of the previous two titles in series.
When Ecco and his friends find out Big Blue, a wise and famous whale, is near they must do favors and break crystals in order to pass the stage and find Big Blue.
, Ecco: The Tides of Time
, and Ecco Jr.
) and the Dreamcast game (Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future
).
Ecco the Dolphin and Ecco: The Tides of Time were both re-released for the Sega CD, Master System and Game Gear, and Defender of the Future was originally released for the Dreamcast and later re-released for the PlayStation 2
. The Sega CD version of Ecco the Dolphin was also ported to Microsoft Windows
in 1995. Ecco the Dolphin was also re-released on the Game Boy Advance
as part of the fourth Sega Smash Pack
. All of the Mega Drive games have been released on Valve
's Steam platform, as well as being ported for Nintendo
's Virtual Console
and the first game was ported to Microsoft
's Xbox Live Arcade
.
Two six-part comic book
series of Ecco the Dolphin stories based on the first game were featured in Sonic the Comic
. Series one was written by Woodrow Phoenix
and drawn by Chris Webster in 1993. Series two followed in 1995.
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
video games developed by Novotrade International
Appaloosa Interactive
Appaloosa Interactive is a corporation, founded in 1983 in Hungary, that produced numerous console games, computer programs and Hungarian TV-commercials during the 1980s and 90's. The company's headquarters are currently in Palo Alto, California, and it is the parent company and owner of two...
(now known as Appaloosa Interactive) and published by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
. They were originally developed for the Mega Drive/Genesis and Dreamcast video game console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
s, but have since been ported
Porting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
to numerous systems. The games are named after their main character
Title role
The title role in the performing arts is the performance part that gives the title to the piece, as in Aida, Giselle, Michael Collins or Othello. The actor, singer or dancer who performs that part is also said to have the title role....
, Ecco, a Bottlenose Dolphin
Bottlenose Dolphin
Bottlenose dolphins, the genus Tursiops, are the most common and well-known members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphins. Recent molecular studies show the genus contains two species, the common bottlenose dolphin and the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin , instead of one...
. They are known for their high difficulty level
Difficulty level
In general usage, difficulty level refers to the relative difficulty of completing a task or objective.In computer and video games, the term specifically delineates the ease or difficulty with which an average user may complete a game or a part of a game. Arcade games as well as many early console...
. Ecco was created by Ed Annunziata, who also produced Chakan: The Forever Man
Chakan: The Forever Man
Chakan: The Forever Man is a Sega Mega Drive, Genesis video game published by Sega of America June 8, 1992. The game featured an uncommonly dark premise for the time of its release, which saw the home console market flooded with licensed platformers.It is based upon a comic book by Robert A...
.
The Ecco the Dolphin games hinge on the idea that cetaceans are sapient beings and have their own society. In the Mega Drive/Genesis games, humans aren't acknowledged. The cetaceans call themselves "singers". In the Dreamcast game, dolphins and presumably other cetaceans have united with humans in a cross-species society.
Ecco himself is a young adult male Bottlenose Dolphin, though his gender was ambiguous in the original game. He is very strong and intelligent, even for a cetacean. He is also able to use many unusual powers, such as shapechanging and using his sonar
Sonar
Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels...
as a weapon. He has five distinct markings on his head which form the shape of the constellation Delphinus.
Ecco the Dolphin
Released in 1992, the original game followed the exploits of a young dolphin named Ecco as he searched the seas, and eventually time itself, for his missing pod.Ecco II: The Tides of Time
Also known as Ecco: The Tides of Time. It was released in 1994, the sequel follows Ecco's exploits after the conclusion of the original game as he travels the oceans, the past, and the future in his quest to save the planet once more.Ecco Jr.
Released in 1995, this title was intended as edutainmentEdutainment
Edutainment is a form of entertainment designed to educate as well as to amuse.-Overview:...
and lacked the sophistication and difficulty of the previous two titles in series.
When Ecco and his friends find out Big Blue, a wise and famous whale, is near they must do favors and break crystals in order to pass the stage and find Big Blue.
Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future
Released in 2000 and unconnected to the other titles in the series, this Dreamcast title reinvisioned the Ecco mythos in a new Earth with a new premise. Despite being developed by the same studio none of the members associated with the Genesis games participated in the development.Ecco the Dolphin 2: Sentinels of the Universe
This was a game in development for Dreamcast that was canceled.Storylines and ports
The Ecco the Dolphin games can be divided into two distinct storylines: the Mega Drive/Genesis games (Ecco the DolphinEcco the Dolphin
Ecco the Dolphin is a puzzle video game released in 1992 for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. The central character, Ecco, is a bottlenose dolphin controlled by the player through a progression of side-scrolling aquatic levels...
, Ecco: The Tides of Time
Ecco: The Tides of Time
Ecco: The Tides of Time, developed by Novotrade International and released 1994, is the second game in the Ecco the Dolphin series, a sequel to Ecco the Dolphin for the Sega Mega Drive, Game Gear, and Mega-CD...
, and Ecco Jr.
Ecco Jr.
Ecco Jr. is a video game in the Ecco the Dolphin series, released in Summer 1995. It had the controls and basic gameplay of the other two Mega Drive/Genesis titles, but was very much geared towards younger players, lacking the high difficulty of Ecco the Dolphin and Ecco: The Tides of...
) and the Dreamcast game (Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future
Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future
Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future is the fourth title in the Ecco the Dolphin series. It was released in 2000 for the Dreamcast and its soundtrack is composed by Tim Follin. Defender of the Future is an entirely new game universe with a story that has no ties to the original Mega...
).
Ecco the Dolphin and Ecco: The Tides of Time were both re-released for the Sega CD, Master System and Game Gear, and Defender of the Future was originally released for the Dreamcast and later re-released for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
. The Sega CD version of Ecco the Dolphin was also ported to Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
in 1995. Ecco the Dolphin was also re-released on the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
as part of the fourth Sega Smash Pack
Sega Smash Pack
Sega Smash Pack is a series of game compilations featuring mostly Sega Mega Drive games. Sega Smash Pack games have been released for the PC, Dreamcast, and the Game Boy Advance.-PC:The first Sega Smash Pack was released in 1999 for the PC...
. All of the Mega Drive games have been released on Valve
Valve Corporation
Valve Corporation is an American video game development and digital distribution company based in Bellevue, Washington, United States...
's Steam platform, as well as being ported for Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
and the first game was ported to Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
's Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
.
Two six-part comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series of Ecco the Dolphin stories based on the first game were featured in Sonic the Comic
Sonic the Comic
Sonic the Comic, known to its many readers as STC, was a UK children's comic published fortnightly by Fleetway Editions between 1993 and 2002...
. Series one was written by Woodrow Phoenix
Woodrow Phoenix
Woodrow Phoenix is a British comics artist, writer, editorial illustrator, graphic designer, font designer and author of children's books.He was a contributor to a number of British comics magazines including Escape, Blaaam! and Blast! and was part of the British small press comics scene in the...
and drawn by Chris Webster in 1993. Series two followed in 1995.
External links
- Caverns of Hope - An Ecco the Dolphin news and resource website.
- Arkonviox Network - An Ecco the Dolphin fan website with cheats, guides and fan artwork.