Ecco the dolphin is a challenging game regarding a dolphin named Ecco who has to search for his missing pod. At the beginning of the game, you must jump as high as possible (the clue for this is a dolphin suggesting “How high in the sky can you fly?”) which, once done, causes all of the dolphins but Ecco to disappear, and from then on, you play the game and the motive is to rescue his dolphin pod.
The game is by no means just a children’s game, by having the main character being a dolphin implies.
It is rather a hard game, testing skills such as speed and accuracy and ability to decipher codes from sea mammals such as orcas and obviously, dolphins. What makes the game also difficult is that you constantly need a supply of air, making it extra difficult when you are in levels such as “Underground Caves”, which as the name suggests, there is no easy access to water as you cannot reach the sea’s surface. The controls to the game are simple; with one button for “sonar” which is used to speak with other friendly animals, but when the button is pressed down, a useful map also appears. Another button is for “speed/attack”, which as the name obviously implies, is used for swimming fast
and for attacking opponents. This button can also be used to jump out of water.
The graphics in Ecco the Dolphin are detailed and by no means unattractive! The colours are bright and enjoyable and incredibly detailed, especially with regards to sea “flora” and the backgrounds, which are incredibly lovely. Whilst swimming near the sea’s surface a lovely background including a little island of some sort is shown and the sides of the rocks all show an incredible amount of thought put into the detail. The backgrounds shown whilst deep see diving are a lovely blue plant/coral background which gradually get darker as you swim deeper.
The actual dolphins themselves are designed very realistically; they move and look like real dolphins, albeit simplified for the game. Another one of the treats in the game is that, like a real dolphin, you can jump out of the water. The sounds are also dolphin like, but not incredibly realistic and a bit too “techno” sounding at times.
Overall, I consider this one of my favourite games and is an incredibly good and enjoyable way to pass the time which I look for the most in any game. Also, I love dolphins so the fact that it’s about dolphins is great! It’s also good because it’s not an easy and simple game, but is rather challenging and requires you to think.
