Changes: Ecco the Dolphin

Ecco the Dolphin
	;
Released:	July 29, 1993 (US)

Revision as of 00:28, 24 March 2020

Ecco the Dolphin is the original video game created by Ed Annunziata which started the Ecco series. The game was developed for the Sega Genesis console and released in 1992. Additional versions of the game were later released for Sega CD, Sega Master System, Sega Game Gear, and Microsoft Windows.

Gameplay

Level Structure

Most levels consist of having to find and reach the exit. Usually there are obstacles such as Barrier Glyphs that impede the player's progress and have to be removed. In other cases the player will have to solve puzzles or fight a boss.

With the exception of the battle with the Vortex Queen, upon starting a level, the game will give the player a password that can be used to return to that level at any time. With the exception of The Last Fight, the player has infinite continues. All levels are arcade style and must be cleared in one try with no checkpoints present.

Health & Oxygen

The player has two bars to be mindful of: health and oxygen. Running out of health automatically kills Ecco and forces the player to restart the level. Health is depleted upon taking damage from enemies and hazards, while oxygen is generally depleted the longer Ecco stays underwater. If Ecco's oxygen bar runs out, his health bar will begin to deteriorate until he surfaces for air.

Breaching will automatically restore Ecco's oxygen bar, while simply poking his head out of the water will restore his oxygen at a gradual rate. Late in the game, Ecco will be granted Infinite Oxygen by the Asterite. Health can be restored by eating fish, swallowing bubbles from certain Shelled Ones, or singing to an Invincibility Glyph. Late in the game the Asterite will grant Ecco an ability which gradually automatically restores his health, however this ability is unavailable during the fight with the Vortex Queen.

Ecco can be instantly killed by crushing hazards such as moving rocks and chunks of ice, or by being swallowed by the Vortex Queen. Ecco will not take damage while being empowered by an Invincibility Glyph, however he will still be vulnerable to crushing hazards.

Controls

A - Sonar. Advance text.

B - Dash/charge attack.

C - Accelerate swimming speed.

B+A - Charge Sonar (has to be unlocked first).

Directional Pad - Used to move Ecco in 8 directions (Up/Down/Left/Right + diagonals).

Start - Pauses and unpauses game.

Technical Details

While the Genesis console lacked the means to perform many special effects that could be performed on the competing Super Nintendo, Ecco the Dolphin does make use of a lighting system of sorts. When Ecco is above the surface or at varying depths underwater, the colour of his sprite and the overall palette of the level will change slightly to show varying levels of light (at lower levels the coral reefs in the background will become harder to see).

Levels

Story

Development History

Ed Annunziata had difficulty getting Sega to accept his main concept of Ecco the Dolphin as a video game. After pitching the idea repeatedly for over a year to a cold reception, Annunziata eventually decided to transfer to EA for a better paying job. When Sega asked what it would take to keep him at the company, they accepted his request for funds and a team to develop an Ecco prototype. The prototype spent six weeks in development. Upon seeing the prototype, Sega discretely approved the game for full production when it appeared on their product plans. The game spent 10 months in development. Throughout the game's development, Ed repeatedly fought with Sega and won the battle for total creative control.

Development Team:

Producer: Ed Annunziata

Game Design: Ed Annunziata, Laszlo Szenttornyai

Main Programmer: Molnar Joszef

Art: Balogh Zsolt

Music: Spencer Nilsen, Magyari Andras, Brian Coburn

Sales & Sequel

The game became a major seller for Sega in the major video game markets of the time, selling millions of copies. As a result, a sequel was authorized for production, Ecco: The Tides of Time, and was released for the Sega Genesis two years later in 1994.

Trivia

The Western boxarts for the game were done by Boris Vallejo.
Ecco name is a reference for the ECCO (Earth Coincidence Control Office), a concept developed by John C. Lily, a neurologist who have made several research and studies on communicarion and sensory that involved dolphins. John C. Lily was a huge influence on the psychedilic movement and the game Ecco the Dolphin has clear psychedilia motives in it.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Infobox
+|Box title = Ecco the Dolphin
+|image = File:Ecco cover.png
+|imagewidth = 270
+|Row 1 title = Released:
+|Row 1 info = July 29, 1993 (US)
+|}}
+'''Ecco the Dolphin''' is the original video game created by [[Ed Annunziata]] which started the Ecco series. The game was developed for the Sega Genesis console and released in 1992. Additional versions of the game were later released for [[Ecco the Dolphin (Sega CD)|Sega CD]], [[Ecco the Dolphin (Sega Master System)|Sega Master System]], [[Ecco the Dolphin (Sega Game Gear)|Sega Game Gear]], and [[Ecco the Dolphin (Windows)|Microsoft Windows]].
-<gallery captionalign="left" widths="172">
-Ecco cover.png|North American cover.
-Ecco1eu.jpg|European cover.
-ecco1jp.jpg|Japanese cover.
-</gallery>
-[[File:Eccotitlescreen.jpg|thumb|left|270px|The title screen.]]Ecco the Dolphin is the original game which began the [[Games|Ecco series]] when it was released for the Sega Genesis/Megadrive console in 1992. It focuses on Ecco's quest to find out what happened to his lost pod. During the journey Ecco not only solves some of the mysteries of the ocean but discovers many more which remain unanswered.
+==Gameplay==
+'''Level Structure'''
+Most levels consist of having to find and reach the exit. Usually there are obstacles such as Barrier Glyphs that impede the player's progress and have to be removed. In other cases the player will have to solve puzzles or fight a boss.
-===Game Story===
+With the exception of the battle with the Vortex Queen, upon starting a level, the game will give the player a password that can be used to return to that level at any time. With the exception of The Last Fight, the player has infinite continues. All levels are arcade style and must be cleared in one try with no checkpoints present.
+'''Health & Oxygen'''
-The game begins with [[Ecco]] enjoying a typical peaceful day in [[Home Bay]] with his pod. A fellow [[dolphinkind|dolphin]] challenges Ecco to jump into the sky as high as can, to determine who is the most athletic member of the pod. As Ecco jumped into the sky, a monstrous gale suddenly materialized. Not only did it [[The kidnapping of Ecco's pod|consume Ecco's pod]], but all the aquatic life in the area as well. Now all alone and with nowhere else to go, Ecco departed from Home Bay in search of his family.
+The player has two bars to be mindful of: health and oxygen. Running out of health automatically kills Ecco and forces the player to restart the level. Health is depleted upon taking damage from enemies and hazards, while oxygen is generally depleted the longer Ecco stays underwater. If Ecco's oxygen bar runs out, his health bar will begin to deteriorate until he surfaces for air.
+Breaching will automatically restore Ecco's oxygen bar, while simply poking his head out of the water will restore his oxygen at a gradual rate. Late in the game, Ecco will be granted Infinite Oxygen by the Asterite. Health can be restored by eating fish, swallowing bubbles from certain Shelled Ones, or singing to an Invincibility Glyph. Late in the game the Asterite will grant Ecco an ability which gradually automatically restores his health, however this ability is unavailable during the fight with the Vortex Queen.
+Ecco can be instantly killed by crushing hazards such as moving rocks and chunks of ice, or by being swallowed by the Vortex Queen. Ecco will not take damage while being empowered by an Invincibility Glyph, however he will still be vulnerable to crushing hazards.
-Arriving in the next bay, Ecco met some dolphins from another pod. Sadly, they knew nothing of what had happened to his own pod. They had in fact been dragged into the area by the sheer force of the storm alone. Ecco had no choice but to press on. However the route to the next area was blocked off by a mysterious crystal emiting a forcefield which repelled Ecco whenever he tried to go near it. Searching for an alternate path, Ecco chanced upon a nearby cave where he encountered an [[Orcas|Orca]] for the first time. The friendly whale informed him that his best chance was to seek out [[Big Blue]] on the other side of The Undercaves if he wished to discover more about the storm and his pod. Nearby there was a [[Glyphs|Glyph]] that powered up Ecco's sonar, alllowing him to physically shift the glyph blocking the exit. This opened up the path to the [[The Undercaves|Undercaves]].
+==Controls==
+[[File:Controller.png|thumb|left|260px]]'''A''' - [[Sonar]]. Advance text.
+'''B''' - Dash/charge attack.
+'''C''' - Accelerate swimming speed.
-[[File:Undercaves.png|thumb|306px]]
+'''B+A''' - Charge Sonar (has to be unlocked first).
-Once inside Ecco immediately knew why the area had been sealed off. The Undercaves was a very strange area. There were strong currents, new, dangerous creatures and many physical obstacles. However most threatening of all were the sparse number of air pockets within.
+'''Directional Pad''' - Used to move Ecco in 8 directions (Up/Down/Left/Right + diagonals).
-The strength of the currents forced Ecco to swim with all his might to make it any deeper into the caves. After overcoming this first obstacle Ecco had his first encounter with [[pufferfish]]. Though relatively small, they could traverse the currents with ease. However their presence in the areas the currents ran through posed a danger to Ecco as their spiked bodies were harmful.
+'''Start''' - Pauses and unpauses game.
-Venturing into the deepest section of the caves, Ecco encountered the most dangerous creature yet, a giant [[octopus]]! The local denizens had dubbed it [[Eight Arms]]. Its lair guarded an area where a vital Key Glyph was located and it fiercely attacked all those who tried to pass by with haste. Ecco courageously pressed on with great stealth, being careful not to incur the wrath of Eight Arms. After recieving the necessary power from the Key Glyph, Ecco once again snuck through Eight Arms lair. Just beyond the area blocked by the Barrier Glyph was the exit out of the caverns.
+==Technical Details==
+While the Genesis console lacked the means to perform many special effects that could be performed on the competing Super Nintendo, Ecco the Dolphin does make use of a lighting system of sorts. When Ecco is above the surface or at varying depths underwater, the colour of his sprite and the overall palette of the level will change slightly to show varying levels of light (at lower levels the coral reefs in the background will become harder to see).
+==Levels==
+*1 [[Home Bay]]
+*2 [[Bay of Medusa]]
+*3 [[The Undercaves]]
+*4 [[The Vents]]
+*5 [[The Lagoon]]
+*6 [[Ridge Water]]
+*7 [[Open Ocean]]
+*8 [[Ice Zone]]
+*9 [[Hard Water]]
+*10 [[Cold Water]]
+*11 [[Island Zone]]
+*12 [[Deep Water]]
+*13 [[The Marble Sea]]
+*14 [[The Library]]
+*15 [[Deep City]]
+*16 [[City of Forever]]
+*17 [[Jurassic Beach]]
+*18 [[Pteranodon Pond]]
+*19 [[Origin Beach]]
+*20 [[Trilobite Circle]]
+*21 [[Dark Water]]
+*22 [[The Tube]]
+*23 [[Welcome to the Machine]]
+*24 [https://www.timeanddate.com/countdown/to?iso=20200324T0130&p0=212&msg=Ecco+the+Dolphin&font=cursive&csz=1 Machine Turning]
+*25 [https://www.timeanddate.com/countdown/to?iso=20200324T0130&p0=212&msg=Ecco+the+Dolphin&font=cursive&csz=1 Alien Stand]
+*26 [https://www.timeanddate.com/countdown/to?iso=20200324T0130&p0=212&msg=Ecco+the+Dolphin&font=cursive&csz=1 The Last Fight]
+*27 [https://www.timeanddate.com/countdown/to?iso=20200324T0130&p0=212&msg=Ecco+the+Dolphin&font=cursive&csz=1 The End]
+==Story==
+==Development History==
-Leaving the confines of the caves behind, Ecco was relieved to once again be out in the open. This new area had much deeper waters than Home Bay but it was still a warm water ecosystem. Ecco encounterd a dolphin nearby whom had become separated from the members of its pod. Ecco was told that if he aided in reuniting them he would be rewarded! Ecco ventured beneath the waves and returned the lost dolphins to the head of their pod. Afterwards Ecco was rewarded with the Confusion [[Sonar]]. This granted him the ability to temporarily stun dangerous sea creatures, such as [[sharks]], by singing to them.
+Ed Annunziata had difficulty getting Sega to accept his main concept of Ecco the Dolphin as a video game. After pitching the idea repeatedly for over a year to a cold reception, Annunziata eventually decided to transfer to EA for a better paying job. When Sega asked what it would take to keep him at the company, they accepted his request for funds and a team to develop an Ecco prototype. The prototype spent six weeks in development. Upon seeing the prototype, Sega discretely approved the game for full production when it appeared on their product plans. The game spent 10 months in development. Throughout the game's development, Ed repeatedly fought with Sega and won the battle for total creative control.
-[[File:Oo2.png|thumb|left|260px|Sharks in the vast Open Ocean.]]After exploring some more, Ecco met a [[Singers|singer]] who told him that he must make haste for the [[The Arctic|northern ocean]] because Big Blue did not have much time left to live. After working his way through some more aquatic passageways, Ecco made it to the [[Open Ocean]], the path to the arctic. This was the largest area Ecco had ever seen, a vast stretch of seemingly endless ocean. The area was infested with sharks and only more water lay ahead in every direction. After wandering for a long time, Ecco eventually spotted a frozen-over archipalego in the distance. He had made it to the Ice Zone!
+'''Development Team:'''
+Producer: Ed Annunziata
-[[File:Arctic.png|thumb|182px|Submerged ice is a major obstacle to Ecco in this area.]]
-This new area was a radically different ecosystem from what Ecco was accustomed to. The most noticeable change was the massive drop in temperature. While not quite glacial in nature, large sections of the actual sea had solidified, forming large walls of ice deep underwater. Above the surface, the land was fully coated with snow. This cushioned the surface enough that Ecco could slide across it to new areas unaccesible underwater. Ecco was able to traverse across the snow by jumping out through cracks in the ice.
+Game Design: Ed Annunziata, Laszlo Szenttornyai
-A number of new creatures resided in this area. The first Ecco met were the Arctic Sharks, which though carnivores, were largely docile and ignored Ecco. The greatest threat were the [[Arctic Spiders]], predatory creatures which lurked beneath the waves. On top of that there were also environmental threats including drifting blocks of ice caught up in the waves. The force of the waves smashed the blocks against the walls of ice with great force and could cause grave harm to Ecco.
+Main Programmer: Molnar Joszef
-[[File:Ecco1bigblue.png|thumb|left|352px|Big Blue.]]In the deepest section of the area resided Big Blue. He was the largest creature Ecco had ever seen! Communicating through their sonar, he told Ecco what he knew of the gale which had abducted his pod. This was not the first storm of its kind, there have been many more in the past and Big Blue himself had witnessed several of them in his lifetime. The storms are vivious and suck up all the life in the area they hit, never to be seen again. Big Blue told Ecco all that he could and then instructed him to seek out the [[The Asterite|Asterite]], an ancient being with great knowledge of the ocean`s history. As far as Ecco knew, the Asterite`s existance was largely confined to singer myth. However with nothing more to go on and coming from someone as knowledgeable as Big Blue, Ecco set off to find the Asterite`s Cave.
+Art: Balogh Zsolt
+Music: Spencer Nilsen, Magyari Andras, Brian Coburn
+==Sales & Sequel==
+The game became a major seller for Sega in the major video game markets of the time, selling millions of copies. As a result, a sequel was authorized for production, [[Ecco: The Tides of Time]], and was released for the Sega Genesis two years later in 1994.
+==Trivia==
+*The Western boxarts for the game were done by Boris Vallejo.
+*Ecco name is a reference for the ECCO (Earth Coincidence Control Office), a concept developed by John C. Lily, a neurologist who have made several research and studies on communicarion and sensory that involved dolphins. John C. Lily was a huge influence on the psychedilic movement and the game Ecco the Dolphin has clear psychedilia motives in it.
+==List of Ports==
+<gallery>
+SegaSmashPack.jpg|Game Boy Advance
+SUGC.jpg|PS3/360
+.jpg|Xbox Live Arcade
+DS.jpg|Nintendo 3DS
+iOS.jpg|iOS
+PC.jpg|PC
+</gallery>
+==Gallery==
-When Ecco reached the area he was told to go to, he found it was a deep area made up of a series of twisting caverns. In the deepest section was the Asterite.
+<gallery>
+ecco na back.jpg|North American back cover.
+Ecco1eu.jpg|European cover art.
+ecco pal back.jpg|European back cover.
+Ecco1jp.jpg|Japanese cover art.
+ecco jp back.jpg|Japanese back cover
+</gallery>
 [[Category:Games]]
 [[Category:Ecco the Dolphin Articles]]