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 consoles, 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.[1][2] Ecco was created by Ed Annunziata,[3] 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.
In the Sega Mega Drive manual backstory, Ecco is acknowledged as the only dolphin to have five stars on his forehead.
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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.
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.
Released in 1995, this title was intended as edutainment 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.
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.[4]
This was a game in development for Dreamcast that was canceled.
The Ecco the Dolphin games can be divided into two distinct storylines: the Mega Drive/Genesis games (Ecco the Dolphin, 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[5][6][7], as well as being ported for Nintendo's Virtual Console[8] and the first game was ported to Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade.[9]
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.
The following games and their instruction manuals:
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