Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future
A 3D reboot of the dolphin adventure series.
Appaloosa Interactive developed and Sega published this action-adventure game for the Dreamcast. It reboots the Ecco the Dolphin series and stands as the fifth and most recent installment. A PlayStation 2 port arrived in 2002. Critics generally received it well. A planned follow-up, Ecco II: Sentinels of the Universe, was scrapped after the Dreamcast was discontinued in 2001.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Appaloosa Interactive
- Designer
- Gergely Csaszar
- Maurice Molyneaux
- Keith Higashihara
- Kadocsa Tassonyi
- Jozsef Szentesi
- Csaba Soltesz
- Composer
- Tim Follin (in-game music), Attila Heger (cinematic music)
- Series
- Ecco the Dolphin
- Platforms
- Dreamcast, PlayStation 2
- Genre
- Action-adventure
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
The gameplay resembles the earlier titles but is presented in three dimensions. Ecco's sonar remains a tool for interacting with other cetaceans and certain environmental objects, and a sonar map can be displayed. Movement is controlled by the stick changing Ecco's facing direction horizontally and vertically, while a button is tapped to gain speed and held to maintain it. Out of water, Ecco can perform aerial flips. Charging enemies is the standard attack, now with a homing feature. Health and air meters are present; health can be increased by collecting Vitalits. New moves include a quick 180-degree turn, a method to stop quickly and swim backwards, and a tail walk that lets Ecco raise his upper body above the surface. The graphics are considered among the most realistic on the Dreamcast, with Ecco appearing lifelike. A common criticism is the heavy use of fog, which was employed to obscure distance and reduce polygon count due to engine efficiency limits; pop-up of distant objects also occurs. Cutscenes use the in-game engine and feature voice-over narration by Tom Baker.
Plot
The story is a reboot with a different narrative from the Mega Drive games. The alien Foe, once repelled by humans and dolphins, attack the Guardian, Earth's defense system. Ecco is called to heal the Guardian and drive off the Foe. The Foe Queen steals five Spheres representing noble traits of dolphinkind: Ambition, Intelligence, Compassion, Wisdom, and Humility. Without the Spheres, the world becomes Man's Nightmare, where humans enslave dolphins, driving away the Foe but leading to extinction of humans and most sea life. Retrieving Ambition and Intelligence leads to Dolphin's Nightmare, where dolphins become warlike; Ecco infiltrates the Outcasts and the Clan to recover Compassion and Wisdom. Without Humility, Earth falls to the Foe. Ecco infiltrates the Foe Queen's base, blinds her, creates a hole in her chest, and attacks her heart. After her heart stops, he retrieves the Sphere of Humility and restores the Guardian, ushering a new era for humans and dolphins.
Development
Development took over two years and involved some team members from the original Mega Drive game. The team consulted videos of dolphins and spent more than a year developing a unique skeleton animation system to achieve lifelike results. The game environment went through three or four full cycles of building, testing, and discarding before the quality was mastered. The story was written by science fiction author David Brin.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who designed Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future?
Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future was designed by Gergely Csaszar, Maurice Molyneaux, Keith Higashihara, Kadocsa Tassonyi, Jozsef Szentesi and others.
Who composed the music for Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future?
The music for Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future was composed by Tim Follin (in-game music), Attila Heger (cinematic music).
Is Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future single-player or multiplayer?
Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future offers single-player play.
More in Acclaim Entertainment Games
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced