Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future

When I first heard of Ecco the Dolphin back in 90's, I was a bit skeptical at first. A action and sport gamer at heart, I took a chance on this game and thought it was lame. Boy was I wrong!!! It was one of the best and the most original game that I ever played period simply because it was far different from the usual suspects.

Fast forward to the millennium and you've got Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future. Originally released on the now-ancient Dreamcast (sadly), it still holds up even in this day and age of Xbox 360 and PS3. The game is simply BEAUTIFUL!!! You have to play this game to believe it. The animation is so realistic you'll swear you're looking at a National Geographic sea life video. The game's graphical prowess is not only cosmetic, but are also part of the game design. For instance, when you swim in dark areas, you'll see fish that glow in the dark and give off some very impressive lighting effects. And in one stage, you'll swim through a passage of "floating water". This alone makes the game so charming and distinctive from most games on the market. The controls are easy to pick up and master. When you control Ecco, you're jaw will drop and stare at the screen in amazement. He moves so much like a real dolphin you'll cry and hold onto the monitor as if it was a living thing. The game sucks you in and never lets go with a gripping and engaging sci-fi storyline complete with an excellent narrative and an epic soundtrack that fits very well with the game.

Soundwise, the game is MARVELOUS!!! You won't believe how realistic the sounds that various creatures make in this game!! It really makes the experience so enjoyable and compelling. The gameplay is great as well. Unlike most games where violence is the solution to beating the enemies, this game actually forces you to outsmart them (although you'll sometimes HAVE to fight) And you will need to because the game is very challenging which may put off casual gamers. There are various puzzles throughout the game that requires some brainpower and some can be quite difficult to figure out. But if you stick around, you'll find a unique and rewarding gaming experience that cannot and I mean CANNOT be found anywhere else.

Overall, Defender of the Future is one of the last great games for the Dreamcast. Please pick this game up wherever you can 'cause you won't see anything else like it. Once again, as someone who mostly plays action and sports games, I gave this game a chance because its unconventional and offers something new to the table. Hopefully, game companies will take notice of that and by doing so, gamers can rest assured that a innovative and original games can be just as much fun as mainstream games too.

I enjoyed the first Ecco game on the Sega Genesis, so I had to give this one a try. And I wasn't disappointed.

Ecco's transition from 2D to 3D was a success and it threw him into a fully rendered, underwater world that looked amazing for the time. The entire game was like every marine biologist's dream. The levels and scenery were brilliantly designed, with underwater rock formations, seaweed, and coral reefs. The rocky walls, rippling surface water, bubbles, and reflected sunlight on the ocean floor all looked so lifelike. You'd see a myriad of aquatic life, like fish, whales, sea turtles and battle enemies like sharks, eels, and jellyfish. The bosses were tough and required strategy to beat, like a great white shark, the exalted ones Ice and Fire, and the final boss herself, the Foe Queen.

Gameplay involved battling enemies, exploring, and solving puzzles. The puzzles were cleverly designed and fun to solve, like using power ups to enhance his abilities, like power of vigor, sonar, air and others. Sure, some of them were very tricky, but as someone who enjoys challenges, that made it more appealing to me.

Ecco was a blast to play in a 3D plane. His controls were granted him smooth, fast, and agile movement as he swam and performed acrobatics and flips through the air. Although it can be a pain to have to constantly press and hold the action button to keep Ecco moving, it was manageable with enough practice.

Tim Follin and Attila Heger did a fantastic job composing the soundtrack. The music was the best part of the game with its soothing, aquatic tunes involving synthesizers, acoustic guitar notes, and soft percussion. All the sound effects were clear and lifelike, like whales bellowing, water splashes and rushing currents, and, of course, extensive Dolphin vocalizations between Ecco and his friends.

Like the prequels, the game was quite difficult. You need to constantly refill Ecco's oxygen. Some of the levels are a nightmare, like Perpetual Fluidity with its poor lighting and long pipes filled with spinning fans to swim through or Hanging Waters where you must time your jumps carefully to leap from one floating water ball to another, swim swiftly against strong currents in water tubes, and finally escort the Manta Ray. To top it all off, there's no map feature, so navigating the huge maze-like layouts of these levels can be stressful since they're easy to get lost in.

Anyone who loves dolphins or just aquatic wildlife in general would have enjoyed this game.