''Ecco the Dolphin'' is a series of

action-adventure The action-adventure genre is a video game hybrid genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres. Typically, pure adventure games have situational problems for the player to solve to complete a storyli ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedba ...

s developed by

Appaloosa Interactive Appaloosa Interactive (formerly Novotrade International) was a corporation, founded in 1982 in Hungary, that produced video games, computer programs and television commercials during the 1980s and 1990s. History Novotrade International was founded ...

(previously known as Novotrade International) and published by

Sega is a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, respectively. Its division ...

. They were originally developed for the

Mega Drive/Genesis The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Syst ...

and

Dreamcast The is a home video game console released by Sega on November 27, 1998, in Japan; September 9, 1999, in North America; and October 14, 1999, in Europe. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, preceding Sony's PlayStation 2, Nint ...

video game console A video game console is an electronic device that outputs a video signal or image to display a video game that can be played with a game controller. These may be home consoles, which are generally placed in a permanent location connected to ...

s, and have been

ported In software engineering, porting is the process of adapting software for the purpose of achieving some form of execution in a computing environment that is different from the one that a given program (meant for such execution) was originally desi ...

to numerous systems. The story follows the eponymous Ecco, a

bottlenose dolphin Bottlenose dolphins are aquatic mammals in the genus ''Tursiops.'' They are common, cosmopolitan members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphins. Molecular studies show the genus definitively contains two species: the comm ...

, who fights extraterrestrial threats to the world. The games are known for their high difficulty level. ''Ecco'' was created by Ed Annunziata, who also produced '' Chakan: The Forever Man'', which was also released in December 1992.

Games

''Ecco the Dolphin''

Released in 1992, the original game followed the exploits of a young dolphin named Ecco as he searches the seas, and eventually time itself, for his missing pod.

''Ecco: The Tides of Time''

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.

''Ecco Jr.''

Released in 1995, this title was intended as

edutainment Educational entertainment (also referred to as edutainment) is media designed to educate through entertainment. The term was used as early as 1954 by Walt Disney. Most often it includes content intended to teach but has incidental entertainmen ...

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 nearby, they must do favors and break crystals in order to pass the stage and find him.

''Ecco Jr. and the Great Ocean Treasure Hunt''

Released in 1995, an edutainment game similar to Ecco Jr. on the Sega Genesis, this title was released on the

Sega Pico The Sega Pico, also known as is an educational video game console by Sega Toys. Marketed as " edutainment", the main focus of the Pico was educational video games for children between 3 and 7 years old. The Pico was released in June 1993 in Ja ...

. In this game, Ecco and his friends explore the ocean and the ruins that lie within to find various treasures. This game distinguishes itself by utilizing stylus control for the gameplay.

''Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future''

Released in 2000 for the

and later ported to

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on ...

, this title re-envisions the Ecco mythos in a new Earth with a new premise.

''Ecco II: Sentinels of the Universe'' (cancelled)

A sequel to ''Defender of the Future'' was in development in 2001, but was cancelled due to the decline of the Dreamcast. A playable build of the game was leaked online in 2016.

Ports and related media

''Ecco the Dolphin'' and ''Ecco: The Tides of Time'' were both re-released for the

Sega CD The Sega CD, released as the in most regions outside North America and Brazil, is a CD-ROM accessory for the Sega Genesis produced by Sega as part of the fourth generation of video game consoles. It was released on December 12, 1991, in Japan ...

Master System The is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was originally a remodeled export version of the Sega Mark III, the third iteration of the SG-1000 series of consoles, which was released in Japan in 1985 an ...

and

Game Gear The is an 8-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation handheld game console released by Sega on October 6, 1990, in Japan, in April 1991 throughout North America and Europe, and during 1992 in Australia. The Game Gear pri ...

, and ''Defender of the Future'' was originally released for the

and later re-released for the

. The Sega CD version of ''Ecco the Dolphin'' was ported to

Microsoft Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for ...

in 1995. ''Ecco the Dolphin'' was also re-released on the

Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, ...

as part of the fourth ''

Sega Smash Pack ''Sega Smash Pack'' (''Sega Archives from USA'' in Japan) is a series of game compilations featuring mostly Sega Genesis games. Pack 1 (Windows) The first pack titled ''Sega Smash Pack'' (''Sega Archives from USA Vol. 1'' in Japan) featured eigh ...

''. All of the Mega Drive games have been released on

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Steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporizatio ...

platform, as well as being ported to

Nintendo is a Japanese multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produced handmade playing cards ...

Virtual Console A virtual console (VC) – also known as a virtual terminal (VT) – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some Unix-like operating systems such as Linux, BSD, illumos, U ...

and the first game was ported to

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washi ...

Xbox Live Arcade Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) is a digital video game download service available through the Xbox Games Store, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360. It focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent ...

. Two six-part

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

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.

Archie Comics Archie Comic Publications, Inc., is an American comic book publisher headquartered in Pelham, New York.Sonic the Hedgehog is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games are platformers m ...

'' series later featured a Dolphin character named Echo thought to be a tribute to this series, though this character was humanoid and female.

Legal dispute and after

In late 2016 series creator Ed Annunziata reached a settlement with Sega regarding the legal rights to the franchise. The attempt to regain the intellectual property rights, in part, arose from Annunziata's unsuccessful attempt to make a spiritual successor called ''The Big Blue'' funded through

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...

which could not use the Ecco name. Although the exact details of the settlement were unclear, it was believed by media outlets including Venture Beat that it could pave the way for a new installment in the franchise by Annunziata. Soon thereafter Annunziata himself talked about wanting to revive the series for the

Nintendo Switch The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a tablet that can either be docked for use as a home console or used as a portable device, making it a ...

Soundtrack

''Ecco: Songs of Time'' is a

soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' ...

which contains the original soundtrack from the

versions of '' Ecco the Dolphin'' and '' Ecco: The Tides of Time''. It was released on September 3, 1996. The music is composed by

Spencer Nilsen Spencer Nilsen (born April 9, 1961) is an American video game music composer. He is best known for his soundtracks to the Sega CD versions of ''Batman Returns'', '' Ecco the Dolphin'', '' Ecco: The Tides of Time'', ''Jurassic Park'', ''The Adventu ...

. The music is atmospheric and ambient, heavy on high-quality synthesizer, low-frequency percussion and various samples, including dolphin squeaks and squeals.

Track listing

Tracks 1–11 from ''Ecco: The Tides of Time'', tracks 12–18 from ''Ecco the Dolphin''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ecco The Dolphin (Series) Sega Games franchises Video game franchises introduced in 1992