Ecco the Dolphin 1992
Log Status
Completed
Playing
Backlog
Wishlist
Rating
Time Played
--
Days in Journal
1 day
Last played
February 5, 2019
Platforms Played
Don't believe people who try to tell you that Ecco the Dolphin is a classic, or even simply misunderstood. Listen not to their lies as they tell you detractors are not good at the game. These people think dangerous thoughts and they want you to do the same...
Ecco the Dolphin is just straight up bad. Which is a shame, because I really like the look and sound of this game. It does a great job of conveying a sense of loneliness and hostility amongst otherwise tranquil waters. Brief moments above water portray a brightly lit world unconcerned and unbothered by the alien machinations lurking beneath the waves. As you explore deeper into the game you start to come upon ruins of a long forgotten civilization, leaving you asking "what happened here...?" And connecting levels together are small bursts of text that tell a story dripping in haunting, unearthly tones, set against a backdrop of trippy visuals. It's no wonder the inspiration for this game was the NASA funded dolphin speech experiment. It's got a vibe, man. One that is equal parts unnerving and psychedelic.
But a game can't survive off vibes alone, and the actual act of controlling Ecco and navigating underwater is agonizing. You never feel fully in control of Ecco, which can make it hard enough to skirt around obstacles, but dealing with enemies is a torturous exercise that quickly pulls you out of the experience and makes you realize you're not only playing a game but actively fighting against it. Labyrinthine levels that poorly mark where you are and where to go compound the already frustrating control issues, and when you toss in some really poor checkpointing (especially in later stages) you have a game that feels more fun to shut off than play.
It's all a little depressing, because I am completely enamored with the tone of this game. That tone is just not strong enough to prop Ecco up despite all its other issues, though. I attempted to play Ecco the Dolphin 2 in the hopes that some of these problems were fixed, but it was quickly apparent that the game was going to be just as committed to anti-fun as the first, and after seeing how many levels it had I decided drop some LSD and take a cold bath instead.
Ecco the Dolphin is just straight up bad. Which is a shame, because I really like the look and sound of this game. It does a great job of conveying a sense of loneliness and hostility amongst otherwise tranquil waters. Brief moments above water portray a brightly lit world unconcerned and unbothered by the alien machinations lurking beneath the waves. As you explore deeper into the game you start to come upon ruins of a long forgotten civilization, leaving you asking "what happened here...?" And connecting levels together are small bursts of text that tell a story dripping in haunting, unearthly tones, set against a backdrop of trippy visuals. It's no wonder the inspiration for this game was the NASA funded dolphin speech experiment. It's got a vibe, man. One that is equal parts unnerving and psychedelic.
But a game can't survive off vibes alone, and the actual act of controlling Ecco and navigating underwater is agonizing. You never feel fully in control of Ecco, which can make it hard enough to skirt around obstacles, but dealing with enemies is a torturous exercise that quickly pulls you out of the experience and makes you realize you're not only playing a game but actively fighting against it. Labyrinthine levels that poorly mark where you are and where to go compound the already frustrating control issues, and when you toss in some really poor checkpointing (especially in later stages) you have a game that feels more fun to shut off than play.
It's all a little depressing, because I am completely enamored with the tone of this game. That tone is just not strong enough to prop Ecco up despite all its other issues, though. I attempted to play Ecco the Dolphin 2 in the hopes that some of these problems were fixed, but it was quickly apparent that the game was going to be just as committed to anti-fun as the first, and after seeing how many levels it had I decided drop some LSD and take a cold bath instead.