Ecco: The Tides of Time for Genesis

Review #4171

Ecco: The Tides of Time

Ecco: the DLC maps

Genesis 1994 Sega Adventure Adventure › Platform
Ecco: The Tides of Time screenshot for Genesis
Screenshot used for review/reference purposes.
2 / 5

Gameplay

Exact same as the original. Literally no change to the core gameplay whatsoever. The floaty controls of swimming, the ram/dash attack and the limited air mechanic still add up to a frustrating experience.
At least there's a lengthy first area which lets you mess around without needing to get air.
Another weird thing they added is a from-behind sequence when you travel between levels. If you thought it was long and boring to travel between islands in Wind Waker, then you ain't seen nothing yet. These sequences are incredibly boring and actually remind me of the little racing segment between stages in Earthworm Jim.

3 / 5

Level Design

As with the original, I wish this game had a better map.
Still a bunch of obtuse mazes to swim through without any useful clues about what to do next.
I'll give it props for being a bit easier to survive so I was able to see more of the game in my playthrough.

4 / 5

Theme

Bonkers storyline involving time travel, the Earth's ocean becoming sentient, and telekinetic, flying dolphins. The designer was clearly smoking something when they made this game.

4 / 5

Art Style

Beautiful animation! Sprites are drawn with a more realistic look than the original and with improved lighting/shading. It looks very nice. The backgrounds are fairly drab.

4 / 5

Audio

The music is nice. Still quite melancholy. I've heard the Sega CD version has different music which is much better.

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