Ecco: The Tides of Time
| Ecco: The Tides of Time | |
|---|---|
Box art by Boris Vallejo
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| Developer(s) | Novotrade International |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Director(s) | László Szenttornyai |
| Producer(s) | Ed Annunziata |
| Designer(s) | Ed Annunziata László Szenttornyai |
| Artist(s) | Zsolt Balogh |
| Composer(s) |
Genesis: Attila Dobos András Magyari Andy Armer Sega CD: Spencer Nilsen Game Gear: Csaba Gigor Gábor Foltán László Fazekas |
| Series | Ecco the Dolphin |
| Platform(s) | Sega Genesis, Sega CD, Sega Master System, Game Gear, Virtual Console, Cloud (OnLive), Steam |
| Release | Sega Genesis/Mega Drive Sega CD |
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Ecco: The Tides of Time is an action-adventure video game developed by Novotrade International, published by Sega, and released for most of Sega's then-supported gaming consoles in 1994. It is the second game in the Ecco the Dolphin series. The Tides of Time continued the story of the first game and featured similar gameplay with a few new additions.
The Tides of Time maintains the same gameplay as its predecessor. Ecco's main attack is to ram into enemies at high speeds, while his sonar is used to communicate with other cetaceans and interact with certain objects such as crystal Glyphs, as well as bring up a map of the area through echolocation. By combining his charge and sonar, Ecco can attack enemies from a distance. As a mammal, Ecco is also required to surface for air at regular intervals.
New puzzles include following other dolphins through an underwater maze and a "scavenger hunt" in which Ecco must collect the Asterite's missing globes. Two new power-ups were also introduced. The first is the "Pulsar", which grants Ecco the ability to fire a multi-directional sonar attack at enemies for the duration of the stage. The second is the "Metasphere", which transforms Ecco into different animals. The transformations are level-specific and include a seagull, a jellyfish, a shark, a school of fish, and a Vortex drone.
Some stages use a pseudo-3D effect. In these stages, Ecco must swim through moving rings while avoiding or attacking enemies. The player is forced to restart if Ecco misses too many rings or takes too much damage.
The Tides of Time continues from the ending of the original game, in which Ecco had saved his dolphin pod and the Earth from the Vortex aliens. Still wielding the powers granted to him by the ancient life-form known as the Asterite, Ecco has since returned to his peaceful life in Earth's waters. One day, while Ecco is out exploring an underwater cave, a powerful earthquake goes off and causes an avalanche. As Ecco recovers, he discovers that the Asterite's powers have left him (indicated by the return of his need to surface for air). His fellow dolphins explain that something has killed the Asterite and is now spreading fear among the ocean life.
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Wikipedia