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.
Plot
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 causes an avalanche. As Ecco recovers, he learns 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.
Soon after, Ecco meets a dolphin with unusually long fins. She is his descendant, Trellia, who takes him to the distant future to speak with "an old friend". In the future, the ocean has developed its own mind and is connected across the planet by waterways traveling through the sky. The dolphins of the future have also evolved, as they are now able to fly through a combination of internal helium sacs and telekinetic powers.
After exploring the future, Ecco finds his old friend the Asterite, who explains the events that had transpired in Ecco's time. Though Ecco had defeated the Vortex, the Vortex Queen survived and followed him back to Earth, where she killed the Asterite of Ecco's time and now nests and feeds to restore her brood. The Asterite then tells Ecco that when he used the Atlantean Time Machine to save his pod, he split the stream of time in two. One possible future for Earth is a bright, happy world of flying dolphins, while the other is a dead, mechanical world sucked dry by the Vortex. As a result, Ecco is referred to as "the stone that split the stream of time in two".
Once back in his own time, Ecco travels to the Moray Abyss, where he finds the first two globes of the Asterite after clearing out the giant moray eels. He then journeys to revive the Asterite by finding its many globes that have been scattered across the ocean. Slowly, the Asterite begins to recover, and eventually is able to hold a full conversation with Ecco. However, it cannot help Ecco, as the Vortex of the dark future took its last pair of globes back to their own time. As the Atlantean Time Machine can only go into the past, Ecco must find another way to reach the dark future.
Ecco makes his way to the Lunar Bay, which the Vortex have stripped of all ocean life as they continue to grow and multiply. As he explores, Ecco is ambushed by Vortex drones and taken to the dark future. Unlike the future of before, the Vortex Future is a lifeless planet-spanning machine consisting of water tubes, artificial gravity, and dangerous Vortex creatures. Ecco locates the Asterite's last two globes in a chamber, where a bubble-chained holding device called the Globe Holder resides. After destroying it, Ecco obtains the globes and is warped back to his era.
With the Asterite complete again, Ecco's former powers are restored, and the Asterite summons all of Ecco's fellow dolphins to join in fighting the Vortex. As the dolphins and the Vortex do battle in the now-transformed Lunar Bay, Ecco swims to the deepest parts and infiltrates the Vortex's New Machine, then finally confronts the Vortex Queen and seemingly destroys her once and for all.
As his pod celebrates their victory over the vanquished Vortex, Ecco returns to the Asterite and is told to go to Atlantis and destroy the Time Machine in order to prevent the stream of time from ever being split again. Arriving in the sunken city, Ecco discovers that the Vortex Queen is still alive as a larva after her supposed death, and the two of them race to the Time Machine. The Vortex Queen uses the Time Machine first and is sent to the Prehistoric Era, where she finds herself unable to rule over the creatures that reside there. Faced with the need to survive, the Queen is forced to adapt to Earth's own life-cycles, and through the eons, the Vortex are integrated into the ecosystems of Earth as arthropods. Ecco chooses to use the Time Machine instead of destroying it, and vanishes into an unknown era.
Release
Game Gear version
A version of Ecco: The Tides of Time was released for the Game Gear, though in a heavily-altered form. All the levels were redesigned to work within the handheld's weaker abilities, and several levels and story scenes were removed completely.
Soundtrack
As with Ecco the Dolphin, the Sega CD version of The Tides of Time features an alternate soundtrack composed by Spencer Nilsen. The Genesis/Mega Drive version features a soundtrack composed by Attila Dobos, András Magyari, David Javelosa and Andy Armer (co-writer of Grammy Award-winning single "Rise").
In 1996, a soundtrack album combining music from both Ecco the Dolphin and Ecco: The Tides of Time was released, under the title Ecco: Songs of Time.[6] A rendition of The Tides of Time soundtrack was commissioned for the first BBC Proms gaming music concert in 2022.[7]
Reception
Reviewing the Genesis version, GamePro commented that Ecco: The Tides of Time retains the best points of the first Ecco game, such as its gameplay concept and lifelike animations, while having much more accessible difficulty. While they cited some problems with the controls, they praised Ecco's new transformation ability, remarked that "All the game's audio is simple, soothing and effective", and recommended the game as an improvement over the original.[8] The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the Genesis version a 7.25 out of ten, likewise declaring it an improvement over the original, though for the opposite reason: two of the reviewers said it was much more difficult than the first game. They particularly applauded the game's remarkably colorful graphics.[9]Next Generation reviewed the Genesis version of the game, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "Taxing puzzles, RPG elements, shooting stages, and some of the best Genesis graphics to date make you want to reel Ecco II in, but it's certainly not a keeper."[10]
Reviewing the Game Gear version, GamePro warned that the game is very slow-paced and difficult, but felt it to be "worth the effort", praising the varied gameplay and beautifully colorful graphics.[11] Though citing issues with the slow pacing and the controls, Electronic Gaming Monthly gave it a mild recommendation, particularly praising the smooth animations and striking colors. They scored it a 6.5 out of ten.[12]
GamePro's review of the Sega CD version declared: "Like the recent Genesis version, Tides of Time Sega CD is an excellent sequel, offering enchanting graphics and sounds." They also remarked that the History Glyphs, an exclusive feature of the Sega CD version, add to the enjoyment of the game.[13]Next Generation agreed, saying they are "very nicely done, and completely charming." Also noting the improved graphics and music of the Sega CD version, they gave it three out of five stars.[14]Electronic Gaming Monthly gave it a 7.6 out of ten, with Mike Weigand commenting: "Take the Ecco 2 game and add beautiful music and excellent sound effects and you get the Ecco 2 CD. Fans of the dolphin series (like me) will probably love this one, others will probably be converted."[15]
IGN gave the Virtual Console release of Ecco: The Tides of Time a 7/10, and stated that "this underwater adventure's lack of direction may leave you lost at sea."[16]NintendoLife said that "for a Megadrive game Ecco 2 looks amazing. Ecco has a 3D rendered quality much like what is found in Donkey Kong Country", and finally concluded that "you’ll have a whale of a time", giving the game a 7/10.[17]GameSpot criticized the game for being "simply more of the same" as the first Ecco game, with all the same frustrations. Though they remarked that the music and a number of moments of the gameplay are outstanding, they concluded the game to be overall not worth buying, and gave it a 5.5 out of ten.[18]Australia's Official Nintendo Magazine listed Ecco: The Tides of Time as one of the 20 Classic Sega Games You Must Play, saying that "there is really nothing quite like Ecco the Dolphin."[19]
Earthworm Jim is a 1994 run and gun platform game developed by Shiny Entertainment, featuring an earthworm named Jim, who wears a robotic suit and battles the forces of evil. The game was released for the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo Entertainment System, before being subsequently ported to several other video game consoles.
NBA Jam is a basketball video game developed and published by Midway for arcades in 1993. It is the first entry in the NBA Jam series. The project leader for this game was Mark Turmell.
Ecco the Dolphin is an action-adventure game developed by Ed Annunziata and Novotrade International and published by Sega for the Mega Drive/Genesis in 1992. Versions for the Sega CD, Master System and Game Gear were released the following year. It is the first installment in the Ecco the Dolphin video game franchise. The player character is a bottlenose dolphin who travels through time to combat hostile extraterrestrials in Earth's oceans and on an alien spacecraft.
Ecco Jr. is a video game in the Ecco the Dolphin series, released by Sega in North America in April 1995 and in Australia in November 1995. It has the controls and basic gameplay of the other two Mega Drive/Genesis titles, but is geared towards younger players, lacking the high difficulty of Ecco the Dolphin and Ecco: The Tides of Time.
Earthworm Jim 2 is a 1995 run and gun platform video game and the sequel to Earthworm Jim, and the second and final game in the Earthworm Jim series developed by original creators Doug TenNapel, David Perry and Shiny Entertainment. It was released in late 1995 and early 1996 depending on region and video game console, initially being released for the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo Entertainment System, before being ported to other platforms.
Batman Returns is the name of several video games for various platforms based on the 1992 film of the same name.
Primal Rage is a fighting game developed and released by Atari Games for arcades in 1994. The game takes place on a post-apocalyptic version of Earth called "Urth". Players control one of seven prehistoric beasts, that battle each other to determine the planet's fate. Matches feature many of the conventions of fighting games from the era, including special moves and gory finishing maneuvers. Ports were released for home video game consoles and personal computers. Efforts to perfectly emulate the arcade original have been unsuccessful due to the use of an unusual copy protection method. Toys, comics, a novel and other merchandise tie-ins were produced. More than 1.5 million copies of the game were sold.
Lethal Enforcers is a 1992 light gun shooter released as an arcade video game by Konami. The graphics consist entirely of digitized photographs and digitized sprites. Home versions were released for the Super NES, Genesis and Sega CD during the following year and include a revolver-shaped light gun known as The Justifier.
Disney's The Jungle Book is a series of platform video games based on the 1967 Disney animated film of the same name. The game was released by Virgin Interactive Entertainment in 1994 for the Game Boy, Nintendo Entertainment System, Master System, Genesis/Mega Drive, Game Gear, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and MS-DOS. While gameplay is the same on all versions, technological differences between the systems forced changes – in some case drastic – in level design, resulting in six fairly different versions of the 'same' game. This article is largely based upon the Genesis/Mega Drive version.
The Lion King is a platform game based on Disney's 1994 animated film of the same name. The game was developed by Westwood Studios and published by Virgin Interactive Entertainment for the Super NES and Genesis in 1994, and was ported to MS-DOS, Amiga, Game Gear, Master System, and Nintendo Entertainment System. The Amiga, Master System, and NES versions were only released in the PAL region. It is the final licensed NES game worldwide. The game follows Simba's journey from a young cub to the battle with his uncle Scar as an adult.
Brutal: Paws of Fury is a 2D fighting game published by GameTek in 1994. The game features a cast of various anthropomorphic animals as selectable fighters. It also features the ability to learn new attacks and save them via passwords. Originally a Sega CD exclusive, it was later ported to other game consoles.
Batman Forever is a beat 'em up video game based on the film of the same name. Though released by the same publisher at roughly the same time, it is an entirely different game from Batman Forever: The Arcade Game. The game was followed by Batman & Robin in 1998.
The Pagemaster is a platform game released in conjunction with the 1994 film The Pagemaster for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, and Sega Genesis. It was developed by Probe Software, published by Fox Interactive and distributed by FoxVideo.
Valis III is a 1990 action-platform video game originally developed by Laser Soft, published by Telenet Japan and NEC for the TurboGrafx-CD. A Sega Genesis version was released in 1991. It is the third entry in the Valis series. It stars Yuko Asou, a Japanese teenage schoolgirl chosen as the Valis warrior and wielder of the mystical Valis sword after the events of Valis II. King Glames, wielder of the sword Leethus, leads denizens of the dark world to conquer both Vecanti and Earth, seeking refuge for his people amid the destruction of their planet. Together with the demon warrior-maiden Cham and her sister Valna, Yuko must prevent Glames from destroying both worlds. Through the journey, the player explores and searches for items and power-ups while fighting enemies and defeating bosses.
Radical Rex is an action platforming video game released in 1994 in North America, Europe and Australia. It is a remake of the 1993 Game Boy game Baby T-Rex. It was published by Activision and developed by Australian game studio Beam Software for the Super NES, Genesis, and Sega CD. A Microsoft Windows port of the Super NES version published by Piko Interactive was released on March 7, 2019. Piko also released the game as part of the Piko Interactive Collection 1 for the Evercade on June 8, 2020.
Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures is a 1994 platform video game released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is a video game adaptation of the Indiana Jones films Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). The game was developed by Factor 5 and published by JVC Musical Industries. The story is told through cutscenes and text and is mostly faithful to the movies. Its release coincided with that of Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, also released by JVC and LucasArts and in the same platform style as the Super Star Wars trilogy.
Ecco the Dolphin is a series of action-adventure video games developed by Appaloosa Interactive and published by Sega. They were originally developed for the Mega Drive/Genesis and Dreamcast video game consoles, and have been ported to numerous systems. The story follows the eponymous Ecco, a bottlenose dolphin, who fights extraterrestrial threats to the world. The games are known for their high difficulty. Ecco was created by Ed Annunziata, who also produced Chakan: The Forever Man, which was also released in December 1992.
FIFA Soccer 96 is a football simulation video game developed by Extended Play Productions and released by Electronic Arts in 1995. It was released for the Mega Drive/Genesis, Sega Saturn, Sega 32X, Game Gear, PlayStation, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and MS-DOS compatible operating systems.
↑ Neapolitan, Matt (October 22, 1994). "A sneak preview of the year's hottest games". The Daily Journal. Retrieved December 5, 2023. Some of Sega's most promising titles including "NFL '95", "College Football", "Dynamite Headdy," and "Ecco: Tides of Time."
↑ "Power Play". The Sunday People. November 13, 1994. p.50. Retrieved December 5, 2023. We've teamed up with SEGA, the top video games company, to offer one lucky reader the chance to win a super Sega Mega Drive II (worth £130), plus a copy of their fantastic new game Ecco: The Tides of Time (worth £44.99), which is released this weekend.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
