iPhone game of the day: Ecco The Dolphin

Game: Ecco the Dolphin
Price: %26pound;1.79/$2.99
Size: 4.6MB
Buy it now from the iTunes Store

Sega continues its policy of releasing its 16-bit catalogue onto any and every gaming platform. But does Ecco still have that splashy something, or should we leave him tothe salmon nets? The answer is, fortunately, the former. There's an incredible sense of calm and solitude in Ecco The Dolphin, as you swim through caves deep beneath the waves of a massive ocean. The use of sonar to speak to NPCs and to get a map of your surroundings is just as neat as it ever was and the cryptic clues left my the barking mad inhabitants of this strange world are still perplexing.

What's more, the size of the download is absolutely miniscule at 4.6 megs. I know the game repeats a lot of scenery, but seriously, that's tiny. The result is a full-sized game that you can happily download over a 3G connection if you're away from Wi-Fi. The adventure itself may be a tad pedestrian for today's gaming tastes, but there's a substantial challenge and a rather beautiful game here for anyone who just fancies a bit of flippin' fun.


Above: The start of the game features quite a surprise when you jump a certain distance out of the water...


Above: A closer look at those 1993-era graphics. Still looks rather lovely, doesn't it?

27 Jul, 2010

Justin Towell

Justin was a GamesRadar staffer for 10 years but is now a freelancer, musician and videographer. He's big on retro, Sega and racing games (especially retro Sega racing games) and currently also writes for Play Magazine, Traxion.gg, PC Gamer and TopTenReviews, as well as running his own YouTube channel. Having learned to love all platforms equally after Sega left the hardware industry (sniff), his favourite games include Christmas NiGHTS into Dreams, Zelda BotW, Sea of Thieves, Sega Rally Championship and Treasure Island Dizzy.