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Eccojr

North American cover art.

Ecco Junior is the third game in the original Ecco the Dolphin series, though it is a prequel set before the first game.

Ecco jr

Title screen.

The game takes place during Ecco's youth, many years before the arrival of the Vortex. One day Ecco and his two friends, Tara and Kitnee, decide to venture out of the Home Sea to search for Big Blue. On the way they complete various tasks. Once the level's task is completed, the barrier glyph blocking the exit will be removed.

This game retains most of the basic gameplay elements and control scheme from the first two games. Ecco can still speed up with C and use his sonar with A, however the dash attack with the B button has been removed since the inability to take damage removed the need to attack. The game retained the bounce mechanic of Ecco 2 that lets Ecco bounce on cliffs and solid land by using the jump button. Icons at the top of the screen indicate level objectives.

Characters

The cast of Ecco Junior. From left; Ecco, Tara, Kitnee.

The graphical style is a mix between those of Ecco The Dolphin and Ecco: The Tides of Time. However the music has a different tone and mood from its predecessors. The atmospheric music has been replaced with more relaxing, slightly upbeat music.

Level Types[]

Normal mode is the general game mode. On normal there are 19 levels, 11 on easy and 26 on hard. Difficulty is set by pressing A, B and C on the title screen. A secret level called Volcano Bay appears as an option after finishing The Sea of Music in explorative mode, however it cannot be selected and can only be accessed by typing its password SJO manually.

Normal Mode[]

  • Locate the Friends: A series of icons will appear indicating what creatures to sing to. Once all the creatures have been found the Barrier Glyph will deactivate. In The Lagoon of Stonefish and Octopus Passage only one icon will be displayed and instead a bar will display progress. Some levels require you to find a mother's baby.  In Fish Reef and Shark Sea multiple creatures of the same species must be located.
  • Mini Coloured Glyphs: This level type appears in the Aqua Maze and The Magical Ocean. In the former simply destroy all the Coloured Glyphs to proceed, in the later they must all be collected.
  • Tag: This level type is find in Ocean Tag, The Enchanted Sea and Dolphin Ride. In these levels you must tag Tara, Kitnee or Ecco and sing to the Barrier Glyph before they catch you. The Ocean of Mimicry features a tag-style level where the player must chase after a dolphin, eventually following him to the barrier glyph at the end and unlocking it.
  • Herding: In The Fish Caves and Shell Roundup the player must collect fish or shells respectively in either of two caverns by singing at them and pushing them in a similar fashion to Stone Eating Stars.
  • Treasure Hunt: In these levels you must collect treasure and bring it to the end of the level. In Treasure Caves you must find the treasure chest and bring all the treasure to the end without it being stolen by another Dolphin, and in Mysterious Ridge you must individually locate all treasure pieces and bring them to the chest at the end. In Vents of Pearl you must find all the pearls hidden within Pearl Oysters.
  • Activate the Song: In The Sea of Music, The Bay of the Scattered Song, and Melodic Waters you must collect all the coloured rings (bronze, silver and gold respectively) and bring them to a specific location. Once all rings are placed Ecco, Kitnee and Tara must swim through all the rings consecutively to deactivate the Barrier Glyph.

Easy Level List[]

Normal Level List[]

Hard Level List[]

Explorative Mode[]

This mode features all of the levels together in an open space. No objectives are present, and each area is separated. This mode is selected by pressing A, B and C on the title screen.

Explorative Levels[]

Trivia[]

  • Like most late stage Genesis games, the North American release was packaged in cardboard boxes rather than the traditional plastic clamshell cases.
  • Ed Annunziata has stated that he developed this game with his daughter in mind.
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