History YMMV / EccoTheDolphin

* PolishedPort: The Windows 95 version of ''Ecco the Dolphin'' ups the visual quality with its redrawn graphics, features the Sega CD version's soundtrack, the FMV sequences from ''Tides of Time'', tightens up the controls, adds new difficulty system, and a save feature.

** The infamous octopus in the Undercaves is an early game example, partially due to it being early enough that the player won't have a good feel for the controls yet. The puzzle is simple enough and even explained to you in-game by the line "swim slowly past eight arms", but pulling that off is finicky. Opposite the octopus are some spikes so you need to line yourself up precisely so that you won't get hurt by the spikes but also don't crash straight into the octopus. If you move too fast the octopus' attack can shred through a full health bar nearly instantly, not helped by him often knocking you into the spikes for even more damage. All the while you don't have much room for error since you need to pass the octopus twice before you can refill your oxygen meter and you only just have enough to make it in time, meaning you need to figure out that perfect swimming speed the game expects from you where you're fast enough that you don't drown but slow enough that you don't anger the octopus. Softened in the SEGA CD version where they place a checkpoint right before the octopus so it's not so unforgiving.

* WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs: The plot of ''Defender'' is incredibly bizarre. It is set at the dawn of the 30th century, in a world where humans and dolphins have lived together as equals and ruled as the dominant species of Earth for the past 500 years. They have gone into space and encountered aliens who want to conquer Earth. Ecco the dolphin has to travel through time to collect the dolphin's lost noble traits to save the world. This all being said, [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools the game is still pretty good]].

** "Big Water" in ''Tides of Time''. There's only one puzzle to it: speak to the leader of the blue whale pod, watch him ram a rock wall blocking access to an Asterite globe, then take it and the other one that was just laying around in place sight, and leave. That's it. It's a short, goofy level with no enemies that can be completed in less than two minutes, and it's nestled between two much more difficult stages that involve finding several pars of Asterite globes apiece.

* BreatherLevel: ''Defender'' had "Obscure Ways to Terminus," which was almost insultingly simple after a series of difficult and confusing levels, and there were no enemies to speak of.

* NauseaFuel: As [[NightmareFuel Horrifically]] Ugly as she is, ramming in and detatching the [[BigBad Vortex Queen's]] Eyes and Jaw is less than satisfying.

* SpiritualAdaptation: One could see ''VideoGame/{{Pikmin}}'' as one to this series despite being made by [[Creator/{{Nintendo}} Sega's former rival]] given that they have similarities in tone and visuals, are set in worlds where [[EverythingTryingToKillYou nature itself wants you dead]] and use a sound based item as a core gameplay mechanic. [[VideoGame/Pikmin2 The second game]] even has dungeon themes similiar to this game's music.

* SurpriseDifficulty: Fits right in there with SurpriseCreepy. You'd think a series starring a cute dolphin would be a pushover, and holy cow would you be wrong.

** ''Defender'' gets hit with this ''bad'' during Domain of the Enemy. The levels are barren, have puzzles that are obnoxious even by the game's NintentoHard standards, and feel overall rushed compared to the other level sets. While Man's Nightmare has a similarly barren aesthetic, at least there's the Movers, Circle, and Crimson to keep Ecco company and advance the plot.

%%* DisappointingLastLevel:
%%** ''Defender'' gets hit with this ''bad'' during Domain of the Enemy.
%%** Welcome To The Machine in the original game.
%%ZCE

* EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory:
The fact that the Vortex feed on sealife and Dolphins just so happen to be part of that could be interpreted as an obvious GreenAesop about overfishing, dolphins being caught in nets as a result from it as well as dolphin poaching.

* NauseaFuel: As [[NightmareFuel Horrifically]] [[HateSink/Ugly]] as she is, ramming in and detatching the [[BigBad Vortex Queen's]] Eyes and Jaw is less than satisfying.

* NauseaFuel: As [[NightmareFuel Horrifically]] ugly as she is, ramming in and detatching the [[BigBag Vortex Queen's]] Eyes and Jaw is less than satisfying.

* BrokenBase: A low-key disagreement regarding ''Defender.'' The absence of ''Ecco''[='=]s usual [[MindScrew mindfuckery]] had a mixed reaction from some old-timers, though its surprisingly dark themes and scary atmosphere still left an impression on younger players and thus added to ''Ecco'''s niche fanbase.

* BrokenBase: A low-key disagreement regarding ''Defender.'' The absence of ''Ecco''[='=]s usual [[MindScrew mindfuckery]] had a mixed reaction from some old-timers, though it left an impression on younger players and added to ''Ecco'''s niche fanbase.

* DisappointingLastLevel:
** ''Defender'' gets hit with this ''bad'' during Domain of the Enemy.
** Welcome To The Machine in the original game.

** "Sonar Free" requires you to get to Dark Water without the death sonar trying to get that far into the game without the death sonar is already a harrowing challenge, but most don't even know the death sonar is optional.

* CompleteMonster: In ''Defender'', in the "[[BadFuture Dolphin's Nightmare]]" storyline, Mutaclone and his two CoDragons form the "Exalted Ones", the leaders of a [[FantasticRacism dolphin-supremacist]] regime known as the Clan. Committing numerous atrocities, the Exalted Ones force whales to suffer as [[LivingBattery living generators]], cut off the food supply to a disobedient village, and unleash sharks on it and allow their followers free reign to torment and torture as they please. Bigoted {{Social Darwinist}}s, one refers to compassion itself as a weakness and Mutaclone himself refuses to let anything risk toppling the tyranny he lords over.

* CompleteMonster: In ''Defender'', in the "[[BadFuture Dolphin's Nightmare]]" storyline, [[ArcVillain Mutaclone]] and his two CoDragons form the "Exalted Ones", the leaders of a [[FantasticRacism dolphin-supremacist]] regime known as the Clan. Committing numerous atrocities, the Exalted Ones force whales to suffer as [[LivingBattery living generators]], cut off the food supply to a disobedient village, and unleash sharks on it and allow their followers free reign to torment and torture as they please. Bigoted {{Social Darwinist}}s, one refers to compassion itself as a weakness and Mutaclone himself refuses to let anything risk toppling the tyranny he lords over.

* CompleteMonster: In ''Defender'', the two unnamed Exalted Ones lack the redeeming qualities of the leader, Mutaclone, and are merely [[FantasticRacism vile supremacists]]. Using their power over their oppressive group, the Clan, the Exalted Ones order numerous atrocities, such as using whales as living generators, or cutting off the food supply of a village they cast out before sending sharks to attack them. Unrelentingly cruel, the Exalted Ones show nothing but pride in their action, one even saying they believe compassion to be a weakness.

* CompleteMonster: In ''Defender'', the two unnamed Exalted Ones lack the redeeming qualities of the leader, Mutaclone, and are merely [[FantasticRacism vile supremacists]]. Using their power over their oppressive group, the Clan, the Exalted Ones order numerous atrocities, such as using whales as living generators; cutting off the food supply of a village they cast out before sending sharks to attack them; and torturing a member of the dolphin resistance. Unrelentingly cruel, the Exalted Ones show nothing but pride in their action, one even saying they believe compassion to be a weakness.

** The PS2 port of ''Defender'' had a slightly greater draw distance. Some fans also preferred its updated sonar map, which showed larger areas of the level in greater detail and displayed enemies within range, at the sacrifice of no longer having dynamic directions and pausing the game while it was active.

*** And right at the end of the game, "Transfiguration." Dark, dangerous (especially in the Dreamcast version where enemies respawned), and ultimately amounts to doing the same task ''twice'' in a row [[note]]You had to grab a power of sonar to break a rock, inside of which was ''another'' power of sonar to break another rock that was too far away to get to while the first one was still active! [[/note]], and once you'd managed to get to the final stretch, any hit from an enemy would reverse Ecco's transformation into a fish and you'd have to try again. Bear in mind there was at least one enemy in the area that couldn't be killed, and it had a ''projectile attack!''