/vr/ - Retro Games

>>10522846
>>10525252
>>10525262
It does have a few pretty challenging parts like >>10520637 but over all I wouldn't call it a super hard game. It's more than the kind of difficulty is unusual for the era and especially Sega games. Most arcade style games are about getting good at the mechanics then blasting your way through quickly. But in Ecco you pretty much always have to be careful, methodical and not rush. Meanwhile of course you are constantly running out of air and feeling that pressure. Which is why the octopus is there early on to teach you that even when you think you should rush, you shouldn't.

The other thing that can heavily impact the difficulty are two quests near the start if the game, to save some dolphins lost in caves. They aren't really indicated as quests and you can easily beat the levels and ignore them, but one grants the very handy ability to use your sonar as a long range attack and the second almost invaluable one lets you permanently kill enemies so they don't respawn. Particularly in the ice and prehistoric levels that becomes almost necessary due to the sheer number of enemies and their placements around crushing ice blocks etc.

>>9672727
>>9672738
Yeah I'd had lots of practice in being patient under pressure from an octopus friend. I do understand how it filters people, just doesn't need to.

>>9532972
Good luck with it, I'm glad to help! It's one of my favorite games of all time, but I understand well why it's always been a little niche. My suggestion if you try again is just take it slow for a while and learn how the game flows. The second level has an octopus that is there to help teach you. You'll feel low on air and like you should be rushing, but the octopus will slap you back of you do. In Ecco, rushing is what usually kills you. Your air is always depleting and you will think you're going to drown if you don't, but success relies on keeping calm under pressure and being accurate. Many people say it's crazy hard, but really outside of the Asterite fight and the Vortex queen at the end, it's really not that difficult ot just takes a kind of mentality that most games don't require as much.

>>6081745
Octopus is your friend. He's there to teach you to be careful instead of rushing because rushing is what will get you killed.

>>6074615
Ecco is one of my favorite games ever but I get what you're saying. If the fun for you is running around a game decimating everything in sight and kicking ass it's not that kind of thing at all.

>>5383034
I fully agree. The CD music is nice and it's a bonus that there are a couple of extra levels. But the Genesis music fits the game much better in my opinion and is better composed over all.

>>5329416
They're games about exploration and precision and patience under pressure. If that sounds good they're highly recommended.

Under the sea with my octopod friend is max comfy for me.

I'd like to be under the sea
In an octopus's garden in the shade
He'd let us in, knows where we've been
In his octopus's garden in the shade

>>4925273
It's okay. The first time I got there it was an accident because I was stuck on the asterite and trying to cobble a code for a later level.

If you ever decide to tackle it again, remember that in many ways the illusion you are going to drown making you rush and fuck up is the biggest challenge of tge game. You have the time to do everything you need to. Learn from your octopus friend, rushing gets you killed. Patience under pressure is the key to victory in that game.

Fucking really?!?

>>4742501
Yes? All I know is you watched a speedrun which inspired you to try them. To my mind, watching someone else go through the challenges would suck some of the fun out it, but I don't really get watching playthroughs in general.

>>3935885
This. Getting your shit slapped by a fucktopus when you're already out of air and half dead is terrifying. And that's the third level or some shit.

>>3901041

>>3866084
>>3866065
I love water levels!

Hell I even like Earthworm Jim's water level.

This isn't even a boss, it's just a test of patience under pressure but it's been the cause of many people dropping the game.

>>3569780
Not quite none of them, but I've always had a hard time finding other Ecco the Dolphin fans. Most people either think it looks like a casual relaxing art game so they never try it, or they think it's a casual relaxing art game so they do play it and then hate the game for octo slapping them.

>>3124589
That's why I mentioned that because it controls completely differently than any other game it takes getting used to. But the controls are perfect.

I find the biggest problem some people have is the air meter scares them so they think they have to rush. But that usually ends up killing you. It's a game about being careful and precise while under pressure. That's the point of the octopus early on, if you try to rush he just slaps your shit. To succeed in the game you have to know when to slow down and be careful, even though you can see yourself drowning the whole time.

Like I say, it's a love or hate thing and I totally get the people who don't like what it's doing. But in terms of game design, it's fantastic.

>>2802832
It's easily one of my favorite games of all time, but it's also kind of odd and has never been super popular. If you like exploration and puzzle adventure games then you may well like it though.

>>2802852
How close to the beginning is the very beginning?

In the first level all you have to do is jump high and straight into the air. After that is sort of a training level, you have to do a bit of exploring and learn that you can get the power from one glyph to knock another out of the way.

The third level, Undercaves is where the game really starts. You'll have to learn to deal with air as a limited resource while you explore as well as pass the octopus which requires slow and careful swimming under the pressure of running out of air. The level is fairly straightforward when you get used to it, but that can take a bit of time.

However, if you can make it through there and had fun then you're well set up to tackle the rest of the game. If you didn't enjoy Undercaves though, you probably won't like the game as a whole.

Another thing, if you do continue. In the next level, The Vents and in a couple later ones there will be a lone dolphin that asks for your help in finding other members of her pod and bringing them back to her. It's not necessary to clear the level, but is well worth your effort because you learn very handy skills that way.

>>787926
When I was little I never got past The Undercaves. That fucking octopus always killed me.