I was late to the 16-bit party, but one of the games I picked up for my Genesis was Ecco: The Tides of Time. Normally, I try to play a series in order, but I found it in the bin at KB Toys (remember how they used to do that?), so I decided to give it a go. I don't remember much about the game at this point, aside from the fact that I never really got anywhere in it. I seem to recall beating a few levels, but that game humbled my gaming skillz ego in a way that few games had prior to that. I ultimately threw in the towel and well, that was about it for my Ecco experience.

Fast forward nearly 20 years and here I am, finally getting my first Ecco completion...for Ecco Jr.! You know, the Sega Club game that's intended for young children. Unlike the savage 16-bit ocean you find yourself in with the first two Ecco games, Ecco Jr. is a very laid back experience. The graphics look similar to the other Genesis games and some of the mechanics overlap (if memory serves, that is)...but this is clearly targeting a different audience.

The game is broken up into a series of bite-sized levels that each have you completing simple tasks that mostly revolve around using your sonar ability to locate animals / items. There's a slight puzzle element to the things, though some levels are also kind of like playing a game of "tag" with another creature, so it's not entirely a (lightly) cerebral experience. There's really not much to it, but I will say it generally looks / feels like Ecco the Dolphin...just on a much, much, MUCH simpler scale.

Taken in the context of what the game is striving for, I found some enjoyment out of my roughly 35 minute playthrough. This is a hard game to recommend unless you go in knowing exactly what to expect. It's lack of content and virtually non-existent difficulty result in a game primarily reserved for those with a curiosity about oddball game releases, Ecco completionists, and, well, I guess young children since that's the intended demographic.

If nothing else, you can at least tell people you completed an Ecco the Dolphin game...though you might want to conveniently ignore the inevitable follow-up question of "which one?"

Played On: Sega Genesis
Completion Date: 2/6/23
Time: 35 minutes
Rating: 6/10