Proto:Ecco: The Tides of Time (Genesis)/Ecco II Build X11
This is a sub-page of Proto:Ecco: The Tides of Time (Genesis).
 | This article is a work in progress. ...Well, all the articles here are, in a way. But this one moreso, and the article may contain incomplete information and editor's notes. |
 | To do: LOTS
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Download Ecco: The Tides of Time (Apr 13, 1994 prototype)
File: Ecco_-_The_Tides_of_Time_(Prototype_X11_-_Apr_13,_1994)_(hidden-palace.org).bin (2.0 MB) (info)
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This unfinished version of Ecco II: The Tides of Time has the designation "X11" and was built on April 13, 1994. It has many dramatic differences from the final version of the game, and never-before-seen stages, music, enemies and more.. It was released by drx on March 30, 2008.
Contents
Sub-Pages
| Levels YOU MAY NOT PASS YET, BECAUSE NOT ENOUGHT ASTERITE GLOBES. |
| Early and Unused Text YOU ARE GREAT, WE ARE FREE |
General Differences
- The title screen uses the music used in the Sea of Darkness level as opposed to the final game's unique title theme.
- Unlimited health and air are enabled by default.
- Pressing A when paused toggles the music on and off; however, it also overwrites whatever music was playing before with Track 01.
- There are no level title cards.
- Barrier glyphs make no sound when collided with, nor do key glyphs play their jingle when activated.
- The top and bottom rows of the screen are cut off, as in the previous prototype.
Password Screen
| Proto | Final |
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Passwords are five letters long, as opposed to eight like in the first game and the final version of Ecco II. At this point in development, there are no sounds on the password screen at all, and moving over a letter in the password itself causes the screen to flash to the fish palette as long as it remains highlighted. The final nudged the position of the entire interface up a few pixels.
Debug Menu
The debug menu can be accessed by pressing C eight times when the game is paused on Ecco facing the screen.
| Proto | Final |
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The prototype's debug arrangement is slightly different and is missing the options to force hard mode and change the game difficulty.
Graphical Differences
Dolphin
| Proto | Final |
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As with the Playable Preview prototype, the dolphin sprites are reused from Ecco the Dolphin, albeit with the final Ecco II's bluer palette.
Magic Arm
| Proto | Final |
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The head used by a myriad of segmented alien enemies is completely different in the prototype. It also doesn't really look good in any palettes it uses; the final version just uses Ecco's palette instead.
Atlantis Crab
| Proto | Final |
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Similarly, what appear to be gigantic lice in Atlantis were changed to slightly more fanciful alien-crabs in the final.
Vortex Worm
| Proto | Final |
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The brown vortex worms are made entirely out of body segments in the prototype, while in the final they have a distinct head and tail.
Music
Most of the game's soundtrack is present, but not all; the title theme, Two Tides, Trellia's Bay, Big Water, Inside, and Fish City themes are missing at this point in development.
Removed Music
There are three tracks which are used throughout this prototype, but were completely removed by the 0429 prototype, and the music slots they occupied remain empty in the final. They all play off of each other's motifs in some way, and also bear some resemblance to the song used in Crystal Springs in the final.
Track 01
Track 02
Track 07
