Ecco the Dolphin returns with new remaster, including brand-new game

The 16-bit star of the Sega Genesis era returns (again)

Ecco the Dolphin, the cetacean star of Sega's 16-bit era, is getting a new "complete, definitive" collection that includes past games and "a brand-new contemporary game built for the modern era." Developer A&R Atelier announced Ecco the Dolphin: Complete on Wednesday, promising a remaster of past games built by original members of the Ecco development team.

"No one else can make this game. The people who created Ecco's world, its music, its atmosphere, and its mysteries are the ones bringing it forward," A&R Atelier said in a news release. "This is not an outside studio's interpretation. This is Ecco as it was always meant to be — realized by the minds that dreamed it into existence."

Ecco the Dolphin: Complete will include all versions of the original Ecco the Dolphin and Ecco: The Tides of Time, both of which were originally released on Sega Genesis. Ports of those two Ecco games were later released for Sega CD, Sega Game Gear, and Sega Master System. As for the new Ecco game included as part of Ecco the Dolphin: Complete, A&R Atelier describes the new title as a "journey into the modern era, weaving the history of the franchise together into a single, unified experience."

Not included in the collection, apparently, is the third game in the franchise, Ecco: Defender of the Future, which was released for Sega Dreamcast in 2000 and later ported to PlayStation 2. It's also unclear if the more kid-friendly spinoff Ecco Jr. will be featured.

Ecco the Dolphin: Complete will include built-in speedrunning support, achievements, and leaderboards, according to its creators. There will also be "meta quests" that span the original games and the new Ecco, and an option for custom courses that will let players "chart their own path through any combination of levels from any game in the franchise and share them with the community."

Ecco creator Ed Annunziata teased the new project last year, part of the game designer's enduring efforts to revive Ecco the Dolphin for modern platforms. As far back as 2013, Annunziata tried to create a spiritual sequel to Ecco with the undersea adventure game The Big Blue, which included an unrealized Kickstarter fundraising campaign.

A&R Atelier did not announce platforms or release date for its Ecco the Dolphin collection.