Ocean dwellers, low-res pixel style!

Playing Ecco, Ecco 2, and Ecco Jr, I got to thinking about games where you navigate mostly underwater environments and where you play as an aquatic native. Being strict about these bounds made for a short but interesting list, with several games that felt very different to play and were memorable for me (except the Little Mermaid, which I haven’t played but fit in the category).

Ecco the Dolphin, the bottlenose with a cosmic destiny. He’s joined in playable status during Ecco Jr by his friends Tara the orca and Kitnee the Atlantic spotted dolphin. All three games are very special and worth playing.

Ariel stars in several licensed games for the Little Mermaid movie. The most well-known are Capcom’s on NES and Game Boy, but the Mega Drive and Master System tie-ins are a bit more like cheap Ecco clones with their more exploratory theme.

The little squid Ikachan is from Pixel’s game Ikachan, which is loosely tied to his more famous Cave Story. It’s adorable and short, just like its protagonist!

Naija is from Aquaria, a game from early in the modern indie boom. Like Ecco, there’s lots of interaction with other aquatic creatures, a focus on singing, and a deeply mysterious world to explore.