Early and Unused Text

This is a sub-page of Proto:Ecco: The Tides of Time (Genesis)/Ecco II Build X11.

To do:
There's definitely more to cover.

Text in lowercase is written as such internally; in-game it all renders with the uppercase font.

Level Names#

To do:
there are more level names that may or may not actually correspond to used levels in the final, and i may have mixed some up as i cannot easily compare levels without sonar maps available

Almost every level name is different from the final in some way, barring Home Bay, The Eye, and Gravitorbox.

Proto	Final
Corall Reefs	Sea of Green
Deep Horizont	Deep Ridge
Collect	Sea of Birds
Spiral	Secret Cave
Shark	The Hungry Ones
Globeholder	Globe Holder
Between A Times	Two Tides
Broken Glyph	The Lost Orcas
Medusa Tube	Vents of Medusa
Four In A Row	Four Islands
A Maze-Ing	Maze of Stone
Dark Stage	Sea of Darkness
Medusa Entrance	Trellia's Bay
Upstair	Skyway
Asterite Cave	Asterite's Cave
Bird Walk	Eagle's Bay
Flying Bird	Fin to Feather
Giant Medusa	Tube of Medusa
Autocamera	Aqua Tubeway
Fastcamera	Sky Tides
Csigaboss	Moray Abyss
Asterite Ide	Asterite's Home
Atlantis00	Atlantis
Big-Bug	City of Forever
Fishmorph	Fish City
Future01	Black Clouds
Entrance	Vortex Future
Vortex on Earth	Lunar Bay
Vortex Entrance	Dark Sea
Autovortex	New Machine
Second01	Inter
Second02	Innuendo
Second03	Trans
Stomach	Inside
Sarlac	Vortex Queen
Big Whale	Big Water
Attack	The Pod

Home Bay#

Proto	Final
IT IS GOOD TO BE BACK IN THE COOL WATERS OF EARTH.	IT IS GOOD TO BE BACK IN THE COOL WATERS OF THE EARTH.

A "the" was added before Earth.

Teleport Rings#

Proto	Final
THE SEA IS FILLED WITH TELEPORT RINGS MADE ONLY FOR YOU BY THE ATLANTEANS.	THE SEA IS FILLED WITH TELEPORT RINGS MADE ONLY FOR YOU BY THE ATLANTEANS. SWIM THROUGH THEM AND THEY WILL TAKE YOU GREAT DISTANCES.

An additional line about how the teleport rings work was added.

Trellia's Message#

There are two versions of Trellia's message in the prototype: a near-final draft, and an unused variant found earlier in the ROM. Interestingly, elements of both managed to sneak their way into the Game Gear port.

Proto	Final
I AM TRELLIA AND YOU ARE ECCO, MY ANCESTOR.	I AM TRELLIA AND YOU ARE MY ANCESTOR.

Trellia figures Ecco already knows his own name in the final version.

Trellia's Other Message#

Proto	Final
I AM TREILLA, I AM BEAUTIFUL, YOU ARE MY ANCESTOR.	I AM TRELLIA AND YOU ARE MY ANCESTOR.

In addition to being vain, Trellia in this unused text cannot spell her own name right.

Proto	Final
I AM WHAT YOU WILL EVOLVE TO WHEN THE EARTH IS MUCH OLDER.	N/A

Some extra exposition that was trimmed out.

Proto	Final
I EXIST IN THE FUTURE OR ONE POSIBLE FUTURE.	I AM FROM THE DISTANT FUTURE, OR ONE POSSIBLE FUTURE...

Proto	Final
THER IS ANOTHER POSSIBLE FUTURE FOR EARTH, A MUCH DARKER FUTURE... THE VORTEX FUTURE.	THERE IS ANOTHER POSSIBLE FUTURE: A DARK FUTURE, THE VORTEX FUTURE.

Grammar and punctuation fixes.

Proto	Final
YOU ARE THE STONE THAT SPLITS THE STREAM OF TIME IN TWO.	I AM HERE TO TAKE YOU TO MY PRESENT, YOUR OLD FRIEND WISHES TO SING TO YOU...

Trellia reveals the consequences of reckless time travel to Ecco. In the final game, the Asterite in the future says this line instead.

Future Dolphins#

Proto	Final
GIANT TUBES OF WATER CONNECT ALL THE SEAS OF EARTH. NOW THE OCEAN IS NOW CONSCIOUS, IT FEELS AND THINKS...	GIANT TUBES OF WATER CONNECT ALL THE SEAS OF THE EARTH. NOW THE OCEAN IS CONSCIOUS, IT FEELS AND THINKS...

The redundant "now" was removed, plus another added "the" before Earth.

Proto	Final
LIFE ON EARTH IS IN PERFECT HARMONY.	LIFE ON EARTH IS IN PERFECT BALANCE.

Arbitrary one-word change.

Proto	Final
META-SPHERE CREATED BY THE ASTERITE TO CHANGE YOU INTO ANOTHER LIFEFORM. FLIGHT-SPHERE CREATED BY THE ATLANTEANS TO HELP YOU TRAVEL IN THE SKY. CURRENT GLYPHS CHANGE THE DIRECTION OF THE CURRENT WITH YOUR SONG. TELEPORT RINGS ARE USED TO TRAVEL GREAT DISTANCES INSTANTANEOUSLY. POWER GLYPHS STRENGTH, BREATH, OR INVINCIBILITY. CLUE GLYPHS CREATED FOR YOU BY US, THE ATLANTEANS, TO HELP YOU SAVE THE EARTH.	THE METASPHERE WAS CREATED BY the ASTERITE TO CHANGE YOU INTO ANOTHER LIFEFORM.

Most interestingly, a whole lot of exposition about the various glyphs, rings and spheres was trimmed down to a single mention of the metasphere, although the text about the "flight-sphere" is actually used in the Game Gear port.

Future Asterite#

Proto	Final
HELLO MY LITTLE SINGER, IT IS GOOD TO SEE YOU AND FEEL YOUR THOUGHTS AFTER SO LONG LISTEN TO ME CARFULLY, WHEN YOU SAVED YOUR POD THE VORTEX QUEEN FOLLOWED YOU TO EARTH YOU MUST RETURN TO YOUR TIME AND STOP THE VORTEX BEFORE THEY TAKE ROOT UPON THE EARTH THERE ARE TWO POSSIBLE FUTURES FOR EARTH AND ONLY YOU CAN PREVENT THE DARK VORTEX FUTURE. YOU ARE THE STONE THAT SPLIT THE STREAM OF TIME IN TWO. AND ECCO, YOU MUST SAVE MY LIFE, I WILL SHOW YOU MY MEMORIES...	HELLO MY LITTLE SINGER, IT IS GOOD TO SEE YOU AND FEEL YOUR THOUGHTS AFTER SO LONG LISTEN TO ME CAReFULLY. WHEN you SAVED YOUR pod, the VORTEX queen followed you to EARTH YOU MUST RETURN TO YOUR TIME AND STOP THE VORTEX BEFORE THEY TAKE ROOT upon THE EARTH THERE ARE TWO POSSIBLE FUTURES FOR EARTH AND ONLY YOU CAN PREVENT THE DARK VORTEX FUTURE. YOU ARE THE STONE THAT SPLIT THE STREAM OF TIME IN TWO. AND ECCO, YOU MUST SAVE MY LIFE. I WILL SHOW YOU MY MEMORIES...

Grammar and punctuation improvements. Carfully yours, the Asterite.

The Song That Splits the Stone of Time in Two#

Proto	Final
SING THIS SONG IF YOU WANT TO BREAK A ROCK.	use this song to shatter the stone.

Reworded a bit.

Door Glyph#

Proto	Final
GLYPH IS OPEN... HAVE YOU GOT THIRTY SECONDS TO SEARCH FOR YOURS GLYPH.	THE GLYPH THAT IS A DOOR IS OPEN FOR A SHORT TIME.

The amusing broken English here was fixed up for the final version.

Four Islands#

Proto	Final
SO YOU ARE THE HERO, ECCO... THERE ARE SONGS OF YOUR GREAT SPEED AND STRENGTH... HERE, I AM THE FASTEST SINGER... IF YOU ARE REALLY THE SINGER ECCO YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO BEAT ME IN A RACE ACROSS THE FOUR ISLANDS IF YOU WIN, I WILL SHOW YOU THE SECRET EXIT.	N/A

Proto	Final
HERE, I AM THE FASTEST SINGER... YOU ARE SLOW FOR A HERO OF THE SEA. MAYBE YOU CAN FIND THE SECRET EXIT YOURSELF, SLOWLY.	N/A

Proto	Final
YOU ARE TRULY THE FASTEST SINGER IN THE SEA... FOLLOW ME AND I WILL SHOW YOU THE SECRET EXIT.	N/A

The dolphin you have to follow in Four Islands doesn't have anything to say in the prototype, but there are unused strings suggesting you would've had to race him instead.

Horrible Creatures#

Proto	Final
HORRIBLE CREATURES ATTACKED MY POD... I SWAM AWAY WITH THE LITTLE ONES AND NOW THEY ARE LOST... PLEASE ECCO, FIND THE LITTLE ONES, THEY ARE ALL THAT I HAVE LEFT.	HORRIBLE CREATURES ATTACKED MY POD. I SWAM AWAY WITH THE LITTLE ONES AND NOW THEY ARE LOST. PLEASE, FIND THEM.

The orca's plight was toned down a bit in the final version, and an extra line instructing the player what to do.

Orca Flashback#

Proto	Final
HELLO ECCO, I AM HAPPY TO SEE YOU BUT I FEEL THE PAIN OF SORROW. PLEASE LET ME SING MY MEMORIES TO YOU.	thank you, ecco...now my child is safe... I have seen the death of the asterite... listen to my memories...

The dialogue of the orca who shows the cutscene of the Asterite's death was changed to be more specific about it.

Asterite's Plea#

Proto	Final
...FIND... ...GLOBES...	FIND... ...GLOBES

The final has less excessive punctuation.

Proto	Final
...NO WAY TO THE DARK... ...MACHINE... ONLY DOWN THE STREAM...	...NO WAY TO THE DARK... time MACHINE... ONLY DOWN THE STREAM...

The extraneous ellipsis was replaced with a clarification about the type of machine.

Globe Hunting#

Proto	Final
YOU MAY NOT PASS YET, BECAUSE NOT ENOUGHT ASTERITE GLOBES.	YOU MAY NOT PASS YET, you must rebuild the asterite.

Half of this sentence was rewritten.

Proto	Final
FIND THE TELEPORT TO ASTERITE AND COME BACK.	N/A

This weird line simply never made it to the final game.

Big Water#

Proto	Final
GO TO THE LEADER HE CAN HELP YOU.	THE LEADER CAN HELP YOU.

This whale's dialogue was shortened a bit.

Proto	Final
I FIXED YOUR PROBLEM.	I will help you my little cousin.

The whale leader himself had his line completely rewritten, probably because he says this before he busts open a wall for you.

Asterite Fully Restored#

Proto	Final
YOU AMAZE ME AGAIN LITTLE ONE... NOW THAT I AM WHOLE AGAIN I CAN GIVE YOU THE POWER YOU NEED TO STOP THE VORTEX QUEEN AND... I WILL TEACH YOU A POWERFUL SONG TO SUMMON YOUR BROTHER SINGERS... YOU WILL NEED HELP WITH THE MANY VORTEX DRONES.	YOU AMAZE ME AGAIN, LITTLE ONE... NOW THAT I AM WHOLE AGAIN, I CAN GIVE YOU THE POWER YOU NEED TO STOP THE VORTEX QUEEN AND... I WILL sing A POWERFUL SONG TO SUMMON YOUR BROTHER SINGERS... they WILL help you with the MANY VORTEX DRONES go now and stop the Vortex menace.

The newly-repaired Asterite's call to action was reworded in the final version.

Proto	Final
LET'S GO TOGETHER AND DESTROY NEST OF EVIL VORTEX... MY FORCE BE WITH YOU.	N/A

Like the early Trellia dialogue, this obvious placeholder string also exists separate from the used text.

Vortex Defeated#

Proto	Final
YOU ARE GREAT. WE ARE FREE. THE TIMEMACHINE IS OUR PROBLEM.	Once again you are the hero of the sea... You have saved your kind... you have saved the asterite... and you have saved the earth's future. songs of your courage will echo in the waters of the earth forever. I am proud to be your pod mate.

The touching message of Ecco's victory from his fellow dolphins is a lot cheaper in the prototype, nor is it followed by the credits. It's also another case of something the Asterite would tell you in the final being attributed to someone else in the prototype.

Miscellany#

These strange strings are located between the teleport ring and early Trellia dialogue. What they correspond to in the final is currently unknown as all the strings between the teleport ring and stone song text were removed, though they appear to suggest Good Future-related contexts.

Proto	Final
THE GLYPH WITH THE KEY SONG IS BROKEN BUT I REMEMBER IT WELL... LISTEN AND LEARN...	N/A

Proto	Final
YOUR HOST GAVE YOU A HELP TO REACH HIM KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE SKY.	N/A

Proto	Final
SEARCH YOUR OLD FRIEND THE ORCA, HE KNOWS MORE THAN YOU THINK.	N/A

Proto	Final
WELLCOME TO OUR FUTURE ! YOUR HOST IS WAITTING FOR YOU, HURRY UP, BECAUSE YOU CAN STAY HERE JUST FOR A LIMITED TIME.	N/A

There is no timer on how long Ecco can stay in either future.

Proto	Final
THIS SONG CAN FREE UP THE ENERGY FROM THE STANDING OBJECTS... USE THIS SONG TO REACH THE TOP OF THE SKY.	N/A

A key glyph in Skyway blocks the way to Sky Tides; maybe this is referring to that?

Proto	Final
YOUR TIME IS OVER IN THE FUTURE. YOU WILL BACK TO YOUR PRESENT. I GIVE YOU A SPECIAL GIFT.	N/A

Proto	Final
THIS IS A MOST DANGEROUS WAY, I NEVER SEEN ANYBODY, WHO'S BACK FROM THERE.	N/A

The following strings appear to be early Asterite dialogue.

Proto	Final
HELP ME.	N/A

Proto	Final
COLLECT MY GLOBES.	N/A

Proto	Final
I NEED TO BE COMPLETE TO GIVE YOU THE FORCE, ...BUT I'M STRONG ENOUGH THE REAGAIN YOUR POWER.	N/A

Proto	Final
UNBELIEVABLE HOW YOU REACH THIS REAL HIDE PART OF THE SEA. I'V SEEN WHAT REALLY HAPPENS WHEN THEN ENEMYES COMES.	N/A

Proto	Final
I CAN KEEP YOU IN MY MEMORY, IF ANY TROUBLE HAPPENS COME BACK TO ME. I'M THE ONLY ONE, WHO CAN HELP YOU.	N/A