Ecco Jr. is basically the chill little brother of the Ecco the Dolphin series—way less stressful than the main games, where you'd get lost for hours or get wrecked by sharks. Here, you're just a cute dolphin doing cute dolphin things: swimming through coral reefs, nudging starfish, and helping out other sea creatures with simple little tasks.

The controls feel smooth—you glide through the water with these gentle loops, and the colors pop in that classic Genesis way. It’s got that same dreamy underwater vibe as the original, but without the weird alien horror lurking in the background. My first time playing, I spent like five minutes just jumping in and out of the water because, well, dolphins are fun.

Perfect if you want something relaxing or need to introduce a kid to the series. Just don’t expect any deep lore or high stakes—it’s basically a peaceful ocean playground.