Weird Things in Video Game Music #1: Ecco the Dolphin (GG)

I’ve been downloading and listening to some old video game soundtracks, and in the process, I discovered a rather… interesting situation with a tune in an old Sega Game Gear soundtrack, specifically that for Ecco the Dolphin.

To see what I’m talking about, you’re first going to need to grab an audio player for video game music, like, say, Audio Overload.

First off, download Frédéric Hahn’s 1989 Amiga tune The Last Sun at ModArchive.com, and listen to it in Audio Overload. Yeah, it’s going to sound rather dated, as the reviewers have commented, but that’s not the important thing. Just let the melody sink into your head; this is important.

Got it? Now grab the Ecco the Dolphin soundtrack from Zophar’s Game Gear music archive. You’re going to want to listen to “Ecco the Dolphin – Dark Water.vgz” in that archive.

Surely you’ve noticed the same thing I did by a few seconds into the song… That’s right: despite the fact that Fred Hahn’s not credited, they’re the same tune!