Ecco the Dolphin creator launches Kickstarter for spiritual successor, The Big Blue

The creative team behind Ecco the Dolphin is currently seeking $665,000 for a new underwater action adventure game called The Big Blue.

In The Big Blue, players will explore, complete quests, collect and spawn life forms and solve puzzles. The video, which you can watch below, offers a brief look at gameplay and the game’s overarching theme: life.

“While this game isn’t based on the original Ecco the Dolphin series, it is the next evolutionary step in underwater adventure games,” said Ed Annunziata, project lead and creator of Ecco the Dolphin. “We want to make something epic. Something with smooth game controls, deep backstory, emphasis on exploration and artificial life.”

The Big Blue’s soundtrack will feature music by Spencer Nilsen, composer of the original Ecco the Dolphin scores, and Bear McCreary, best known for his musical work on The Walking Dead and Battlestar Galactica.

Backer reward tiers begin at $10 and extend up to $10,000. Backers will receive access to a playable demo and prototypes during development at $25, while $50 will guarantee the previous reward, five Creature Cards and the first track of the game’s score. The Kickstarter’s top reward grants backers a 3D sculpted model of one of two of the game’s creatures.

The Big Blue Kickstarter ends April 29, and if funded, the game will launch in April 2014 for iOS, Android, Windows PCs and Mac. Annunziata revealed the Kickstarter project in February; you can read our feature on Annunziata, The Big Blue and the future of Ecco the Dolphin here.