The Vortex life forms (also known as the Vortex-kind or simply the Vortex) are a fictional alien species from Ecco the Dolphin and Ecco: The Tides of Time. Vortex is also the name of the planet they come from; it orbits a star in the head of the constellation Pegasus and is the third planet in the fictional star system Cassandra.
I. About
The Vortex are a technologically advanced species, able to harvest the life forms
of at least Earth's sea with what seems to be a tractor beam that leads to a long tube.
The Vortex must harvest from Earth's oceans once every 500 Earth years, when the planets
are in alignment, because they have lost their own ability to produce food.
Ecco, a bottlenose dolphin collected during one such harvest, weakened and intrigued the Vortex Queen enough that she followed him back to Earth to start a new hive. Because of Ecco's time traveling in Ecco the Dolphin, the second game's story includes a split time stream, with Earth's natural future in one timeline and a dark Vortex-ruled future in the other - also referred to as the "Vortex future" or the "dark future".
II. Technology
The Vortex hives are mechanical, with cannon-like structures that shoot what
may be organic "bullets" for defense in addition to very strong currents of water hostile
to non-Vortex life. The hives are mostly underwater, though some parts situated above the
surface have been seen; the dark future has such structures populating the sky to extend
the function of the hive.
The Vortex know how to produce electricity, and they are known to possess a powerful weapon capable of destroying entire cities. According to the game's storyline, Atlantis was destroyed by such a weapon. In the dark future, the Vortex have been able to create anti-gravitational devices.
III. Biology
The only hint given in the games about the Vortex's biological characteristics is a passage in
Ecco: The Tides of Time's ending which mentions the fate of the Vortex:
"The Queen makes her way to the sunken city of Atlantis. She finds the Time Machine and escapes into Earth's past. When the Queen arrives in the prehistoric era, she encounters creatures that she cannot rule. She has no choice but to live within the life cycles of Earth. And, through the eons, the Vortex integrate with the life on Earth."
The Vortex Queen gave origin to arthropods; ants, scorpions, roaches, crabs, lobster, spiders ...all are the children of the Vortex. Based on this affirmation, the Vortex share many characteristics with that group of animals; for example, their exoskeletons could be made of chitin. The Vortex are able to adapt quickly to new environments, evolving into new forms and/or hybridizing with local creatures in order to create new lifeforms. It is likely that they are capable of bioengineering to some extent as well.
IV. Species
The Vortex life forms come in several different shapes. All appear to be at least
partially, if not mostly or completely, aquatic. This reinforces the idea of Vortex being
an aquatic planet. The artistic design of the Vortex is very similar to that of artist
H. R. Giger's Xenomorphs from the Alien film series.
Vortex Drone (Ecco the Dolphin) - These drones are green in color and have heads shaped like peanuts, along with thin bodies. Very few of these drones appear in Ecco: The Tides of Time; one level, "Sea of Darkness", features several, while in an earlier level there is one hidden and unusually large specimen. Drones in this game also have a light blue color, different from the green color found on the first game.
Vortex Drone (Ecco: The Tides of Time) - Sometimes referred to as "Vortex Soldiers", these drones look different from the ones seen in the first game. They appear similar in shape to dolphins, but are black and very skeletal in appearance, in addition to looking more machine than animal. The first type has a very large, exaggerated skull-like head, and will attempt to capture Ecco, while the other has a ridged, bladed head similar to the standard Vortex drones and will attack Ecco.
These drones in particular were bioengineered on Earth to withstand high water pressures; they will explode if they get too close to the surface.
Vortex Queen - The Vortex Queen is the mother of all Vortex life forms, and the most intelligent among them. In Ecco the Dolphin she is seen as being an extremely large, disembodied Vortex Drone head.
In Ecco: The Tides of Time only her mouth is visible; her tongue is prehensile and has claspers at the end that can pull unlucky prey into her insides, which in the game led to a machine of some sort.
- Vortex larva - Vortex larvae are clear, and shaped like a slightly squashed teardrop; at the large end of the "drop" are two tentacles that look like a chain of bubbles.
V. Vortex Animals and Hybrids
There are other creatures that are seen living in the Vortex levels in Ecco: The Tides of Time,
but they look different enough from the Vortex that they are likely either wild or domesticated
species. The Vortex's bioengineering and hybridizing skills may also play a role in this.
Below is a list of such creatures:
Vortex Jellyfish - Found in a few levels throughout the second game and in an extra level in the Japanese version of Ecco the Dolphin, they are native to planet Vortex. They behave like Earthling jellyfish, but they are brown with black spots and they possess one single tentacle at the base of their bodies. They are poisonous even for the Vortex themselves.
Amoebas - Found in the Vortex future, these blob-like creatures are capable of travelling through water and air alike. Being airborne seems to weaken them, since they become vulnerable to Ecco's song while doing so.
Globe Holder - Similar to a stiff, oversized Amoeba held to the floor and ceiling of a room by biological 'chains', this creature is the boss of the dark future levels. It may be a biological machine rather than an actual lifeform. Somehow it is capable of impulsing its body once its bonds have been destroyed. Its duty was to protect the Asterite's globes, hence its name.
VI. Vortex Worm Types
There can be found many kinds of worms associated with the Vortex throughout
the second game. They are hybrids created on Earth. There are three main types:
White worms: formed by a line of pulsating spheres connected to a crustacean-like head. These worms display different behaviors. Some of them actively pursue Ecco, while others are attached to a surface from their tails which limits their reach (these ones have thinner, non-pulsating bodies).
At two points in the game Ecco encounters a special kind known as the Magic Arm. These have fixed heads and attack with their tails. Killing them grants Ecco special powers during special stages. None of these worms are found near the surface, and they don't follow Ecco there.
Red worms: Found in the Vortex future. Their bodies are thicker and are made of red spheres, but the head is the same. They can live outside the water.
Brown worms: formed by brown spheres and equipped with a stinger at the rear side, their heads are eyeless.
Sources: Following the Worm by Skippykangaroo on deviantArt