Spectrobes (video game)

Spectrobes, known in Japan as Fossil Super-Evolution Spectrobes[lower-alpha 1], is an action role-playing video game developed by Jupiter and published by Disney Interactive Studios for the Nintendo DS. Disney Interactive Studios has stated that Spectrobes is its first original intellectual property; that is, a game not based on any film or TV program from its parent company.

This article is about the video game. For the franchise of which it is a part, see Spectrobes.
Spectrobes
European box art
Developer(s)Jupiter
Publisher(s)Disney Interactive Studios
Director(s)Aguru Tanaka
Producer(s)Kentaro Hisai
Hatao Ogata
Artist(s)Kouji Kiriyama
Writer(s)Hidemi Shimomura
Composer(s)Masahiko Kimura
SeriesSpectrobes
Platform(s)Nintendo DS
Release
  • NA: March 6, 2007
  • AU: March 15, 2007
  • JP: March 15, 2007
  • EU: March 16, 2007
Genre(s)Action role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

The game was considered a commercial success and Disney Interactive Studios announced that more than 700,000 copies of the game had shipped worldwide in the first month and it was the best-selling third-party (not published by Nintendo, Microsoft, or Sony) game for March 2007, ranking #7 over all that month.

The game was re-released in November 2007 as part of a special Spectrobes: Collector's Edition bundle, which included the game itself, all thirty-eight input code cards plus two exclusive Geo input cards, and a mini-guide.[1]

Gameplay

Plot

Out on a routine mission, Nanairo Planetary Patrol Officers Rallen and Jeena respond to a strange distress signal and discover the wreckage of an escape capsule in which an old man has been in a cryogenic sleep for over a decade. Once conscious, the man, whose name is Aldous, relays an unbelievable tale of the attack on his home planet by a vicious horde of creatures known as the Krawl. Rallen, Jeena, and Aldous then set out on a mission to save Nanairo from the destructive planet-eating Krawl.

After fighting the Krawl on five of Nanairo's seven planets, Rallen's boss, Commander Grant, reveals that the Krawl had established a base on the seventh planet, Meido; however, their spaceship is incapable of reaching this planet. Aldous reveals that ancient ruins found on one of the planets are actually a spaceship from an earlier civilization, and that it may be able to reach Meido. After gathering a number of Keystones, they are able to resurrect the spaceship and reach the Meido. After fighting through more hordes of Krawl, Rallen fights a large Krawl called Xelles that has the ability to heal whatever comes near it. After defeating it, Rallen fights a final Leader Krawl and kills it, thus ending the invasion - temporarily.

Nintendo Wi-Fi

Download

The Download feature allowed the player to use DL (Downloader) Points to purchase video clips, special Spectrobes, custom parts, minerals, and more. The first time the player used the Download system, they were awarded 30 free DL Points. Every following week, the player could obtain ten more DL Points by accessing the download system on Friday, or else the points will not be saved.

Upload

The Upload feature allows players to upload their Sequence Battle scores from the seven Great Black Holes scattered on the various planets and moons in the Nanairo star system. In Sequence Battle, the player must win a certain number of Krawl battles to obtain the prize: an Evolve Mineral or a special Geo. Before beating the game, only one Great Black Hole is available to the player: in the Area 2 Desert of Nessa. Here, the prize is always an Evolve Mineral. After beating the game, six more Great Black Holes appear throughout Nanairo. The rest of the Geos may be obtained from these black holes.

Reception

The game received "mixed" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[2] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of one six, two sevens, and one six for a total of 26 out of 40,[6] while Famitsu DS + Wii gave it a score of one eight and three sevens for a total of 29 out of 40.[5]

Detroit Free Press gave it two stars out of four and said, "The character designs aren't on Pokémon's level, but the effort you devote to finding and raising these characters creates a level of attachment even Nintendo hasn't quite achieved."[16] The Sydney Morning Herald gave it a similar score of two-and-a-half stars out of five and said, "Not what you might expect from Disney, Spectrobes is initially refreshing but quickly becomes dull."[17] Anime News Network gave it a D, saying that the game is "not necessarily a terrible game: in fact, it features quite a number of admirable traits. However, it's not a compelling one either. Gamers that have short attention spans and don't mind boring, repetitive gameplay may want to give it a try. However, everyone else will be wise to wait for the next true Pokémon releases to hit the system."[15]

Sequels

The sequel to Spectrobes, entitled Spectrobes: Beyond the Portals, was released in the U.S. on October 7, 2008. It features a new third-person 3-D field perspective and a map on the top screen. With this sequel, players can choose to play as either Rallen or Jeena. They are also able to play as the Spectrobes themselves when in battle. It was the second game to use Disney's online game and social network service DGamer,[18] the first being The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.[18] The third and final game in the series, Spectrobes: Origins, was released for the Wii on August 18, 2009.

Notes
  1. Japanese: 化石超進化スペクトロブス, Hepburn: Kaseki Chōshinka Supekutorobusu

References
  1. Hatfield, Daemon (November 6, 2007). "Spectrobes Collects Special Edition". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on February 22, 2018. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  2. "Spectrobes for DS Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on March 10, 2018. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  3. Edge staff (March 2007). "Spectrobes". Edge. No. 173. Future plc. p. 82.
  4. Parkin, Simon (March 16, 2007). "Spectrobes". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on February 22, 2018. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  5. Gantayat, Anoop (March 22, 2007). "Gaming Life in Japan (Page 3)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on February 22, 2018. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  6. "Collection of every DS-game reviewed in Famitsu (Page 2)". NeoGAF. NeoGaf LLC. October 25, 2007. Archived from the original on February 22, 2018. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  7. Miller, Matt (April 2007). "Spectrobes". Game Informer. No. 168. GameStop. Archived from the original on March 9, 2008. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  8. Papa Frog (March 13, 2007). "Review: Spectrobes". GamePro. IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on January 13, 2008. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  9. Magrino, Tom (March 14, 2007). "Spectrobes Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on April 20, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  10. Graziani, Gabe (March 19, 2007). "GameSpy: Spectrobes". GameSpy. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on March 23, 2007. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  11. "Spectrobes Review". GameTrailers. Viacom. March 28, 2007. Archived from the original on April 3, 2008. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  12. Bedigian, Louis (March 27, 2007). "Spectrobes - NDS - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on March 17, 2008. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  13. DeVries, Jack (March 13, 2007). "Spectrobes Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on February 22, 2018. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  14. "Spectrobes". Nintendo Power. Vol. 214. Nintendo of America. April 2007. p. 86.
  15. Yoon, Andrew (June 9, 2007). "Spectrobes". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on February 22, 2018. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  16. "'Spectrobes'". Detroit Free Press. Gannett Company. April 15, 2007.
  17. Hill, Jason (April 9, 2007). "Spectrobes". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on February 22, 2018. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  18. Magrino, Tom (July 13, 2007). "E3 '07: DGamer heads to DS [date mislabeled as "September 5, 2007"]". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on August 5, 2011. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
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