N-Philes

Disney has good reason to be excited for Spectrobes: it's their first wholly original videogame. Developed by Jupiter Corp., the minds behind Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories and Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire, Spectrobes is built from the ground-up as a DS title, and is hoping to spice up the handheld's RPG landscape. N-Philes was invited to learn more about the game from a few of the guys behind the game. Disney PR manager Eric Wein, Spectrobes Associate Brand Manager Steven Dodson, and Quality Assurance Lead Tim FitzRandolph were on call.



Playing as Rallen, a Nanairo Planetary Patrol Officer, the game sets us out a cosmic adventure that's sure to be filled with twists and turns. Joining him is Jeena, his unwilling partner in crime prevention who's probably too young to legally be described as attractive. He's the bold and reckless pilot, she's the intelligent and by-the-book scientist, and together they become wrapped up in collecting Spectrobes in order to save the universe from imminent destruction. The online character blogs and web episodes (available at Spectrobes.com) set up the adventure in more detail.

Spectrobes' plot is what drives the game. It's largely told between battles, by travelling to various planets, talking to characters within the game, making discoveries, and triggering specific events. In that sense, Spectrobes follows a very familiar RPG structure.

But what is a Spectrobe? Long answer short, it's like a dinosaur, an extinct class of animals that currently exist as fossils. They also happen to be the natural enemy of the Krawl, a vicious species bent on universal domination. Thankfully our heroes meet up with a scientist who has developed ways of harnessing the power of these Spectrobes. And in good RPG fashion, the only way to prevent the destruction of the universe is to collect Spectrobe fossils and use their power to defeat the Krawl.

The gameplay revolves around collecting fossils, raising Spectrobes, battling the Krawl, and playing out the story-driven events. Collection and excavation are a play big part of the game, and use the DS' features to their fullest. Upon discovering a fossil, the touch screen and microphone are used to scrape and blow away debris, provided you're careful enough not to destroy it. Awakening the Spectrobes into battle can be done via the microphone.



Each of the 50 different Spectrobes comes in three forms: child, adult, and evolved. The child form Spectrobes are good at finding underground items and other Spectrobe fossils, whereas the adult and evolved Spectrobes are better suited for battling. The monsters gain levels through battle experience, through excavation, and by consuming minerals.

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