Spectrobes
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| Developer(s) | Jupiter |
| Publisher(s) | Disney Interactive Studios |
| Release date(s) |  March 13, 2007 |
| Genre(s) | Action RPG |
| Mode(s) | Single Player, Multiplayer, Nintendo Wi-Fi |
| Rating(s) | ESRB E (Everyone) |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo DS |
| Media | Nintendo DS Game Card |
| Input | D-pad, buttons, touch screen, microphone |
Spectrobes (化石超進化 スペクトロブス Kaseki Chōshinka Supekutorobusu?, Fossil Super-Evolution Spectrobes), developed by Kyoto-based game developer Jupiter, is a video game that is published by Disney Interactive Studios for the Nintendo DS. The player is faced with the challenge of collecting and training the eponymous Spectrobes, creatures of the light, to battle against the antitheses of the Spectrobes: the evil Krawl species, the creatures of the darkness. Jupiter is also known for being the developer of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories on the Game Boy Advance.
Disney Interactive Studios claims that Spectrobes is its first original intellectual property, that is, a game not based on any film or TV program from its parent company.
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[edit] Spectrobes plot
Out on a routine mission, 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 decades. 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. As a scientist, he was able to identify an extinct species of creatures called Spectrobes as the natural enemy of the Krawl, and developed a device based on the technology of the Ancients that could harness the power of the Spectrobes. Armed with this knowledge and the device he calls a Prizmod, Aldous, Rallen and Jenna sets out to gather as many Spectrobes as he can to stop the Krawl from destroying the universe.
Fearing the Krawl will soon migrate to their galaxy and take over the planets, Rallen, Jeena and Aldous seek out the Spectrobes to defeat the Krawl and save the universe.
[edit] Characters
[edit] Rallen
Rallen is a young, ambitious Planetary Patrol officer. He is a skilled pilot who is ready to take on a challenge. At times, his eagerness to get into the thick of things gets him into trouble, but his courage and sense of duty are well known by his superiors. Rallen is the only one who is able to operate the Prizmod – a communication device used to command the Spectrobes. In the webisodes, the first Spectrobes Rallen used in battle were Spikan and Zozane, which are also the "starter" Spectrobes in the actual game. The first Spectrobe he received for use as a search Spectrobe was a Dawana. Finally, the first Spectrobe that Rallen excavated and reanimated was a Komainu. His catchphrase is "Iku ze! (イク ゼ!)" which means "Here I go!" or "Here we go!" in Japanese. Rallen is voiced by Steve Staley in the webisodes.
[edit] Jeena
Jeena is Rallen’s partner on the Planetary Patrol. She is a communications and research specialist. Her expertise is useful on missions where data on ancient relics and technologies is collected. While Rallen is in the field, Jeena is able to relay critical information that helps him train his allied Spectrobes and counter enemy attacks by the relentless Krawl. She often forgets to give mission reports to Commander Grant, which lands both her and Rallen in trouble. Voiced by Michelle Ruff in the webisodes.
[edit] Aldous (a.k.a. Mr. X)
Aldous is a mysterious man from a distant galaxy. He has traveled across the universe in search of Spectrobes in the hopes of saving his home planet from the scourge of the Krawl, but crash landed on the planet Daichi where he lay in a coma until he was discovered by Rallen. When awake, Aldous unfortunately discovers that his home system, Giorna, has been destroyed by the Krawl. After joining forces with Rallen and Jeena, Aldous assists them in upgrading the research lab on their ship and is a valuable resource in decoding the secrets of the ancient Spectrobes.
[edit] Commander Grant
The Commander is the head of the Nanairo Planetary Patrol. He is also Rallen and Jeena's supervisor. Although at first he does not believe that the Spectrobes exist, he gains faith once he witnesses a massive Krawl attack on the planet of Kollin as well as the NPP headquarters, as well as Rallen defeating a Leader Krawl with the help of his Spectrobes.
[edit] Spectrobes
Spectrobes are very mysterious beings that harness light energy to unleash amazing powers, making them the Krawl's mortal enemies. Spectrobes once roamed the planets of the Nanairo solar system in harmony with ancient men. For some forgotten reason they are extinct, but Rallen is able to reanimate them using the lab system on his spaceship. Spectrobes come in three forms: Child, Adult, and Evolved. Child Spectrobes have the ability to search for buried items, but cannot participate in battle. Adult Spectrobes can fight in battle and can serve as Support Spectrobes, but they can no longer search for buried items. Evolved Spectrobes mark the highest point of evolution for a Spectrobe line, they can do everything an adult Spectrobe can do, but they boast much more superior fighting skills. Exclusive Spectrobes are special Spectrobes which cannot be obtained normally in game, but function exactly like normal Spectrobes. Windora and Vilakroma can be obtained using the Card Input System, while Thundora can be purchased for 10 DL Points using the Download feature in the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection System. These three Spectrobes are all in their evolved form, and have no pre-evolutionary forms. Ultimate Spectrobes are extremely powerful Spectrobes that can only be summoned once per battle. To summon them, Rallen must use their respective elemental stone called a Geo, after charging the CH meter to three bars. Ultimate Spectrobes cannot be controlled normally like other Spectrobes, but rather, once they are summoned, they attack and then disappear. Under normal circumstances, they can often deal a one-hit KO to the enemy Krawl. There are a total of seven Ultimate Spectrobes in the game.
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[edit] Nintendo Wi-Fi
In Spectrobes, the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection gameplay system is not available to the player from the start of the game. To unlock it, the player must find and excavate a Tau Cube, and then bring it to Aldous who will then install the Wi-Fi system in the patrol cruiser's lab deck. There are two features of Spectrobes' Wi-Fi system:
[edit] Download
The Download feature allows the player to use DL (Download) Points to purchase video clips, special Spectrobes, custom parts, minerals, and more. The first time the player uses the Download system, he or she is awarded 30 free DL Points. Every following week, the player can obtain 10 more DL Points by accessing the Download system on Friday, or else the points will not be saved.
[edit] 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: one in the hazardous aurora area of Daichi, one in the Area 3 Desert of Nessa, one on each of Ziba's moons, Akabushi and Aobushi, one in the western area of Himuro, and one on the Krawl planet of Meido. Using the Upload feature uploads the data from each of the Great Black Holes to the rankings on the Spectrobes Community website.
[edit] Trivia
- The name of the star system in which Spectrobes takes place, Nanairo (七色), means "seven colors" in Japanese, a reference to the seven colors of the rainbow as well as the fact that the dominant colors of the seven planets of the Nanairo star system represent the seven colors of the rainbow (although not in order): Genshi is red, Daichi is green, Kollin is blue, Nessa is yellow, Ziba is orange, Himuro is indigo, and Meido is violet.
- Genshi's (原始) name means "origin" or "primeval" in Japanese, an allusion to the fact that Genshi is the first planet in the Nanairo star system.
- The name of the second planet in the Nanairo star system, Daichi (大地), means "earth" in Japanese, a reference to the fact that Daichi is a lush, green planet.
- The name of the fourth planet in the Nanairo star system, Nessa (ねっさ), means "hot sand" in Japanese, a reference to the fact that most of Nessa is desert.
- The moons of Ziba, the fifth planet in the Nanairo star system, are named Akaboshi (赤拇指) and Aoboshi (青拇指), which in Japanese mean "Red Thumb" and "Blue Thumb," respectively. Additionally, the Kanji for Akaboshi and Aoboshi could be read as "赤母子" and "青母子," in which case they mean "Red Mother and Child" and "Blue Mother and Child". Alone, these latter translations make little sense, but when taking into consideration the status of Akaboshi and Aoboshi as moons of Ziba, there is a metaphorical sense to it.
- The name of the sixth planet in the Nanairo star system, Himuro (氷室), means "ice house" in Japanese, a reference to the fact that Himuro is completely made of ice and possibly the fact that it is manmade.
- The name of the seventh planet in the Nanairo star system, Meido (冥土), is the Japanese word for "Hades," the name of the ancient Greek underworld; a reference to the fact that Meido is the source of all of the evil Krawl in the Nanairo star system.
- Elements of the iconic tune from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly can be heard in the background music that plays in Lilton, the western-themed town on the desert planet of Nessa.
- In the webisodes, there is a masked humanoid character that is proclaimed to be the leader of the Krawl. However, in the actual game, there is no mention of this character and he is nowhere to be seen.
- In the webisode, the masked humanoid character appears to have a black- and red-colored Prizmod on his arm, presumably for controlling the Krawl, in contrast to Rallen's Prizmod, which controls the Spectrobes.
- For unknown reasons, you cannot give the nicknames "Sega" or "Chichi" to a Spectrobe.
