Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this role-playing game involves fighting in a bloodless manner, as well as excavating fossils. It introduces a new form of play on the DS because each game comes with collectible cards. Kids place a card on top of the DS screen to unlock new material by sticking the stylus through holes in the card.
Families can talk about how this game presents a story of good versus evil. Since evil is attacking, the game requires you to defend yourself. Does that make fighting seem more noble or justified? What do you like about this game? How could you make it better?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Anise Hollingshead
At first glance, SPECTROBES looks extremely cool with an attractive introduction featuring anime characters. In this role-playing game (RPG), players help Rallen and Jeena, two young Planetary Patrol officers, protect their world from attack by the evil Krawl. They do so by finding, training, and growing "Spectrobes," otherworldly creatures who are good at battling the Krawl. A Spectrobe is also able to detect other dormant Spectrobes that are in fossil form hidden under the ground.
Early on, it becomes apparent that this seemingly exciting game is anything but. Too much time is spent finding and uncovering fossils and other items hidden in the ground in very repetitive gameplay.
Using an awakened Spectrobe, you scan an area and if there are items underground, stars will appear. Kids help the Spectrobe excavate found items using the stylus and blowing into the microphone. Players then move their Spectrobe a few inches, scan, dig, and do it again. And again. And again. To shake things up a bit, players occasionally visit the ship and unload the items.
Periodically, you will need to battle the Krawl. Two Spectrobes fight in a team along with Rallen. Players can rearrange their Spectrobes, but even the weakest successfully battle most of the time.
The worlds are plain with not much to see except grass and rocks. Rallen and Jeena don't have much expression and their conversation is limited.
Spectrobes is similar to the Pokemon games in that players are collecting creatures to help them fight and spending time upgrading their battle teams. Unlike the Pokemon games where battles are turn-based, the battles here are conducted in real-time.
There are other seemingly neat features in Spectrobes, such as the multiplayer mode for battles and the downloadable content available through Wi-fi, but to unlock these features, players must spend a large amount of time excavating in order to find the requisite cubes. The game does introduce a cool, new feature to the DS: adding content by using collectible cards. Kids place an enclosed card on top of the DS screen to unlock new material by sticking the stylus through holes in the card.
Spectrobes tries to be a different sort of RPG, but its repetitive gameplay and simple battle mode kills kids' interest. This is a shame, since the designers developed some unique game aspects. The concept of becoming an archeologist using the DS stylus is a good one, so it's too bad the gameplay didn't introduce enough variation through puzzle play. Players interested in role-playing games may want to look at the Pokemon games, or any of the Harvest Moon games.
Reviewed: 09/27/2007
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ViolenceAnime fighting, but it isn't graphic. |
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Social BehaviorYou are the hero trying to defeat evil. |
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