Spectrobes: Beyond the Portals

There are 185 Spectrobes to collect, which is done by scanning the ground for fossils, digging them up, awakening them in the lab, and feeding them minerals (which are also dug up) to grow them into adults. Different planetary surfaces require different digging techniques and tools, such as using a flamethrower to melt ice, or a vacuum to suck up water. Before you can scan an area, you have to clear it of Krawl through live-action combat. First, players fight their way through the Krawl Dust using Rallen, then jump into the Vortex and unleash their Spectrobes to battle against the Krawl themselves.

The icon-based menus can be overwhelming at times, and the environments are still pretty basic. But although there's still room to improve, the gameplay of Beyond the Portals is less repetitive and more enjoyable than the first game thanks to a more fleshed out story, various small touches and improvements, and better balance between combat and excavation.