Spectrobes

 DS
Metascore
63

Mixed or average reviews - based on 37 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 37
  2. Mixed: 29 out of 37
  3. Negative: 2 out of 37
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  1. Game Almighty
    93
    From the prospecting to fighting, to the huge game world begging for exploration, tons of secrets and hidden features, Spectrobes offers an incredible amount of gameplay.
  2. Nintendo Power
    80
    The game definitely has its roots in the Pokemon world, but provides enough new features to give it its own identity. [Apr 2007, p.86]
    All this publication's reviews
  3. AceGamez
    80
    Spectrobes works perfectly for what it is, tapping into that primal collecting gene we all share at some point in our lives. Cliché-filled story and characters aside, the kids this one is made for will eat it up like free ice cream at a birthday party and come back for seconds with a clean plate.
    All this publication's reviews
  5. PALGN
    75
    Spectrobes is a great beginning for Disney Interactive's new IP - it's clear this is only the tip of the iceberg for the franchise. Spectrobes comes highly recommended.
  6. Deeko
    75
    If you love monster hunting, colleting, etc., this is the kind of game you'll dig.
  7. 1UP
    75
    For players willing to fully invest, Spectrobes can prove to be as interesting and fulfilling as a Seaman/Pokémon hybrid. If the thought of excavating and incubating ancient creatures doesn't thrill you, though, you should probably consider collecting monsters that are a bit easier to catch.

Awards & Rankings

94
#94 Best DS Game of 2007
66
#66 Most Discussed DS Game of 2007
36
#36 Most Shared DS Game of 2007

User Reviews

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User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 43 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 43
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 43
  3. Negative: 7 out of 43
  1. FireBroFilms
    Aug 15, 2022
    6
    ‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎
  2. ND-Bringer
    Oct 7, 2021
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. Spectrobes, Bold and Broken. You know, I estimated that I would just have an OK time with game, an average experience since I love monster fight games, but the beginning of Spectrobes was a really rocky start. The game starts off with officers Rallen and Jeena of the Nanairo Planetary Patrol investigating the surface of planet Daichi. Rallen finds a man named Aldous in a nearby ship wreckage, deep in hyper sleep. But before introductions can commence, he's attacked by blob monsters better known as the Krawl. Before he's turned into lunch meat, Aldous' Spectrobes come to his aid and defeat the Krawl. At first glance, I think this battle system was poorly designed. But after playing the game for a while...it remained poorly designed. Most Krawl fights begin every time you run into a mini dark tornado. And I'm already missing Inazuma 11. You and two Spectrobes battle a team of 3 Krawl. The problem with these fights isn't the idea, but rather the design. Rallen is useless in battle because his weapons are useless. Even with over 100 attack points he barely inflicts any damage on 1st level enemies. He only exists just to stun Krawl and heal the Spectrobes. Commanding the Spectrobes in battle isn't much fun either. They may have cool designs, but that's not an excuse for poor battle mechanic design. When Rallen moves they follow suit, but they can't hit enemies unless you line them up directly in front of them...otherwise they just attack the air even if they're an inch off. It gets worse since most Spectrobes gain a new move system as they evolve. So when you press the attack button they also have the option to move, charge, or stay in position. This just makes things worse! I'm focusing on 6 different characters! One misstep and your monsters are as good as dead. And excluding Rallen's power glove, you can't even attack all at once. Every time you make a move whether it's Rallen or a Spectrobe you have to wait about 4 seconds to attack again. The Krawl can attack all at once! All you have is this generic elemental team attack that takes even longer to charge. Sigh...moving on. After saving Aldous, he teaches more about the Spectrobes and how you need to defeat the Krawl before they launch a full scale invasion and consume your entire home star system like they did to his. In order to build you team you need to collect fossils and minerals with the world's smallest sonar system. The minerals are used to raise the stats of your monsters. And each fossil contains a child Spectrobe and in order to awaken it you need to use the hell spawn that is the microphone. I usually don't mind that the microphone is used for minor mechanics in games like the cleaning system in Fossil Fighters, but for some monsters, not only do you have to be precise with the volume but you have to hold it for 3 seconds! This flat out peeves me, everything this Pokemon clone tries to make original is so poorly executed, that it makes the whole game a miserable experience. And the level design is the icing on this burnt cake. While there's a decent variety of level themes the found and acceptable music, each level is littered with swarms of enemies. Some enemies will chase you down to dead end spots making even the short levels feel long. There's even an a radiation level that poisons your character and every time you take damage the screen puts in the annoying flash effect. And some rooms are filled to the brim with radiation because, you know you haven't suffered enough. Some levels like the Nessa Ruins don't even carry a challenge. Enemies don't even move, they just stand in place, this level doesn't even have traps or puzzles! Is this a joke? Don't you just love games with both tedious challenges and unfinished challenges!? Even the ending is disgraceful. After you defeat the Krawl leader, he's resurrected into the monstrosity known as Goblada. I thought the worst was behind me at this point, the backtracking, the difficulty spikes, but no. This final boss fight has a terrible design. You can not damage him anymore if you use your strongest attack with the Flame Geo in the beginning of the fight. You need to get to at about 1 quarter health first. Their's difficult boss fights and then there's unfair boss fights. If you attack him with the Geo too early the fight doesn't end, it keeps going. At first I tried every single freaking attack I could think of, but he just shields every blow! This fight is so bad even the Spectrobes Wiki writers can't stand it. So...I have to resort to letting myself get killed, walk through the entire dungeon again, and even after beat the damn thing...their's no saving after the final boss. Its bad enough that I can't even name my damn profile! Do I even get a record of beating the game!? Barely anything in this game is enjoyable. If you grew up with this game and adore it...more power to you. I don't hate the series, I just despise the execution of this game. I'd give it a skip, it should remain lost in space.… Full Review »
  3. storygamer
    Aug 31, 2020
    7
    Spectrobes has much to offer. The world is big and full of surprises and the battles are spectacular. But sometimes all of these ideas seemSpectrobes has much to offer. The world is big and full of surprises and the battles are spectacular. But sometimes all of these ideas seem too much and the focus gets lost. Interesting game, especially for Pokemon fans.… Full Review »
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