Spectrobes: Beyond the Portals Review

Given the continuous success and large fan base that the popular Pokémon franchise has achieved, it’s no surprise that more and more game developers take a stab at creating a ‘Poké-clone’ from time to time. Last year, Disney published a Jupiter-developed DS title called Spectrobes. Fortunately, the team behind the title went a step further and managed to create a game that separated itself from the "gotta catch ‘em all" formula well enough. Spectrobes had a shaky start, but the game eventually found a group of enthusiastic fans and became one of the best 3rd party games for the system. And if Pokémon has taught us anything, it is that successful games lead to sequels. Not surprisingly, was recently released, slightly improving the original’s mechanics and including plenty of new features for fans and newcomers alike.

Players take control of Rallen, a Nanairo Planetary Patrol officer. In the original title, Rallen defeated evil dark creatures known as the Krawl using Spectrobes, creatures of light capable of battling the Krawl. After a few months of peace, a new threat arises, as a group of High Krawl destroy almost all the available Spectrobes and threaten to engulf the Nanairo planetary system. The sci-fi story feels somewhat generic, but it’s better than most game stories out there, with some neat-looking cut-scenes for tasty eye candy every now and then. Although Spectrobes level up, evolve, and are collectible, this is not your typical Pokémon wanna-be; the combat in Spectrobes: Beyond the Portals is quite different from Pokémon’s turn-based approach, and features a neat item-digging mechanic that stirs things up and gives the experience a bit of fresh air.


Battles and level exploration are all in 3D, with smooth character animations and interesting environments to traverse. As Rallen, you can fight standard enemies with a sword or a blaster. These basic battles are nothing short of repetitive and easy; fortunately, Spectrobe combat is ‘the bee’s knees’ in the game. Only Spectrobes can actually fight the Krawl; in order to do so, Rallen can send a team of two Spectrobes at a time into combat. You control a Spectrobe while the other moves and attacks on its own, although you have the ability to switch between creatures at any given time. You can perform standard attacks, or fill up a special gauge as time goes by to unleash more powerful moves, as well as special combos combining the attacks of both Spectrobes. With over 185 Spectrobes to collect and evolve, the game offers quite a good amount of variety, with each creature having its own attributes, available gear, and attack / defense tactics. Three types of Spectrobes create a ‘rock-paper-scissors’-style level of strengths and weaknesses, allowing for more strategic battles. Mixing and matching Spectrobes keeps combat fresh and entertaining for the most part. The only big gripe with the battle system is the somewhat-quirky camera, which might not allow you to see all the action at given times; not a game-killing shortcoming, but a tedious little problem nonetheless.


Thankfully, things don’t stop there. Spectrobes: Beyond the Portals brings back the original’s item-digging gameplay mechanic and builds on it. While exploring enemy-less areas, you can use a baby Spectrobe to scan the area for buried treasures. Using the touch screen, a variety of digging tools allow you to claim the precious items hidden underground. You must be careful not to damage said items while digging, however, and every planet has different layers of dirt and rocks for you to plow through, keeping this ‘expanded mini-game’ fresh and entertaining throughout the game. You can find materials to improve your ship, minerals to level up and strengthen your Spectrobes, or new Spectrobes themselves to incubate and grow for battle. For those times when Spectrobe battles seem dull, having the ability to level up your creatures through this engaging gameplay mechanic is a welcome feature.


The game offers little in terms of single-player replayability, with few side-quests and very linear progression, as well as a quest that is on the short side. Fortunately, the game offers a good amount of multiplayer features to keep players busy. Local multiplayer features 1vs1, Team, and Free-for-All battles for up to four players. You can also trade Spectrobes with friends or transfer them from the original game. Online features include Spectrobe buying and selling, a ranking system, and a different take on Spectrobe battles, with a more mini-game feel that shakes things up a notch. Spectrobes: Beyond the Portals features downloadable content as well, with special Spectrobes and items available for download via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. To top it all off, this game is part of Disney’s D-Gamer service, allowing players to create an avatar and chat with friends or players around the world based on this and other Disney-published DS games.


Looking past the generic storyline and ordinary soundtrack, Spectrobes: Beyond the Portals features decent gameplay mechanics, and the item-digging system is sure to keep players coming back for more. Simple but fun combat and plenty of multiplayer features give users good reason to explore the game’s beautiful engine (sans the clunky camera), and the amount of variety in the Spectrobes keeps things interesting and adds a bit of strategy to an otherwise bland experience. Spectrobes is not a flat-out Pokémon clone, but it lacks a little punch to bring it to a level comparable to the popular monster-catching frenzy.

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