Spectrobes (2007). Play online

Summary

Spectrobes broke new ground as Disney Interactive’s first original IP for the DS, letting players train alien creatures to take on the Krawl menace. The launch was a surprise hit, shipping over 700,000 copies in its first month and landing as March 2007’s best‑selling third‑party title, even hitting #7 overall on the sales chart.

What set it apart were the Wi‑Fi‑enabled features: the Download system let you spend DL‑Points on video clips, special Spectrobes and extra minerals, while the Upload function tracked Sequence Battle scores from the hidden Great Black Holes scattered across Nanairo. Beating those holes rewarded rare evolve minerals and Geo cards, with more holes unlocking after you clear the main game.

The Collector’s Edition, dropped later that year, bundled the game with all thirty‑eight input‑code cards and two exclusive Geo cards—appealing to the completion‑hungry crowd. Critics were mixed; Famitsu gave it a modest 26/40, whereas the Detroit Free Press praised the creature‑raising bond, noting it even rivals Pokémon’s attachment factor.

Storyline

In Spectrobes, Nanairo Planetary Patrol officers Rallen and Jeena answer a strange distress signal and discover an escape capsule containing Aldous, a man frozen in cryogenic sleep for over a decade. Aldous recounts the brutal Krawl invasion that has ravaged his home world. The three set out to stop the planet‑eating Krawl, battling their forces on five of Nanairo’s seven planets. Their commander, Grant, reveals that the Krawl’s true base lies on the seventh planet, Meido, but the patrol ship cannot reach it.

Ancient ruins on one of the worlds turn out to be a dormant starship from a forgotten civilization. After gathering Keystones, they reactivate the vessel and fly to Meido. There they face Xelles, a large Krawl that can heal nearby enemies, and manage to defeat it. The final showdown pits Rallen against the Leader Krawl, whose defeat temporarily ends the invasion.