Following the footsteps of
Nintendo’s Pokemon, Disney Interactive and Genki have struck gold with
their first-ever release of the Spectrobes franchise on the Nintendo Wii.
As an action-RPG that debuted on the Nintendo DS, the series has spun off into
novels and continues make waves with its target demographic. Now on the Nintendo
Wii, players will embark through sprawling levels in 3D with a little help from
their friends, the Spectrobes. Is it as enthralling the DS iterations? The short
answer: yes.
The story of Spectrobes: Origins
revolves around two heroes named Rallen and Jeena. They are the prototypical
heroes that serve as the “ready to save the world” protagonists that can be
found within countless other games in the genre. Investigating a mysterious
energy that was found somewhere deep in the galaxy, their journey to find the
truth isn’t as easy they once perceived. Even when revisiting several key
moments from their quests through the DS titles, Rallen and Jeena are in for a
world of surprise in Spectrobes: Origins. While it won’t surprise gamers
who often play these “save the world” type titles, Origins does its job
fantastically well at keeping the gamer entertained – especially considering
since it caters to the younger audiences.
Battling the Krell, the Spectrobes
are always at the aide of our heroes as they explore several planets. The
Spectrobes themselves are small creatures that are found within fossils that
players have to excavate. With three starter Spectrobes to begin the title,
Origins isn’t going to win awards for the best concept due to that Genki and
Disney are exploring common grounds that a handful of Pokemon copycats
have ventured. What Origins does have is more than 100 Spectrobes to
collect; and having them hidden all throughout the planets Rallen and Jeena
visit, it does have the replay value is high for its console debut.
While in the DS iterations, the
excavation system was done through the touch screen, Origins implements
the Wii remote as well as it could. Players have to free the Spectrobe from the
fossil via special tools such as the drill, hammer and laser. As the player
removes the excess rock surrounding the Spectrobe, players have to beware of
accidentally harming the Spectrobe itself, which is indicated through the life
bar. The better the player is able to keep the health bar at a hearty level, the
higher level the Spectrobe will be when it emerges from its fossil. If we are basing it on
the controls, Origins excellently implements the features of the Wii remote and
nunchuk combo. At times, it’ll make players feel as if they were a
paleontologist looking for dinosaurs – an idea that should be explored on the
Wii sooner or later.
In battle, the controls of the
Spectrobes themselves aren’t as reliable as the excavation system. Many times –
which, in the majority, were the boss battles – the controls didn’t serve to the
best interest of the player. Swinging the Wii remote upward to control the Spectrobes and using the Nunchuk to guide the human heroes, the controls aren’t
overly complicated. The main issues revolve in high intensity battles where
targeting becomes tricky. If players can learn to overcome the targeting, then
there should be no protests when it comes to finishing Origins.
Additionally, there’s drop in and
drop out cooperative play that should attract a whole new crowd of gamers who
normally wouldn’t touch Spectrobes; this crowd would be the parents of
the children playing said title. Parents who are hearing an earful from their
child that the title is too hard or complicated for them are eligible to jump in
and assist them at anytime. This, too, goes for anyone – if there’s a friend who
doesn’t like to watch but would rather play along, well, in general, Origins
permits a much better gaming experience.
Gameplay: 7.9
The precision of the controls could be fine tuned and the Spectrobes could
use a little more diversity. Outside of those two minor complaints,
Spectrobes: Origins does well in the gameplay department.
Graphics: 7.6
While the cut scenes are better than expected and the battle effects are
wildly colorful, Origins does stutter from time to time when there’s too
much action going on.
Sound: 7.0
The voice-overs reek of boredom and over-the-top acting. Still, the title
isn’t half bad with its audio due to the better than average sound effects for
the Wii.
Difficulty: Easy
Concept: 7.5
Not an exaggeratedly complex title, Spectrobes: Origins is in a
league of it’s own on the Nintendo Wii where the action-RPG genre is quite thin.
Multiplayer: 7.6
Cooperative play is one of the better assets of Origins.
Overall: 7.7
Spectrobes: Origins makes for a surprisingly delightful action-RPG.
It is, by no means, the most original or most exotic game on the Nintendo Wii,
but for a console that is looking for its next big title to lure its gamers
back, Spectrobes: Origins is a great pick-up for any gamer.
