Spectrobes: The next 15 minutes

Having read our preview of the first 15 minutes of Spectrobes, you might be thinking, 'So what?'. And it's true that apart from some of the introductory plot and the basic battle mechanics, we haven't exactly delved into the heart of the game that boasts the marketing tag: 'Dig 'em, Wake 'em, Train 'em, and Battle!'.

Perhaps the most important aspect in setting the game apart is how you find more spectrobes. As previously explained, the first two beasties you get your hands on are automatically provided when you find the Prizmod.

The third spectrobe is provided by Aldous, the old scientist. A Komapod spectrobe – he's in the baby form of the species called Komainu – you have to enter the game's Lab System in order to awake the little fellow. This you do by selecting the 'Awaken' option and then shouting into the microphone, keeping the level on the onscreen audio meter above a certain point for a couple of seconds. On the top screen, some appropriately flashy graphics show the fossil being blasted by colourful lasers before Komainu emerges, ready for action.

At this point, his icon becomes available in the main Prizmod menu. This is like a bestiary that holds up to 250 spectrobes, where you can check out their different attributes, customise and train then, and also select the six you want to select for battles when you leave the spaceship. Once you've awoken a spectrobe, you get the option to rename them as well.

Then it's time to head back out on the planet's surface to try and find some more spectrobes. In order to do this, you have to use a baby spectrobe, who acts as a kind of radar system. So in your Prizmod, you select Komainu as your search spectrobe. This means he will follow you around when you're exploring. He's too small to fight though, so doesn't appear in the battles.

In fact, one nice touch in the game is that you can always see where battles will happen because they are triggered when you walk into one of the slow-moving black vortices. Particularly in the early stages of the game, this means you can wander around safe in the knowledge that you won't be plunged into random battles like in games such as Final Fantasy.

In terms of exploring for more spectrobes, getting Komainu's 'radar' to work is simply a case of picking a spot and then holding your stylus over him. This triggers waves of concentric circles to appear. If there's anything below the ground's surface, you'll see a sparkle, which automatically brings up the digging menu.

In this, the topscreen will show how far you have to dig. Every time you tap the touchscreen, you'll dig down a foot.

When the top of the buried object emerges – it could be a spectrobe fossil or a mineral – you have to select from a heavy drill, a light drill or a dust blower and carefully cut away all the rock with your stylus so you can remove the item.

It's harder than it sounds, and you'll probably destroy some objects until you get used to the process. But once you've successfully found a couple of fossils, you can head back to the spaceship and start the waking process again.

That sums up the first 30 minutes of Spectrobes, but there will be plenty more to experience. It looks a massive game in terms of the amount of stuff to collect and organise, not to mention all the extras such as the online multiplayer modes, downloads, player profiles and physical creature cards.

So don't forget to hit the 'Track It!' button to get an email alerting you when we have new Spectrobes information here on Pocket Gamer, such as the definitive review. The game is due out on 16th March.