There have been quite a few games for Nintendo based systems that have been called ‘Pokemon’ clones. While most have not had much success in their attempt to follow the famed series style of Role-Playing games, the Spectrobes franchise from Disney has actually managed to build quite a reputation. With already two DS games under its belt, the series finally hits the consoles with Spectrobes: Origins for the Nintendo Wii. If you are in dire need for an RPG fix on the Wii, this could be your answer.

Spectrobes: Origins follows the adventures of Rallen and Jeena, both of which are members of the Nanairo Planetary Patrol. In the game’s universe, the NPP helps planets in the universe battle against the evil Krawl Species. In order to combat the Krawl, the two use their cunning wits and the assistance of Spectrobes. Spectrobes are creatures of light that when trained and evolved can aid in stopping the Krawl from destroying the universe.

As you would expect, the story of Origins is your standard RPG affair. The pair will have to find and train these Spectrobes, assist those in trouble and ultimately attempt to rid the universe of the Krawl. Like other collecting style RPGs, both Spectrobes and Krawl have certain properties and only certain kinds of one can easily defeat the other.

Collecting Spectrobes is quite random. There are three stages in the evolution of a spectrobe. As a child Spectrobe, these species can walk along side you and aid in finding items. You will see an aura emanating from the ground and when you instruct a child to walk to it, it will reveal what was hidden. In most cases you will either find a mineral or health item, but in some rare instances you will uncover a fossil which contains a Spectrobe.

There is no need to have any sort of background in the Spectrobes universe of games to understand the plot behind Origins. The story itself is fairly straight-forward and geared towards a younger audience. Most will pick up the plot points and twists right away and there is never a situation where you will get lost.

Spectrobes: Origins is very much an Action-RPG. When you evolve a child Spectrobe into an Adult fighting one, you will use those in combat. Combat can either occur at random or when you un-earth Black Minerals. As you travel to various planets, you will have to develop a well-balanced squad of fighting Spectrobes to defeat the constant assault of Krawl foes. This battling brings up the game’s major issue and one that occurs constantly in RPGs, Grinding.

Both Rallen and Jeena level up, but at the same time, you need to ensure that your Spectrobes also level up as quickly as possible. Because of the fact that most Krawl creatures are fairly strong, you will have to spend a good chunk of your playing time attempting at levelling as many Spectrobes as you can. What this will entail is you purposely trying to bring up enemy Krawls and fighting them as close as possible to a save point.

Combat itself is fair-straight forward. Your character has quite a varied arsenal as you progress in the game, ranging from close combat Swords to long ranged Blasters. In order to get your Spectrobes into the mix, you gesture with the Wii-mote either in a vertical motion at a targeted enemy or horizontally to retreat.

It’s easy to grasp, but often your Spectrobes are not smart enough to do things on their own. Many times you will instruct your Spectrobe to attack one enemy while you attack a different one, only to have your Spectrobe not bother to attack or assist you instead. This can be especially noticeable and troublesome during boss battles where targeting a specific part of the enemy will result in its destruction.

On the plus side, the management side of your Spectrobes should offer quite a bit of enjoyment. The mini-game involving fossils can be quite an enjoyable time waster. In it, you will use various tools to remove a fossil from a block of rock. This section is timed and you are ranked based on how quickly you are able to obtain the fossil and not damage it. Don’t be surprised if you try to improve upon your score and spend a good chunk of your time playing this section.

There is a quite a good amount of variety in the Spectrobes you collect and the Krawl you encounter throughout the story. Most look really good from their jump from the DS to the Wii. The game’s environments are alright, but there are often times when weird pop-ins and missing textures appear. Also, while the planets that you will travel to are large, the actual areas in which you traverse are quite small. This is a bit of a let-down considering how much you hear the characters all talk about the sizes of their respected planets.

As with most RPGs, there is a good amount of dialogue and interaction between Rallen and Jeena and the NPC characters they meet. With that, there are quite a few cut-scenes interspersed throughout the game. These sometimes can be short little snippets too long actions sequences. During these cut-scenes, the voice-acting although cheesy does work on some levels. You won’t be too impressed with the dialogue but at least it never sounds dull.

In terms of non-voice related sounds, the roars of both the Spectrobes and Krawls are quite varied. None of them sound too similar which is fitting as there are over 100 different types that you will encounter. The music is probably the game’s weakest in the sound department. The score isn’t particularly great and often sounds out of place. There are some questionable choices in this regard. Early on, there is one piece of music that would give you the impression of being in an area of grave importance or danger, but that is not the case at all.

An interesting aspect in Spectrobes: Origins is the ability to have someone join in at any time in two-player co-op. One person will control Rallen while the other will control Jeena. This option is quite helpful as the two together are significantly more effective than when playing alone.

The story itself feels fair for the linear nature of the game. Most people’s length will vary depending on the amount of time you spend leveling up your Spectrobes. There are a lot to collect and getting the best possible squad will take you some time.

Considering the very limited number of RPGs currently available on the Wii, those who have been looking for a game to wet their appetite should be satisfied with this option. Level grinding and a linear story will detract most, but there is still a viable game for those who wish to invest the time.