Interview: Spectrobes

Now that Spectrobes for Nintendo DS has hit the shops, you will have been able to find out for yourself exactly how to awaken a fossil, and perhaps you're already building up quite a collection of your own.

But where did the ideas for this new franchise come from? We looked up producer Kentaro Hisai at Disney Interactive Studios and asked him to spill the beans....

As a producer, Mr. Hisai is involved in development aspects ranging from game design and graphics to programming and sound. It's the producer's responsibility to make sure that all the specialists in the development team work well together, and that the best possible game comes out as a result.

Nintendo of Europe: Mr. Hisai, could you tell our readers where the concept of Spectrobes came from?

Kentaro Hisai: Spectrobes is a game that was developed as an original idea by Disney Interactive Studios. We are delighted to have been able to bring a new concept to the rest of the Walt Disney Company from the game division for the first time.

Originally the idea started with various creatures that utilise light as their energy power. Light consists of an iridescent spectrum. The idea was that each creature is affected by each colour of the spectrum and would turn into an evolved form that belongs to the specific colour attribution. For example, if a creature is exposed to a red streak of light, the creature turns into a creature of molten lava. And if it's exposed to a green streak of light, it turns into a creature that consists of plants. Thus, the game title came from the word Spectrum and its image.

The idea of the spectrum was eventually applied to the scene of awakening fossils. The sound waves of a voice are transformed into a spectrum that illuminates the fossils. This is seen on the upper screen of the DS, which shows the RGB colours (the three primary colours) illuminating the fossil.

NoE: Several media have compared Spectrobes to Pokémon. What do you think are the biggest similarities and differences between the two series?

KH: First of all, I am quite proud that the game has been compared to Pokémon. However, I believe that only the game genre is similar just like other game genres like racing and puzzle games share certain similarities - and that there are actually a lot of differences in terms of actual gameplay.

So the genre for Spectrobes is an RPG centered around the collection of creatures, but the fact that you have to excavate these creatures is an original element. The fact that Spectrobes has real-time battles is also different, and we feel that it will be successful because it's so rich in content.

We have designed Spectrobes from the point of view that it must be different from Pokémon, so I feel that it is correct to say that Spectrobes is significantly different.

NoE: What was your inspiration for the design of the Spectrobes?

KH: The design of the creatures was based on two influences: Japanese traditional art styles and the more modern manga and animation design styles.

"The design of the creatures in the traditional Japanese art styles already has a history of over 2000 years. These creatures have remained popular during this long period and continue to have strong appeal.

The modern Japanese manga and anime styles are popular both in Japan and overseas, and I believed that by combining both styles completely new creatures could be created. This is how the appealing line-up of monsters was born!

NoE: It's very impressive that the game world is shown in 3D on both screens. What made you choose this approach?

KH: Thanks! We planned to have a 3D environment on both screens from the very start of the game design. So far nobody had done that and we thought it would add depth to the game.

The design of the planets was based on the need to deliver a variety of environments. We wanted to create planets which are quite different in look and feel, that would augment the sense of adventure and variety.

NoE: What are the differences between wireless play in a Local Area Network and playing the game via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection?

KH: Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection offers a lot of exciting features for uploading and downloading. If you access the community site regularly you will be able to download several items. You will be able to download specific creatures and items at set times.

You will be able to upload save data from your Spectrobes game and create your own page. You will get a virtual badge if you upload data which will be displayed on your page.

Playing local wireless, you can play a one-on-one battle from DS to DS, or participate in a match making battle for up to 16 players. One player is the Match Maker who sets up battles between the other players, and receives the results afterwards. Battles are repeated until the number of battles that have been set in advance is completed.

Finally, the Match Maker judges the results and decides the order of winners. This rank order is not decided just by the number of wins. The Match Maker can reflect on the conditions of the battles, how strong the opposing teams were, and influence the final outcome.

NoE: What future do you see for the franchise do you think there will be more Webisodes, a DS sequel, or maybe even a Wii game?

KH: We can't really talk about this yet but we still have lots of ideas we weren't able to integrate in the current game. If everyone seems keen for more then that would be great to hear and we will definitely consider it for the future.

We didn't manage to implement all of our ideas in the first game since the game would be too big! I think it will only get bigger and better!

NoE: Mr. Hisai, thank you very much for your time!

Spectrobes is in shops now, only on Nintendo DS.