Spectrobes

Its inhabitant is in cryogenic sleep and when revived tells them about a terrible new threat: the Krawl.

The Krawl are an alien lifeform who consume whole planets, and they have already been spotted in this part of the galaxy.

Fortunately, there is a way to defeat them.

This requires the help of an extinct lifeform called Spectrobes.

Rallen and Jeena must visit planets to find fossils of these Spectrobes, excavate, awaken and train them.

There are almost 500 different ones for the player to collect and trade.

To excavate a Spectrobe, the player must first locate it using another Spectrobe.

Using the stylus on the touch-screen, one can carefully remove layers of rock and soil to dig up the fossil, without damaging it.

The fossil must then be taken back to the space ship, put in a machine and awakened by using your voice or blowing in the microphone.

The soil also contains various crystals and minerals, which can be used to feed and train the Spectrobes.

They will evolve to stronger and more effective stages.

The Krawl are on the planets in the form of vortexes.

Walking too close to them triggers a battle, in which two Spectrobes join Rallen against the enemy.

With a combination of buttons and shoulderbuttons the Spectrobes can unleash special attack powers or combine their respective attacks in real time action.

Via WiFi and on a dedicated website players can battle against each other or exchange Spectrobes and items.

Special collectibles can be downloaded.

Items and Spectrobes can also be added to the game using game cards with holes through which the touch-screen must be touched in a specific order.

Spectrobes for Nintendo DS is currently worth €4.70 loose, €7.90 complete in box, and €17.68 factory sealed. Prices are based on real sales and update regularly on Gamevaro.

Spectrobes has a steady sales history on the tracked marketplaces, meaning it trades hands regularly and isn't considered particularly rare.

Loose means cartridge or disc only, CIB (complete in box) includes the original box and manual, and sealed means factory-sealed and never opened. For Spectrobes, loose is €4.70 and CIB is €7.90 — CIB commands a premium because original boxes and manuals are fragile and often don't survive.

The PAL version of Spectrobes is currently worth €4.70 loose, versus €3.94 for NTSC-U. Regional price differences usually come down to print run size and regional collector demand.