Medarot DS

Medarot DS メダロットDS
Genre	RPG
Platform	Nintendo DS
Developer	Delta Arts
Publisher	Rocket Company
Release Date	JP: May 27 2010

Medarot DS (メダロットDS), Kabuto and Kuwagata Versions, is an RPG developed by Delta Arts and published by Rocket Company for the Nintendo DS . The game was announced on September 3, 2009, and released on May 27th, 2010.

Summary

Medarot DS is a roleplaying game set in the future from the previous games in the series. The game uses a similar battle system to that found in other Medarot RPGs, with the addition of fully-animated 3D battles and multiplayer over the Nintendo Wi-fi Connection.

As with every Medarot game there are two versions, Kabuto and Kuwagata, where the version decides the player's starting Medarot. In the Kabuto version, the player gets the rhinoceros beetle-type Metabee, who specializes in shooting attacks. In Kuwagata, the player gets the stag beetle-type Rokusho who specializes in close-range combat.

The game's artwork, character designs, and manga series are made by Horuma Rin, the same artist that has worked on the series from the beginning. A playable demo of the game was showcased at the 2009 Tokyo Game Show.

System

Animated 3D battles similar to those in Medarot R and wi-fi multiplayer are present in the game. It has a 2D overworld, with faces for dialogs and 3D models for every Part.

The following features are included:

Medalias

Medalias are small gems that allows a Medal to get new helpful abilities. A Medal can use only one of them. They were released first during Medarot 3 where they could add new skills or increase the existing ones.

Medarot Album

Medarot 4 introduced the concept of Library, an option in the Medarotch that allows the Medarotter to know what Medarots he or she has or lacks, including any Parts he or she needs to complete the Medarot. This feature makes a comeback with a new name: Medarot Album. It also allows the user to shift between 2D pictures and 3D models whenever he or she has the Medarot complete. It also brings a description of said Medarot (by pressing the Y button).

Wifi multiplayer feature

Using the Nintendo Wifi Connection (WFC for short) and wireless capabilities, the player can either battle via Wifi, trade Medarots via Wifi, battle via Wireless and trade Parts via Wireless. Playing online Robottles will grant the player Meda-Gacha Coins, used to get random Parts, Medals and other stuff.

Medals

They have no attributes anymore. They are compatible with Parts that share one of their Skills. For example, Kabuto Medal has the Shoot, Snipe and Help skills. It means that it is compatible with any Part that has Shoot, Snipe or Help as their skill. The total sum of the medal's skills is the medal's level, so a medal does not earn experience points. The level cap remains unchanged, so careful planning of skills is necessary to effectively raise medals to their full potential. (No more 99 for every possible skill slot!)

Side Note: Medals cannot be named; instead, the Medarot's head part decides its name.

Parts

Parts have new stats. The legs part has:

Mobility (いどう)

Evasion (かいひ)

Defense (ぼうぎょ)

Melee (かくとう)

Ranged (しゃげき)

The arms and head parts have:

Success (せいこう)

Power (いりょく)

Charge (じゅうてん)

Cooldown (れいきゃく)

The head part also has "Uses" as one of its stats.

New skills

Set (しかける) and Help (たすける). Special (とくしゅ) and Interrupt (ぼうがい) have disappeared, all actions used against the enemy now have attack skills instead.

Medaforces

They are unlocked when each Medal's level reaches 20 and 50. Unlike previous games, the medals are only capable of learning 2 Medaforces.

Characters

Set in the year 2033, the main character this time is Azuma Amakura (アマクラアズマ), who somehow is introduced to the world of robottling with either a Metabee or a Rokusho given to him by Ikki Tenryou, the store clerk so he could Robottle. For doing so, he is given to a cellphone where he can install an application called the Medarotch (メダロッチ) (known in english as Medawatch), which can hold information about his Medarot. It is much like an iPhone, bearing resemblance even through the icons it displays.

• Chitose Asakusa (アサクサチトセ) is Azuma's friend. Her Medarot is a BCT-type Noir Katze.
• Taruto Benii (ベニイ　タルト) has a Doctor Study and is also Azuma's friend.
• Sakura Ooshima (オオシマサクラ), has a Peppercat, and Nut Daitoku (ダイトクノット) has a Kiethturtle. Both are known as The Willows. Azuma later becomes their leader.
• Azuma's rival, Kohaku Himuro (ヒムロコハク), who has either a STG-type Machairodus (Kabuto) or a KLN-type Maasai Moran (Kuwagata).
• The Roborobo Gang returns as Azuma's main antagonist.
• Arika Amazake reappears, giving the player a Sailor-Multi at the beggining of the game. She is still a reporter, and tells Azuma, Tart and Chitose about the existance of the Roborobos.
• The Kaitou Retort appears, this time with an Arcbeetle, a Saikachis and a female Medarot.
• Both Nae Akihabara and Professor Medarot reappear, the former having one of the Elemental Series Medarot, Flame Tisara, as her companion (instead of her last known Medarot, Clear Purée).
• The Referee is Mr. Uruchi.

In-game Medarots

See Medarots in Medarot DS

Tinpets and Medals

New medals make their appearance alongside some old ones.

Tinpets have changed their shape as of this game. They now have a small rectangular head with just enough space for two eyes, and wires looking like intestines hanging from the stomach area. The skeleton is also thinner, likely to make it more versatile for new Parts.

Manga

Main article: Medarot DS (manga)

A manga series by Horuma Rin began on September 18th 2009 in the monthly Dengeki Nintendo DS magazine. It followed Azuma's story as a Medarotter and ran for one year (12 chapters) before ending. To date it is the only Medarot manga without a collected volume release, as the chapters were only printed in issues of the magazine.

Pre-order bonus

Main article: Medarot DS promo cards

Players who pre-ordered copies of the game from certain retailers received a pack of 30 promotional cards (packaged seperately). There were two different card packs, one for the Kabuto version and one for Kuwagata. Each pack contained 30 different cards, showing a total of 60 different Medarots from the game.

Players who purchased both versions and sent off the included survey postcard were entered in a draw for 1 of 100 "premium packs" of cards containing the remaining 10 Medarots.

Links

• Official Medarot DS website