Play Medarot DS - Kabuto Ver. (Japan) Online

Medarot DS: Kabuto Ver. is a 2007 Nintendo DS game from Rocket Company, a title that arrived when the handheld was full of deep, niche Japanese RPGs. It's a standalone entry in the long-running Medabots franchise, focusing on the beetle-type Medarots, and it feels very much of its time, a solid digital toy for the dual-screen era.

You control a young boy who, after acquiring a medal that gives a robot its personality, must build and customize a team of Medarots from scavenged parts. The main objective is to win battles in tournaments and against rival collectors to become the top Medarotter. Signature mechanics include the deep part-swapping customization, where every arm, leg, and head piece directly alters your robot's stats and available attacks in the grid-based, turn-based combat. You explore the town and its surrounding areas screen by screen, talking to people and triggering fights. The pacing is methodical, driven by your desire to hunt for a better part or finally win a tough match, and it feels like tinkering with a complex machine until it finally hums.