Septerra Core: Legacy of the Creator Critic Reviews

If you're not the diehard RPGer who lives for "Bauldur's Gate" ("AD&D is the only RPG!"), or if you ever enjoyed one of the Final Fantasy series (I know some of you Bauldur's Gaters like it. Come on, admit it!), then pick this one up right away. There are seven whole worlds waiting for you.

Fans of console RPGs will recognize the smooth gameplay and brilliant Final Fantasty-style graphics. It does not have the depth of character interation or development as something like "Fallout" or "Baldur's Gate," but it is a fun ride, taking you into strange policies, and showing intriguing conspiracies and ambitions.

Currently my favorite pick for RPG games -- it’s one of the very few worthy titles in the genre this year. Its simpler interface doesn’t offer the detailed character development options of some titles, but I like getting into the game quickly without getting bogged down in the details of character stats.

As beautiful as the background and characters are, the entire game has a slightly dated look to it. Once players delve into the story, though, the sense that the graphics belong to a game from two years ago disappears, and only the world of Septerra matters.

Here is a PC game that not only doesn’t hide its console roots, but rather unabashedly embraces it and, in my opinion, succeeds because of it.

SC isn't easy to get into. Its drawbacks hit you immediately. But after that rocky start, the background art, ingeniously devised monsters, simple interface, and clever combat and magic systems make this a tough RPG to toss aside.

It's one part fantasy, one part cyberpunk; one part "Fallout 2," one part "Final Fantasy VII." But however you classify it, Septerra Core is one heck of a lot of fun.

I recommend it to those out there who need these heroic kinds of games, because being a hero is definitely what this game is all about.

Great story, some good visuals, fun puzzles, and a lot of great dialogue and characters, but the game is held back by extremely tedious combat, some graphical and sound hitches, and a number of troublesome bugs.

While Septerra Core is certainly not ground breaking, it does possess the potential to convert some console gamers over to the PC. Hardcore CRPG fans however, will most likely be disappointed with the linearity and limited challenge.

The voice acting in Septerra Core is amazing, and the mouths actually move with the voices! Unfortunately, the sound effects used in the game *REALLY* get on one's nerves after a short while.

Judged by what it is supposed to be, an RPG along the lines of the Final Fantasy series, it is a fine effort that shouldn't be neglected.

No matter how appealing any of it may seem at any point in play, Septerra Core's rigidly linear structure and reprehensible combat system unequivocally rear their ugly heads and weaken what could have been a better game.

Despite its lack of innovation, Septerra Core proves to be perfectly playable, and at times even quite enjoyable.

A great example of how less-than-smooth gameplay can plague even the most interesting plot. Better design could have made this a classic. It is a tribute to just how well the story is woven that I kept hammering away at it, even while cursing the flaws and giggling at the funny combat sequences.

Many of the few souls that played this attempt at a western JRPG back in the day will speak about a flawless, but unknown gem. That’s nostalgia speaking, however. Septerra Core: Legacy of the Creator is undoubtedly deeply flawed. It’s not buggy or anything, just an unbalanced, repetitive, somewhat empty, and most of all, 50+ hour-long experience that’s aggravatingly slow, and which doesn’t ever realise its massive potential. In a weird way, this also has a very strong atmosphere, an intriguing world, and is strangely immersive. Thankfully it’s dirt cheap nowadays, so if interested you can check it out with just a handful of coins.

It's the mechanics that ultimately bring Septerra Core down into the realms of mediocrity. The lack of auto-notes, the handling of NPC conversations, the fumbling around on the exploration maps along with feeling like you're advancing the plot more by luck than skill all contribute to whittling down the amount of fun you have in the game.

The huge amount of speech for all the characters is a really cool addition to the game, but it can’t save it from a somewhat dull battle system and its other problems.

Inevitably, you have to compare this to "Final Fantasy VIII." While Septerra Core has a reasonable story behind it, it just doesn't match up in any other way. So, if you only want to buy one RPG then "FFVIII" has to be the number one choice. Sadly, Septerra Core is rather disappointing.

The spoken dialog is at times so badly acted, and the story so complex, that in the end you simply stop caring about the uninteresting characters under your control.