by Pete Davison

Blue hair... big swords... fusion of fantasy and technology... so far so Japanese. But despite appearances, 1999‘s Septerra Core represents a Western take on the JRPG genre, with interesting results.

In the late 90s, Final Fantasy was big news. ’97 saw the release of Final Fantasy VII on the PlayStation, the first CD-ROM entry in the series, taking full advantage of the new technology with lush video sequences, gorgeous backdrops and an epic scale which previous entries in the series could only have dreamed of. Unsurprisingly, as everyone knows, it garnered critical acclaim and remains to this day one of the most beloved games of all time to many people. So, of course, it was natural that other developers would see that Square were onto a good thing and want to emulate that.

Septerra Core is the result of one such experiment and remains to this day a somewhat unique example of a Japanese-style RPG making the successful leap to the PC. Its success was largely due to the fact that despite its visual resemblance to console-based RPGs (along with the aforementioned lush video sequences, gorgeous backdrops and epic scale), it was very much designed with the PC in mind, featuring point-and-click mouse control and the ability to save anywhere - two things that people very much missed when Final Fantasy VII was eventually ported to Windows. The game is also fully voiced, which was unusual for an RPG of the era given the amount of dialogue present.

Much of the art in the game, including the settings and the heavily stylized characters, draws heavy inspiration from Japanese anime, blending high fantasy and sci-fi to create a bizarre yet compelling world to explore. Septerra Core’s world, eschewing the traditional flat world map of most console-style RPGs, is shattered into seven “shells”, each having its own individual look, feel and character. This diversity certainly means that protagonist Maya’s journey is an interesting one, as much through “time” as it is through different places.

The visual style isn’t the only unique thing about this game though. The battle system, taking its cues from Final Fantasy’s “Active Time Battle” system, remains relatively unique in PC RPGs to this day. Players have a gradually filling “time bar” which allows them to take actions when it fills. Septerra Core’s twist on the original system is the fact that allowing characters to “charge” for longer allows them access to more powerful attacks, but at the same time leaves them more open to enemy blows and spells. The player has to make a choice - act quickly and weakly, or take your time and unleash some powerful moves, including some immensely entertaining team-up attacks? It’s a curious blend between turn-based strategy and fast-paced action. It’s also great fun.

Fans of Bungie’s Halo series on Xbox may also be interested to note that this game is an early example of series composer Marty O’Donnell’s work, and also features minor voice work from Steve Downes (as a character called “Gunnar”), who would eventually go on to become the voice of the Master Chief, at O’Donnell’s recommendation. Depending on your outlook, this is either interesting trivia or evidence that Septerra Core is officially the Most Important Videogame In Existence. The choice is yours.

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