Septerra Core: Legacy of the Creator

You can find a patch from 2021 here: https://www.zombs-lair.com/post/definitive-edition-patcher-septerra-core It will make the game run on modern systems.

I thought it would've been a good thing that enemies can be seen and there's no random encounters in world map, but no. Really easy enemies which reset if you change from area to area (and really often need to backtrack alot at dungeons) make it even worse than any other games of the sort such as final fantasy series. After you get hooked to the plot you still want to finnish the game even though 2/3 of the game time is really boring.

I owned this game way back when it was released, drawn in by the original concept of a world that exists as floating shells. Unfortunately, that concept, plus the character designs, are the only things good about the game. -The voice acting isn't particularly good, backed by atrocious dialogue. -Actual plot is fairly boring despite the political intrigues and mysteries hinted at. -Cutscene direction is AWFUL. -The non-random battle system is spoiled by extremely high number of roaming monsters that are very hard to avoid as the game progresses. -An extremely high amount of backtracking through areas. -Whenever you do encounter a random battle, the party jumps backwards 50 feet into an open area, forcing you to continually retread ground. -A high amount of "grinding" required in most areas to get your characters strong enough. This game is basically a JRPG style game made by Western devs, except without the imagination to pull off the characters or plot, and no common sense to reduce the tediousness of that RPG type.

Say what you want about the other aspects of this game, Septerra Core takes place in a very interesting world. Seven different layers that represent a sort of caste system are filled with all sorts of interesting characters--and if you like anime this is one of the few pc RPGs of it's kind with a very distinct art style. The graphics aren't flawless--characters pop a little too much from the background and don't have the smoothest animations--but the game's overall style and aesthetic make it visually pleasing nonetheless. Exploring the world and meeting new characters is probably the best part of this game, and the battle mechanics are interesting for a while and there are some genuinely fun attacks and core powers to use. It can become very tedious late-game, however, as monsters repopulate and the game sends you back through the same areas to fight the same ones several times just to get around, and the fact that you must wait, watch each monster hop toward you, attack, then hop back before you can return fire, means that you will never find a quick way around these battles. However, most people who are still playing at this point are probably used to similar grinding tasks, and it takes a while before the combat loses it's shine. If you are an average PC gamer, you will get PLENTY of hours of fun out of Septerra Core, but don't plan on finishing it unless you are a slightly more dedicated anime/rpg fan. It's certainly a fresh canvas to explore.

Most of the reviews giving one star is about the game not working on their newer system. Or from new players who have the attention span of a PUBg player, or TikTok spaz. GogWarrior71 below who called it "Abandonware", and barely an Alpha version with missing content, is LYING THROUGH HIS TEETH. I never encountered any missing elements to the game. I never encountered missing story elements or inoperable abilities and such. So i don't know what the hell he's talking about. For those who played PC games back then, you'll understand my review. THIS review will be about the game - decades later. I remember this story being so deep, that everywhere you travelled to had SO MUCH to add to the story. Like Refining a painting many times. Each NPC you encounter has an amazing personality. As for your team, it can change. At certain stages, you decide which characters can leave your group to be replaced by a certain other character that adds a different set of details to the story. If i remember correctly, you can bring back character that have left your group, with all their upgrades intact. And there's "cards" that you get that perform certain offensive or defensive actions depending on what the enemy is using. It was really quite enjoyable. As for you attacking bosses, you figure out what their weaknesses are and attack them accordingly. Sometimes if you can't figure it out, there is dialogue that can hint at what you need to use. I absolutely love the floating cities; each area has it's own charm. Why people are calling this game boring is beyond me. I suspect they've never played games from that era. If they believe Septarra Core is boring, then they definitely would say the same thing about Divine Dinity. Of course i could go through other things in the game, but to be specific, I'd have to play through it again. Unfortunately my original game is in another country. Hopefully i can get the GOG release working.