"American perfection..."

Septerra Core.

Going by the name alone, you can just sense that this game was going to be something good. I mean, the first time I heard the name "Septerra Core", I just said to myself, "That name sounds so much like a Japanese RPG it's not even funny."

Leave it to me to check out the screenshots next.

Before I go on into the heart of this review, I'd just like to make it clear (since no one else cares to do so) that this game isn't just the best American interpretation of Japanese RPG's EVER. But it also happens to be the most faithful, accurate representation of Anime ever created by an American.

Yes. Even better than Adam Warren's art.

Don't know Adam Warren? Check out Gen 13 Bootleg, or the Dirty Pair comics from Dark Horse. Now look at my previous statement. See what I mean?

Well, many have considered Adam Warren's artwork to be the most accurate interpretation of the Japanese Anime style ever to come outta the USA. But I digress. I feel that my artstyle is even more accurate still, and now with the advent of Septerra Core on US shelves, the torch has been passed.

Just saying that Septerra Core is reminiscent of Anime is an understatement. Just saying that the character designs are Anime-inspired is an insult to Monolith Productions and Valkyrie Studios. Septerra Core is Anime, and believe it or not, this is the first time that I've ever said this about any American-made product.

Because for the most part, most American attempts to imitate Japanese Anime and Manga, have sucked ass. I don't say this lightly; Secret of Evermore, Shadow Madness, Shogo: MAD, and many other efforts from Americans almost NEVER live up to the real deal. Blame it on laziness, or just plain impossibility, but Americans have never been able to truly emulate Japanese Anime.

Until now.

Graphics: 9.5 Septerra Core's main character designs are Anime. Period. The NPC's, for the most part, are pretty much in line with the main characters, except for a few odd exceptions. The pre-rendered BG's are more in line with Fallout 2 and Baldur's Gate than Japanese RPGs like Star Ocean and Final Fantasy VIII, and are right at home on the PC. Spell effects are very Final Fantasy-ish in nature, but also have a distinct American look to them as well. Anime fans and CRPG nuts should feel right at home when playing Septerra Core.

Music: 7.5 Music is non-existant, unless you're fighting or on the World Map (note that I have the Complete install on my PC, and don't run SC off the CD, but straight from the HD, so if music streams off the CD, I don't have a clue) exploring, so I can't give the game high marks here. The developers justify the lack of music in towns by saying that they didn't put it in the game, because hearing the same theme over and over in a city will eventually drive you nuts. I don't buy this theory; I think that the developers just cut some corners by simply not adding music to the cities (this could have been done to free up CD space, but I think the musicians didn't want to compose all of that music!) so that the game could ship on time.

Sound: 10 But with the lack of good theme music for the cities comes EXCELLENT ambient SFX (though not as good as Baldur's Gate) that almost makes up for the lack of music playing in the various cities (Wind City just cried out for a theme song). Weapon sounds, from the humming of Runner's Beam gun, to the powdery "CAK-CAK-CAK" of Maya's assault rifle, are sharp and consistantly satisfying. Moreover, the voice-overs in the game are the best ever done for a PC game, with convincing main characters, and NPC's that are given more forethought than they deserve. What's even more amazing is that all of the character voices were done in-house by the game's artists & programmers! Isn't it ironic, that the best voice-acting ever in a game is done by ordinary people, while the worst voice acting in games is done by professional actors? (Apocalypse for PSX, anyone?) Just goes to show that down-to-earth voiceovers are oftentimes better than high-drama. (Starcraft, Metal Gear Solid, and Baldur's Gate proved that)

Gameplay: 10,000,000!!! Well not really, but I think you get my point. I gave gameplay in SC a 10 because this game is SOOO addictive it's scary. Allow me to explain myself with a true story.

I've been keeping up with Septerra Core ever since I first caught wind of this title on another PC gaming site, particularly one with a 'Spot in it. They had some kinda "First Look" going on, and when I saw the game pics, I was eagerly awaiting it. Delays came and went, and soon I eventually moved on with life. Then, two years after that moment, the demo became available. It actually caught me by suprise because I was just checking out Monolith's website just for the hell of it, and found out that the Septerra Core demo was available for download! So I downloaded all 100 megs of it, after much unnecessary delay, and played it.

The game kicked major asscheeks!

I actually played through the demo, crashes and all, for more than 10 hours. Then I picked up the full version of the game, and played it straight for six and a half hours without any breaks in-between! This was just after I'd installed the game! I only expected to sit down with the game for a hour or so, but the game was so damn good that I played for nearly seven hours straight! I actually had to stop myself from playing the game! It's that addictive!

Overall: 10 Americans get a bad rap for being so lazy, and for their RPGs being so glitzless and boring. Some people get it, some don't. I, for one, like traditional American RPG's. Baldur's Gate is the best CRPG of 1998. Daggerfall still gets playing time on my PC. But Septerra Core proves that Americans do "get it" when it comes to Japanese Anime, and that we can provide the look, feel, and addictive nature of Japanese RPG's here, in the U.S. of A. without the need for rampant importing. Septerra Core proves that in the console RPG and Anime market, Americans CAN compete on even ground. And it also means that we can expect more solid RPG's from companies other than Square, Konami, and Enix.

My two cents. Take them as you will.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 12/05/99, Updated 12/05/99