Septerra Core
Encyclopedia
Septerra Core: Legacy of the Creator is a computer role-playing game (CRPG) developed by Valkyrie Studios and published by Monolith Productions
. The game takes an unusual approach at the genre, by using elements most commonly associated with console
video games, such as the Final Fantasy
series. Battles in Septerra Core implement a variant of Active Time Battle, with the only substantial difference being that the strength of the character's attacks are defined by how long the player allows the time gauge of said character to be charged. Other notable features include fully recorded dialogue, CGI
cutscenes and a flexible magic system based on cards similar to those of Tarot
. Professional voice actors supplied the voices for the main characters while Valkyrie employees and friends voiced the minor characters.
In the center of Septerra lies the Core, a giant Bio-computer. Seven continents, each with its own unique geography, population and cultures, turn around the core on different levels. The title "Septerra" is from the Latin "septem", seven, and "terra", earth.
The creator fashioned into this world a way in which man himself, one day would inherit his power. He created twin keys that can be used to unlock the secrets, granting the gift of the creator, the kingdom of heaven. Every 100 years the alignment of the upper continents creates a beam of light which penetrates to the depths of the core, activating it for a short period. At this time the keys may be used to unlock its secrets. Many men have attempted to possess these relics, but the world was not yet ready.
Then there was one that the creator and the host of angels could not destroy. A fallen seraphim who captured the keys to the core. The creator in desperation sent Marduk, his only begotten son, to Septerra, and then left the affairs of men forever.
After a battle that raged for 100 days, Marduk defeated Gemma and retrieved the keys. Teaching that the world was not yet ready for such power, he hid the ancient relics. But Marduk prophesied that one day, many millennia in the future, when the world was in grave danger, they would once again be found. The power they could unlock could save the world from destruction. That time, is now.
A powerful Chosen, inhabitants of Septerra who strongly believe in their own superiority of knowledge and technology, named Doskias wishes to fulfill this legacy with force. This will be a disaster for all the other people who live on Septerra.
In the meantime a young woman named Maya, an orphaned junker, finds herself in the middle of the conflict, as it was Doskias who orphaned her and her friends. What begins as a quest of revenge, unfolds into a plot to save the Legacy of the Creator and Septerra itself from falling into the wrong hands. Without help she won't stand a chance against the Chosen and other enemies. But who can she trust in a world ravaged with war, a world on the brink of ruin....?
computer planetary core. Legends mention two "core keys" which, during a rare alignment of the shells that allows a beam of sunlight to penetrate through, can unlock the planetary core, releasing the "Legacy of the Creator". This legacy is known as the Kingdom of Heaven. Those living on Shell 1 call themselves "the Chosen". They are descendants of the demigod Marduk, son of the Creator, and have an attitude of superiority over other inhabitants of the planet. Those living on Shell 2 are called "the Junkers", people which make a living out of collecting junk - especially electronic
- originating from the upper shell. The main plot is set around members of both shells. The game's main character is Maya, from the Junkers, and the main antagonist
, Lord Doskias, comes from a Chosen heritage.
Female main character from Shell 2; A rifle-wielding adventuress. Her village was wiped out ten years ago by Doskias's men.
Male bounty hunter from Shell 4; Formerly a Jinam explosives expert from Shell 5 before losing both arms to a war injury. Now a mercenary with mechanical rocket arms. He knows a lot about explosives.
Blind Underlost from Shell 7; a knife-wielding savage, he 'sees' with an organic RADAR
Swordsman from Shell 3. He is in love with the late Holy Guard captain Bowman's daughter, Layla. After Selina's men wiped out his hometown, he swore to destroy her.
Male mechanic from Shell 2. A staff-wielding inventor who built the Workbots for the town that Maya and he grew up in, though they are abused constantly by the Mayor.
Female mechanic from Shell 5; A wrench-wielding Ankaran engineer. A training injury left her with mechanical lower legs, ever since her father has been very protective of her. She grows to be very fond of Grubb.
Cyborg Jinam pirate from Shell 6. Once a slave-soldier of Jinam, his limitation device was removed after he was abandoned, allowing him free will.
A giant mechanical dog loyal to Grubb, its inventor.
A Chosen Swordswoman from Shell 1. Former lover of the Chosen leader Doskias, and Corgan's enemy. Even though Doskias left her for another, due to her poor lineage, it is apparent she still cares deeply for him.
A powerful Chosen and direct descendant of Marduk. He destroyed Maya's hometown ten years ago while fighting with another Chosen. Now he is bent on fulfilling the Legacy of the Creator at any cost.
There is a "dial" for each of the three player characters, which moves past two break points, and ultimately to a maximum power level, as time goes along. After the first break point, the player may choose to have that player attack at a low level, or, if possible join with another character for a combined attack. Spells, either for a given character or combo, may be set up and cast at low, medium, or maximum power level as well. But while the player chooses to wait until the characters are powered-up, the enemy will be attacking.
Unfortunately, the developer, Valkyrie Studios (http://valkyriestudios.com), is no longer in operation and their website no longer hosts the patches necessary to run Septerra Core.
Unless you have a Good Old Games version of the game, which does not require either of the patches, both the 1.02 and 1.04 patches can be found at http://student.fnm.uni-mb.si/~avisnikar/septerra/index.php. Otherwise known as as Junkers Paradise, a Septerra Core Fan site.
, and featured minor voice work from Steve Downes
. When O'Donnell was asked to score Halo: Combat Evolved
, he suggested Downes for the voice of Master Chief
, which has brought Downes great fame and critical acclaim.
Monolith Productions
Monolith Productions is a Kirkland, Washington-based computer game developer. Monolith is also known for the development of the graphical game engine Lithtech, which has been used for most of their games...
. The game takes an unusual approach at the genre, by using elements most commonly associated with console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
video games, such as the Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy
is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and is developed and owned by Square Enix . The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science-fantasy role-playing video games , but includes motion pictures, anime, printed media, and other merchandise...
series. Battles in Septerra Core implement a variant of Active Time Battle, with the only substantial difference being that the strength of the character's attacks are defined by how long the player allows the time gauge of said character to be charged. Other notable features include fully recorded dialogue, CGI
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
cutscenes and a flexible magic system based on cards similar to those of Tarot
Tarot
The tarot |trionfi]] and later as tarocchi, tarock, and others) is a pack of cards , used from the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play a group of card games such as Italian tarocchini and French tarot...
. Professional voice actors supplied the voices for the main characters while Valkyrie employees and friends voiced the minor characters.
In the center of Septerra lies the Core, a giant Bio-computer. Seven continents, each with its own unique geography, population and cultures, turn around the core on different levels. The title "Septerra" is from the Latin "septem", seven, and "terra", earth.
Story
In the beginning the creator brought forth the shining jewels of the universe and their secrets. One such jewel was the world known as Septerra, its secret hidden within its core. Seven distinct layers of continents called world shells orbit the planet, each connected to the other by a giant bio-organic spine. At the center of all lies the core, an enormous bio-computer regulating the movements of the shells.The creator fashioned into this world a way in which man himself, one day would inherit his power. He created twin keys that can be used to unlock the secrets, granting the gift of the creator, the kingdom of heaven. Every 100 years the alignment of the upper continents creates a beam of light which penetrates to the depths of the core, activating it for a short period. At this time the keys may be used to unlock its secrets. Many men have attempted to possess these relics, but the world was not yet ready.
Then there was one that the creator and the host of angels could not destroy. A fallen seraphim who captured the keys to the core. The creator in desperation sent Marduk, his only begotten son, to Septerra, and then left the affairs of men forever.
After a battle that raged for 100 days, Marduk defeated Gemma and retrieved the keys. Teaching that the world was not yet ready for such power, he hid the ancient relics. But Marduk prophesied that one day, many millennia in the future, when the world was in grave danger, they would once again be found. The power they could unlock could save the world from destruction. That time, is now.
A powerful Chosen, inhabitants of Septerra who strongly believe in their own superiority of knowledge and technology, named Doskias wishes to fulfill this legacy with force. This will be a disaster for all the other people who live on Septerra.
In the meantime a young woman named Maya, an orphaned junker, finds herself in the middle of the conflict, as it was Doskias who orphaned her and her friends. What begins as a quest of revenge, unfolds into a plot to save the Legacy of the Creator and Septerra itself from falling into the wrong hands. Without help she won't stand a chance against the Chosen and other enemies. But who can she trust in a world ravaged with war, a world on the brink of ruin....?
Setting and basic premise
The world's seven continental layers (referred to as "World Shells" or "Shells") shield access to the clockworkClockwork
A clockwork is the inner workings of either a mechanical clock or a device that operates in a similar fashion. Specifically, the term refers to a mechanical device utilizing a complex series of gears....
computer planetary core. Legends mention two "core keys" which, during a rare alignment of the shells that allows a beam of sunlight to penetrate through, can unlock the planetary core, releasing the "Legacy of the Creator". This legacy is known as the Kingdom of Heaven. Those living on Shell 1 call themselves "the Chosen". They are descendants of the demigod Marduk, son of the Creator, and have an attitude of superiority over other inhabitants of the planet. Those living on Shell 2 are called "the Junkers", people which make a living out of collecting junk - especially electronic
Electronics
Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
- originating from the upper shell. The main plot is set around members of both shells. The game's main character is Maya, from the Junkers, and the main antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
, Lord Doskias, comes from a Chosen heritage.
Gameplay basics
The game's play area has two different depths - the world map and the location maps. On the location maps, the player is given the opportunity of interacting with other characters, visiting stores, fighting battles, and so forth, whilst the world map serves the purpose of transporting the player from one location map to the other. At some points in the story, such as the beginning, the game is linear on the world map; at other times the player can move to all sorts of battlefields to grind out more experience for the characters. Within dungeons there is a choice of movement to pick up the required magic items in any order, but one cannot rest to full health within.Characters
The player is given the choice of composing his or her party with three characters out of nine, but certain characters might at times become unavailable due to plot events. However, as there is only one event in the game in which the player can have a team without the main character Maya, the choice of a team is limited to two characters plus Maya.- Maya
Female main character from Shell 2; A rifle-wielding adventuress. Her village was wiped out ten years ago by Doskias's men.
- Araym
Male bounty hunter from Shell 4; Formerly a Jinam explosives expert from Shell 5 before losing both arms to a war injury. Now a mercenary with mechanical rocket arms. He knows a lot about explosives.
- Badu
Blind Underlost from Shell 7; a knife-wielding savage, he 'sees' with an organic RADAR
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
- Corgan
Swordsman from Shell 3. He is in love with the late Holy Guard captain Bowman's daughter, Layla. After Selina's men wiped out his hometown, he swore to destroy her.
- Grubb
Male mechanic from Shell 2. A staff-wielding inventor who built the Workbots for the town that Maya and he grew up in, though they are abused constantly by the Mayor.
- Led
Female mechanic from Shell 5; A wrench-wielding Ankaran engineer. A training injury left her with mechanical lower legs, ever since her father has been very protective of her. She grows to be very fond of Grubb.
- Lobo
Cyborg Jinam pirate from Shell 6. Once a slave-soldier of Jinam, his limitation device was removed after he was abandoned, allowing him free will.
- Runner
A giant mechanical dog loyal to Grubb, its inventor.
- Selina
A Chosen Swordswoman from Shell 1. Former lover of the Chosen leader Doskias, and Corgan's enemy. Even though Doskias left her for another, due to her poor lineage, it is apparent she still cares deeply for him.
- Doskias
A powerful Chosen and direct descendant of Marduk. He destroyed Maya's hometown ten years ago while fighting with another Chosen. Now he is bent on fulfilling the Legacy of the Creator at any cost.
Combat
Each combat sequence is accompanied by a random battle-music track, during which the player characters and their opponents leap to their stations on an isometric grid. The player cannot alter their location during the game, not even if the villain directly in front of one is defeated.There is a "dial" for each of the three player characters, which moves past two break points, and ultimately to a maximum power level, as time goes along. After the first break point, the player may choose to have that player attack at a low level, or, if possible join with another character for a combined attack. Spells, either for a given character or combo, may be set up and cast at low, medium, or maximum power level as well. But while the player chooses to wait until the characters are powered-up, the enemy will be attacking.
Patch for Windows XP 32 and 64 bit systems
In 2006 version 1.04 was released addressing compatibility issues with the game and newer versions of Windows Operating systems.Unfortunately, the developer, Valkyrie Studios (http://valkyriestudios.com), is no longer in operation and their website no longer hosts the patches necessary to run Septerra Core.
Unless you have a Good Old Games version of the game, which does not require either of the patches, both the 1.02 and 1.04 patches can be found at http://student.fnm.uni-mb.si/~avisnikar/septerra/index.php. Otherwise known as as Junkers Paradise, a Septerra Core Fan site.
Trivia
This game was scored by Marty O'DonnellMartin O'Donnell
Martin "Marty" O'Donnell is an American composer known for his work on video game developer Bungie's series, such as Myth, Oni, and Halo...
, and featured minor voice work from Steve Downes
Steve Downes
Steve Downes is an American DJ and voice actor. He is best known for his work as the voice of Master Chief in the popular Halo video game series. He worked as a disc jockey at Los Angeles, California, Album-oriented Rock radio stations KWST , KEZY-AM and KLSX , but is best remembered working...
. When O'Donnell was asked to score Halo: Combat Evolved
Halo: Combat Evolved
Halo: Combat Evolved, frequently referred to as Halo: CE, or Halo 1, is a first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie and published by Microsoft Game Studios. The first game of the Halo franchise, it was released on November 15, 2001 as a launch title for the Xbox gaming system, and is...
, he suggested Downes for the voice of Master Chief
Master Chief (Halo)
Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 is a fictional character and protagonist of the Halo fictional universe, created by Bungie. Master Chief is a player character in the trilogy of science fiction first-person shooter video games Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, and Halo 3 and will appear in the...
, which has brought Downes great fame and critical acclaim.