Graphics and Features

Graphics and Gameplay

When Monolith came to visit our offices, the first thing we were struck by was the graphical beauty of Septerra Core. The game graphics are rendered crisply in 16 bit color at 640x480 with no apparent blockiness to the characters or background; we thought at first the game was 3D. As it turns out the characters are modeled in 3D but rendered down to sprites for speed purposes. The camera position over your party will range from an isometric/overhead view down to a smaller angle where the action seems almost like an old side scrolling game. It's in these side scrolling type levels that you really notice how lush and detailed the 16 bit backgrounds are. Think of the clean graphics of Final Fantasy VII and combine it with the detail of Baldur's Gate and you'll have an idea of what Septerra Core looks like.

Maya the main character

The party poses for a pic

Septerra Core promises to be a large, involving story split up into fifteen chapters. According to what we've heard, the game will provide many dozens of hours of game play. Paul Butterfield from Monolith mentioned that the number of areas to explore in Septerra Core would be comparable to the huge world of Baldur's Gate. What's different about Septerra Core is that everything will fit onto one or two CDs so there won't be the hassle of swapping discs frequently in the middle of the game. Your party in Septerra Core is limited to three people at any one time but there will be nine companions to choose from, each of whom features unique strengths and weaknesses. It will be up to you to choose your companions wisely in order to fit the tasks you need to accomplish. In addition to these nine party members, Septerra Core also features over 100 Non Player Characters (NPCs), to interact with, some of whom will be friendly and some not. You'll need to exercise extra caution because your party members will each react differently to the NPCs depending on their motivation and personality.