Septerra is a planet with seven layers. Here you can find a lot of machine-guns and all sorts of spells. Maya, the main character, has a peaceful life of a junk scavenger on Shell 2 until she finds herself caught in a plot that endangers the entire world. Maya and her friends must race down through the layers of the world of Septerra in order to stop a power-hungry warlord from seizing the ancient power of the core. She encounters space pirates, cyborgs, magi, and giant insects and allies herself with swordsmen, gearheads, a mutant, bounty hunters, and a robotic dog.

The story is very interesting and involves a good deal of character interaction. Each of Maya's eight companions is also fairly interesting, and in a few specific cases they'll actually attack each other, though you can eventually resolve their differences by completing optional side quests. You can have a maximum of three characters in your party at a time, so at different points in the game, you'll have the option to customize your party with different characters depending on the situation. Be careful what you choose though.

Septerra Core's visuals aren't nearly as good as its story. It runs at a maximum resolution of 640x480, which is a shame because the low resolution cannot offer a maximum exposure to the wonderful backgrounds. The flat 2D backdrops generally look OK.

All in all, Septerra Core has good things and bad things. Unfortunately, no matter how appealing any of it may seem at any point in play, Septerra Core's long battle system may scare the potential customer.