Seventh Cross: Evolution | December 23, 1998
Seventh Cross: Evolution, known simply as Seventh Cross (セヴンスクロス) in Japan, is a video game developed for the Sega Dreamcast console. It was released in Japan on December 23, 1998. A sequel titled Ninth Will was announced shortly after the game’s North American release, but unfortunately, it appears to have been canceled.
The theme of Seventh Cross is evolution. Players start as a single-celled organism and progress through two stages by consuming food. The game begins in a lagoon, where the player's organism must avoid predators while nourishing itself. If the organism dies, it reverts to its lowest form, but if it successfully evolves to the "circular" stage, it returns to that level. After death, the evolved body parts are retained, but collected food is lost.
Seventh Cross consists of six stages, each featuring a boss. The stages progress through various ecosystems, from ponds to a desolate future.
Evolved creatures can acquire body parts by touching monoliths at each level. The six colors chosen by the player correspond to six attributes: attack power, defense, psi power, intelligence, agility, and healing. Players create patterns on a 10×10 grid with these colors, and if they have enough EVP, they can obtain new body parts to add to the head, body, legs, or arms. However, the logic of which pattern generates which body part is not clear.
Body parts can be equipped at any time, but each part requires specific nutrients obtained from certain foods, including protein and fiber. Over time, players can add enough parts to their organism to defend against and even defeat other creatures, as well as fight the stage boss to advance to the next level. Each part enhances various attributes, such as movement speed and attack power. These parts can be added individually, allowing for strange creature combinations, akin to Microsoft's Impossible Creatures.
The game received "negative" reviews according to GameRankings. Blake Fischer of NextGen remarked, "Those with great patience might see this game as a diamond in the rough, but most will find it difficult to endure the look and feel of a first-generation PlayStation title." Japanese publication Famitsu rated the game 24 out of 40.
