Eternal Sonata is a wonderful RPG!
The game play is all about the final days of Chopin laying in his deathbed while having what appears to be a dream. Filled with characters trying to figure out who he is and why he is there, and he the same. Fighting for a cause, he joins Polka and the others on their quest to help her find the answers to questions she and the others all have while trying to figure out what his part in this dream world is all about. Is it a dream? Or is it reality? The answer lies at the end of this beautiful game.
First of all... the graphics. Oh my gosh! They are so beautiful. Extra vibrant colors and an excellent use of shading paint a landscape that is just simply eye candy for everyone. From the beautifully designed castles to the landscapes with flowing rivers and forests, to the cities that are full of life and so detailed, then right down to each character in the game... everything is in high detail. It doesn't start off slowly either and get better. It starts off looking awesome and just keeps getting better all the way to the end of the game.
The sound in this game is equally if not better than the graphics. The entire game is centered around Chopin and his music with a beautiful RPG storyline to go hand and hand with it all the way. Each setting in the game has just the right music to flow with what is going on at that time. From the wind whistling thru the dunes in the sand, to a rolling brook, to a battle scene and back to a nice walk thru the countryside, they chose music to enhance each setting. If you have a surround sound system... you will really enjoy it for sure.
Gameplay is turn-based RPG mode. The difference here is that as you progress thru the game, you not only level up your characters but get different party levels to choose from as well. Each has it's advantages and disadvanatges. For instance party level 1 will freeze time and let you think stratigcally what the best mode of attack and defense are but limit you to how many different things you can do. Party level 6 on the other hand does not give you tactical time to think your strategy, but instead offers you more things to use in your attack and defense. This I felt was unique because the player could find their comfort zone for playing and use that thru the entire game (after unlocking it of course) if they so choose. There are six party levels to choose from total in the game.
As far as the characters go, you have up to 10 to choose from as you progress thru the game. You can only have three in your party during any battle, but up to ten to choose from for each battle. Each has their own unique ways of fighting, from an archer to a swordsman, and alot of others too. Some have distance attacks, others are up close and personal. Some have the ability of both. Each gets to have four unique attack modes. Two light and dark. Two of the attacks are done only when you are in a lighted area on the battle board, and two are done when you are in a shadowed area. Ths alone can make each battle unique because you are not aware of the settings of the battle area until the battle starts. That is also why some would prefer having the tactical time to see the layout of the battle where others might prefer to fight on the fly and find that more interesting. Also some battles have the light and dark areas move too... so you could move your character into the dark area to use his or her dark maneuver and then next turn be standing in the light, and have to either accept that or move to a different location using up your precious time meter for that turn.
One of the things I also really loved about this game was the fact that between each level there would be a cutscene showing pictures of Poland (Chopin's home country) as they played a piece of music from him while telling a story about the great composer/pianist. His music is simply fantastic if you love piano music (that which I do) and his music has so much expression and feel to it. Simply a beautiful addition to this awesome game.
Overall the game is an awesome game. Being my very first RPG that I have ever played from beginning to end, I have to say it kept me fully interested all the way to the end. It has really good replay value simply because of all of the different ways you can make your party with whomever you like and choose the way you would like to have your type of battling. I would like to caution those who are achievement hunters. This game is not for you. Yes there are only 22 of them in this game, but getting them is very difficult. It requires two complete playthru's to get them all and alot of different side missions that one would not easily figure out just from playing. I personally am going to keep this game in my collection because I love it that much. If you are looking for a beautiful RPG with a great storyline and beautiful music, you should really try out Eternal Sonata. You will not be dissapointed!