A beautiful RPG with some educational value on the life of famous pianist Frederic Chopin.
THE GOOD
-Beautiful graphics
-Excellent music and voice acting
-Great insight into Chopin's real life
-Great cast of characters
-Exciting battle system
THE BAD
-Completely linear story
-Combat has too much button mashing involved
OVERVIEW
Eternal Sonata is a game that questions reality with the fantasy (dream world). The game takes place in a world that was dreamt up by famous piano composer Frederic Chopin while he lies unresponsive on his death bed. In the beginning, Chopin ensures himself that he is in his own dream but later on questions this notion stating that maybe the life that he knew in Europe, as a great composer, was actually a dream. This struggle that Chopin has takes a backseat to more pressing issues in his fantasy world regarding the people he meets. You see in this fairy-tale world people with magical powers also carry an incurable disease like the game's leading heroine named Polka. Polka (age: 14) has a similar personality to Chopin's younger sister. Polka is a sweet young girl that tries to sell Floral Powder to the people of Ritardando but nobody buys her medicine because a cheaper man-made medicine called Mineral Powder is available.
Frederic finally meets up with Polka and learns about Floral and Mineral Powder and decides to help her in talking to Count Waltz, the regional monarch, about lowering the taxes on Floral Powder so that she can run her business. As the two travel to Forte Castle, to persuade Count Waltz, they meet up with a few other characters. It just so happens that two poor kids from Ritardando named Allegretto and Beat are also on their way to talk about taxes being too high with Count Waltz. Allegretto has a good heart and proves to be a capable leader because Beat constantly looks to him for guidance.
As you progress through the game you'll find out that Count Waltz has his own agenda for controlling Frederic's dream world and that there is a revolution in the midst. The story in Eternal Sonata may not be as good as other RPGs but it's still a worthwhile tale. However, the fact that the story is completely linear is a setback. Along with the story, you'll have a chance to learn more about Chopin's real life as a famed pianist and composer. The mini breaks between chapters prove to be interesting and educational. Pretty much all the characters are likeable and even though the monologs can be excessive at times, you'll feel like you really know each of them by the end.
GAMEPLAY
The battle system is one of the better features in Eternal Sonata. Much like some of the newer JRPGs, like Blue Dragon, you're able to avoid battles by evading enemies on the field. If you want to take on an enemy all you have to do it get up close to it and the game will trigger a fight. Depending on where you encounter the enemy is important. For example, if you attack from behind you'll have the element of surprise which grants you more turns at the start of the round. But be careful because the same thing can happen to you.
When a battle is triggered a new screen will appear displaying the enemy on one side and your three heroes on the opposite side. The fighting is turned based but is nothing like a normal turn based JRPG. Here you actually get to move your character on the screen and attack which ever enemy you want within the time allotted. The action gauge on the left hand side of the screen displays your characters' action time and tactical time. At the beginning of your turn the tactical time will start to decrease. Basically you can use this time to think about your next move. The action gauge will start to decrease when one of two things happen: the tactical time expires or you decide to act with that character. When the action gauge starts to count down you'll be able to move, attack and perform other actions until time runs out. There are two attacks for each character in Eternal Sonata; basic and special. The basic attack is done with the A button and while doing regular damage, based on the strength of the character, you'll chain together echoes. The more echoes chained together the more powerful your special attacks will become. When you are ready to unleash a powerful special attack all you have to do is press the Y button.
Now this may seem basic but there are some twists thrown in to keep the combat from getting dull. As you'll notice, the battle field is filled with light and dark areas. This will determine if your hero is going to perform a light or dark special attack. Also, as you progress through the game, your party will level up which will alter things like decrease action time, increase movement speed, and even change the buttons around. This gives the game a nice challenge and you'll enjoy the fast paced excitement, however, there is one setback. The fighting requires a little too much button mashing.
The leveling system is pretty much like your basic RPG. Your characters gain experience, level up and increase in a few attributes like strength and hit points. Now one thing I will say that Eternal Sonata does better than most RPGs is that you'll level up rather quickly. This reduces the grueling level grinding process that most RPG fans dread.
Eternal Sonata really excels with its dynamic battle system but there are other aspects of the game that are lacking due to the linear story. Exploration is one of the biggest things missing in this game. There is one extra optional dungeon to crawl through but other then that you'll see everything there is to see by playing through the story. Aside from that, Eternal Sonata offers a few extra mini games to keep you occupied. One in particular is the score piece game. Here, you'll have to find hidden pieces of music scatter all throughout Frederick's dream world. The next part of the task is to find other NPCs that want to perform a musical session with you. If both harmonies line up you'll be rewarded. This mini game can be fun if you are musically talented but for the rest of us, it ends up being a dreadful game of trail and error.
GRAPHICS & SOUND
The visuals are fantastic. Frederic's dream is filled with beautiful shapes and colors. The character detail is also very good and the entire game looks like a well crafted anime movie.
The music is probably the best part in Eternal Sonata. I mean it should be if your main character is the famous Frederic Chopin, right? Not only will you have the chance to listen to some of Chopin's greatest works but the in-game music is top notch too. The full sympathy orchestra was utilized to the fullest and compliments the gameplay. For example, when you're en route between towns the melodies of the fanfares make it feel adventurous and when a compassionate sound is needed, the ballads will sooth the soul. The voice work fits each character nicely too. The kids sound like kids and adults sound like adults. This may seem like a "no brainer" but you'd be surprised on how some RPGs fail at this so don't worry because Eternal Sonata won't disappoint you here.
CONCLUSION
Eternal Sonata is definitely one of the better RPGs in this generation. The rather weak story is easy to look past with the exciting battle system. I would recommend this game to anyone and those who are new to RPGs because the amount of action involved is enjoyable. Plus the historic value involving Chopin's life, which Eternal Sonata presents, is fantastic. Now, it's up to you to travel through Chopin's fantasy world and determine whether or not his dream… is reality.