How Did They Manage To Turn Francois Chopin's Death Into A Good RPG?
The game chronicles Chopin's last 3 hours of life before his untimely passing. The world that Eternal Sonata takes place in culminates into a lush world filled with musical innuendos and terms. You encounter two main characters: Polka, a girl who sells medicine in the form of floral powder and finds out she has magical talent, which is regarded as taboo since the populace believes those who use magic are very sick. It also comes as no surprise when her desire for a friend results in Chopin himself appearing as a playable character. Their story eventually crosses paths with another pair, Allegretto and Beat, a pair of delinquents that decide to go on a journey to investigate why surprisingly high taxes on commodities by the kingdom take place.
The visuals are impressive. Namco Bandai lately has proven themselves for delivering anime CG into the game with another release: Tales of Vesperia. The blending of cutscenes to tell the story with the actual game makes you wonder just where the differences between them lie. And the real difference is, there is no graphical change between them.
The combat is very simple. Light and shadow mechanics in battle allow for varying attacks with characters, each with different effects. Enemies can also change depending on light and shadow placement, making battles more challenging and awarding better experience. Attacks will also vary based on range and a meter that counts down when the first attack is executed with each character.
The PS3 version of Eternal Sonata has some differences. Following a much later release compared to the 360 version, the game integrates two new characters: Prince Crescendo and his fiancee, Princess Serenade. Also, additional costumes have been added to the game, allowing for more customization. There have even been additional quests added to allow for an extended gaming experience. Overall, the game will give you around 30-40 hours of gameplay to do virtually everything.
This RPG may not be the best thing the PS3 has available, but in a time when a dry spell of RPGs on the console has limited its success in some small way, this game still shines and delivers a decent experience.