Eternal Sonata is a fantastic RPG thats only real shortcoming is it's length.
The gameplay is excellent, featuring an original mix of turn-based and real-time battle systems. The enemies are visible, so there are no random encounters, and once you enter a battle, you are given 5 seconds of action before your turn is up. This action, however, is completely free movement, and time is used by running, attack, using items, or special attacks. During the enemies' turn, it's not a chance to rest, as you have a short window of time with which to block or counter each attack the enemy makes, keeping you constantly on your toes. Battles are made even more interesting by the Light/Dark factor. Abilities change depending on whether or not you are standing in shadow or in light. This goes for enemies and players alike. Enemies go as far as to shapeshift depending on where they are standing! Although this factor can be a little annoying since at some points in the game it is difficult to tell the difference between light and dark, it is not major enough to detract from the enjoyment of the game. The only thing that was a let-down in the gameplay was the fact that the player is not given absolute free-roam over the landscape, and with a landscape that looks this fantastic, it was rather a disappointment.
Being a game based around Chopin, the music is obviously very important. Motoi Sakuraba's compositions more than succeed. The music goes from epic orchestral battle sequences to calming town music and haunting melodies. The game is also broken into chapters, at the end of each is a section of Chopin's life, accompanied by a piece of his music. Though this does slow the pacing of the game down a bit, it still fits into the game nicely.
Aside from all of these factors, the one thing that will really keep you playing Eternal Sonata is the characters. We start from the point of view of a girl called Polka, who has an incurable disease which allows her to use magic, but will eventually kill her. We are soon joined by Allegretto and Beat, two street urchins who are striving to make a difference in the world. And, of course, Chopin himself joins the party, convinced that the entire world is his dream. More and more characters join together as the story progresses, each with their own personality and style. By the end, you really start to care about what happens to the characters, in particular the entwined romance story of Allegretto and Polka. Though the ending of the story in the Xbox 360 version of the game is rather ambiguous, I found that it actually is an asset to the story rather than drawing away from it, but I, personally, am a fan of ambiguous endings, so that may be just me. The only thing that I found was a shortcoming was that the climax was a little sudden, and left me wondering what was really going on for a short while. Expect around 20 hours of gameplay for a fast playthrough.
Overall, Eternal Sonata is a fantastic RPG thats only real shortcoming is it's length. The graphics are staggering, the gameplay is natural and easy to use, yet still challenging. The story is purely heartfelt and wonderful. If you have not played this, and are a fan of RPGs or adventure games, then I highly recommend you try Tri-Crescendo's masterpiece, Eternal Sonata.