Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

40 to 100 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Worth playing"

Eternal Sonata is not going to be the best RPG you play, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't play it. Eternal Sonata has a lot of potential, but it falls just short of being a great game. It's a good game though, and certainly one of my favorites.

Eternal Sonata follows the dream world of composer Frederic Chopin as he lies in his death bed. It's a great idea, but the story itself is lacking. Some evil dude and his cronies try to take over the world, you have to stop them. Same old, same old. There are tons of cliché moments in this story, and many drawn out cut scenes that leave you wincing. It's not a terrible story, and it's certainly cute at times, but I find myself forgetting a lot of it because it was so forgetful. The usual cast of characters is there: the young swordsman with a rebellious spirit, the innocent girl with magical powers, the older swordsman with a big-ass sword, and many others. None are really too memorable, but I did enjoy Falsetto very much. I'm a sucker for female characters who can kick and/or punch, and Falsetto is exactly that character. She's definitely one of my favorite characters in a game so far. I found her special moves to be the most engaging as well. Since we're on the subject of fighting, let's delve right into the battle system, perhaps the most fun part about Eternal Sonata.

Battles take place once you encounter an enemy on the world map. You are then transferred to a separate field to engage in fights. It's real-time turn-based action with the ability to free roam around the battle field. Each character has a timer, and once that timer is done that character's turn is over. Think of it as a Tales battle system of sorts, but just turn-based. You attack with one button and perform special moves with another. It's how you perform and get to those special moves that's the fun part. Eternal Sonata has a light and dark system based on the brightness of the battle field. If you perform a special attack in a lighted area, your character will unleash a Light attack. If your character does one in a dark or shadowed area, that attack will become, well, a Dark move. The special attack button will always stay the same, but once you go into a different area the attack will alter itself. Even hitting an enemy can knock their shadow off of you for a second, so a well-timed special can actually be a light attack even if you're back in the shadow. It leads to some strategy and fun. Chaining attacks is another fun factor that Eternal Sonata has contained within the battle system. Each hit you land on an enemy adds up to certain level chain markers. For example, for every certain amount of hits you land on an enemy a numbered meter will show up on the screen. If you chain attacks for awhile your special moves will inflict more damage. Once you hit the 24-hit mark, a special attack will then feature a small cutscene that unleashes a cool set of moves and a lot of damage. It's a lot of fun to see how long you can keep a chain going (by the way, the chain can be transferred to the next character if you want), and then to unleash a super special move. There's also the ability to defend or counter with a well-timed button press, but the timing has to be perfect for it to go down. The time to do it also feels lightning quick. It can certainly save your butt in battle, but I rarely pulled it off. The battle system in Eternal Sonata is certainly the best part about the game.

Now the flaws. Eternal Sonata is a very linear game. You cannot get lost in this game. Ever. There's basically one path, and if it does split into the other directions you can bet you won't be walking long until you find an item or dead end. There's no room for exploration in Eternal Sonata and that is a shame because it is such a beautiful world. The visuals are absolutely stunning, but you don't really get to see much of it because of the linearity of the game. It's also way too easy to earn money in the game. Hey, it's nice to be able to never worry about money, but at the same time the game is sort of handing you the best available equipment and medicine you can buy. Seriously, one of the characters has the ability to take pictures of monsters during battle. You snap a few pictures (doesn't even matter if they are bad), sell them at a store, and you're pretty much set for the rest of the game. Way too easy. The game is also on the short side for an RPG. If you blow through the game you could easily beat it in 20 hours or less. Take the time to level and do some of the side stuff (which isn't much), and you can stretch it to 35-40 hours perhaps. That's about where I clocked in at when I finished. The game has decent replay ability though, so it's enjoyable to go through the game a couple times.

Eternal Sonata has a wonderful musical score inspired by Chopin's work. The game is divided into chapters, and between each chapter is a musical piece by Chopin with some historical information on the composer. It might seem tedious to sit through each one, but the music is really a joy to listen to. You could always skip them if you really wanted. The in-game music is also quite nice. The voice acting is acceptable, but for you purists there is the option to put on Japanese voices if you must. Overall, the music is one of the strong points of the game, which it should be since it's based on Chopin after all.

Eternal Sonata is certainly not a ground-breaking JRPG by any means, but it is an enjoyable experience that has a superb battle system. The gorgeous visuals and music also add to the experience. The forgetful story and the linear aspect of the game prevent if from being truly great, but it is still one of the better JRPGs I have played on the next-gen systems. If you're looking for a JRPG that you don't have to invest a lot of time in, Eternal Sonata will be right up your alley. Just don't expect an epic adventure that will take you weeks and months to finish. It's a fine JRPG to add to your collection though and definitely a good play through with the incentive to play it again once you finish.

RATING: 8.5/10