1st Impressions: Eternal Sonata is a beautiful, flowing RPG that is one of the system's best.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unfortunately, the Xbox 360 isn't a system known for it's RPGs, except for Oblivion. 2007 hoped to change that by having several RPGs released for the system. One of these is Namco/Bandai's Eternal Sonata, a wonderful RPG with stunning stylized graphics, a beautiful soundtrack and unique combat system combined with a wrather touching and emotional consept. The basic idea of Eternal Sonata is that people can use magic, but only if they are terminally ill. This becomes evident in a young girl named Polka, who is one of the main characters in the game. The consept is rather interesting, and quite emotional as the story progresses. The storyline is extremely well done, and the cutscenes have a very cinematic feel to them.
The graphics of Eternal Sonata are absolutely beautiful. It's one of the most unique looking games on the 360. It's in an anime style, but everything has this dreamy glow and haze around it that makes you feel like you are playing through a children's bedtime story. It is stunning visually, but it also has an outstanding, dreamy soundtrack that needs to be nominated for best soundtrack of the year. It's fantastic and goes perfectly with the game. The voice acting is also superb, and adds a lot to the emotional undertone of the game.
So yeah, Eternal Sonata is a technical masterpiece and has a great story, but another thing that makes it so good is the combat system. I'm not a huge fan of turn-based combat in RPGs, but I've grown to like it in select games, such as Blue Dragon and Jeanne D'arc, but Eternal Sonata suprised me in how it's combat is handled. It's still turn based, but instead of having you pick your attack from a menu, you have a small time period where you attack your enemies in real time. It's basically the best of both worlds. It features turn-based stratagy, but also real time combat. It works out extremely well and is very easy to get into. The fact is, Eternal Sonata is a immersive game that is something that 360 gamers have been waiting to see on a system known for it's shooters.
I do have a couple minor gripes about Eternal Sonata, but neither of these can deminish how fantastic this game is. First, you can play the game co-op for 1-3 players, but it's offline only. It would have been better if online co-op was included, but that might come along later in the form of DLC. The other is that the game can get almost too emotional at times. I almost cried a few times during my first short experience with the game. It's a very emotionally charged game that you could get too into the story. Other than that, Eternal Sonata is a superb RPG that is one of the best the 360 has to offer.
Overall, Eternal Sonata is a must play for RPG fans who are looking for something different to play on their 360s, and for those looking for a flowing, dreamy kind of game.
Gameplay: Excellent and unique combat combined with a emotionally charged story make Eternal Sonata an RPG you won't soon forget.
Graphics: One of the most beautiful games I've seen this year.
Sound: Soundtrack of the Year worthy music and excellent voice acting add a ton to the game.
Value: This is an RPG you will want to take your time to play.
Final Thoughts: "It was all just a dream..."