Eternal Sonata

Written by James Dauer  on August 17, 2007

Hands-On Preview: This is the song that doesn't end. Yes, it goes on and on my friendsЕ

Tweet

Comments

This year definitely marks the beginning of something new for Microsoft. While the original Xbox wasn't big on Japanese RPGs, the 360 has two massive titles coming out in the very near future. If you haven't heard of either Blue Dragon or Eternal Sonata, you've clearly been living on a deserted island, and have probably been spending way too much time with your blood-stained volleyball friend, Wilson. While Blue Dragon has been getting much praise for its development team, headed by Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, and artist Akira Toriyama, Eternal Sonata has quietly been working its way into gamers' minds.

The game's story is very strange indeed. The famed composer Frederic Chopin is on his death bed, having feverish dreams. These colorful dreams are the world of Eternal Sonata. Throughout the game players will follow the exploits of a number of characters as they work their way through Chopin's subconscious. The stages themselves even loosely reflect Chopin's life. It sounds a little like a fantasy RPG version of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Between chapters, players will see cut scenes that will explain the life and death of the great composer.



Like all RPGs, one of the most important aspects of the game is its battle system. After all, the game could have the greatest story in the world along with some of the best music and best graphics, but if it has an awful battle system, none of it really matters all that much. I'm happy to say that this game has one of the better active battle systems I've seen since Star Ocean the Second Story for the PSone.

The fights are a combination of real-time and turn-based. Players are given a time gauge that begins to drain after the first on-screen movement. When the gauge is empty, the turn switches to the next character, and continues as such. During that time, players can run around the battle screen, attack, or use special moves or items.

There is an intricate combo system involved in fighting which replaces your traditional magic point system. As players inflict damage on enemy units, a counter builds. With each successive build of the counter, players' special moves become that much stronger. Think of it as a limit break that can be used on one party member at a time, but that comes up much more frequently. Players don't necessarily need the combo gauge filled in order to perform a special move, but it certainly helps. Special moves can also range from wild sword attacks, to magical spells.

Another interesting thing to note about special attacks is how each move differs in battle. Each character can enter battle with two specials at a time. Players will need to equip their special moves from the in-game menu. Depending on where the character is standing in battle, the special will change among other things. Specials will change depending on whether or not the player is standing in a shadow, or in pure sunlight. These changes can also relate to physical appearance, strength, and other aspects of both the players and the monsters. This is a dream after all. Even the enemies themselves can cast shadows, which can lead to even more strategic planning in where to position characters, and how to go about attacking enemies.

Also, it is worth pointing out that 3 players can take control of party members. Each player will get to dictate the actions of one character during fights. The first player gets control outside of battle, though.

Outside of battle, players will have plenty to explore. The game doesn't really differ from traditional RPGs when it comes to exploration. Players will find several villages, forests, dungeons, and caves to explore, each with hidden treasures and the like.

Eternal Sonata has stunning visuals to say the least. While the game looks far from realistic, it does look very much like a beautiful picture book from still shots. To see it all in motion is just phenomenal. The amount of detail and rich color is just astounding. Skies are rich azure blue, forests are dark purple and the grass is a brilliant emerald green. It's almost worth playing for the graphics alone. The whole world looks a bit like one of the Tales games, only much richer in detail. I also didn't notice any screen tearing or slowdown during my time with the game, which is far more than I could say for Blue Dragon.

Audio is great, as well. The game features English voice acting, at least during the battles. The music works great for the setting, and pieces of Chopin's music do make their way into the game- very exciting for those who enjoy classical music.