Eternal Sonata

"Solid and Beautiful"

Eternal Sonata is the latest release in the RPG genre to reach top tier status. Many are of the opinion that these games are dying as RPG gameplay innovations are stagnating, which is especially true of turn-based RPG games. Eternal Sonata does offer some new twists on the traditional gameplay options, and a few entirely new ideas. But what sets this game apart is its artistic elements - the story, characters, music, and graphics are beautiful, and the gameplay is polished to match.

Let it be known that I carry a bias. In my secret life, I forlornly butcher Chopin piano pieces. In my public life, I collect pink accessories and sport a Hello Kitty bookbag. I had high expectations for this game as soon as I learned it was cute and took place entirely within Frederic Chopin's fever dream. Learning that my main character is a pink-pinafore-wearing girl who enjoys beating up onions and angel goats with an umbrella was enough to send me over the edge of hopeful optimism into high-pitched, involuntary spasms of glee.

Chibi aside, Eternal Sonata has some familiar and slick gameplay elements. The system is turn-based, but has a heavy emphasis on movement and timing. You have to run and face your enemies to attack them, and you have a limited amount of time to do it. It actually reminds me of the RPG Magna Carta: Tears of Blood (Atlus: Nov. 2005, for PS2), except that Eternal Sonata executes move-and-shoot with very fluid and intuitive controls. Magicians and tacticians rejoice: there is no mana or SP or other resource to manage when executing special attacks and magic. These types of attacks do take more time, which is crucial in the time-based-turn system, but the lack of restriction on special moves creates real flexibility in your play tactics. You also have the chance to block attacks from enemies via a timed button press, so the game is still engaging you while you're waiting for your next turn to happen. And best of all: no random encounters!

There are some new gameplay concepts. Light and dark fields add complexity to the movement-based turn. Your special attacks are different based off what kind of light you're standing in. Some monsters even change form when they move from light to dark. The game increases in difficulty as you play: with each new party level (increases as part of game progression), time to think before your actions is reduced, time to act is reduced, and new gameplay options are added. For example, at party level 2, your melee hits start creating a damage multiplier pool used for your special attacks. If you think this game is too shallow through your first few hours of gameplay, continue playing and wait for party level 2 or 3, when you can really start laying down some technique and damage.

As fast and engaging as gameplay is, there are some very frustrating things about the movement-based system. This game highly discourages button-mashing, since it's possible that any moves not used in one character's turn will carry over to the next, and you'll be performing special moves in the air when you really wanted to complete a double with the previous character. Proximity can also be very tricky, particularly for melee attacks. Worst of all, targeting is non-existent: anywhere you're facing is where you'll attack, and anyone who's in proximity and needs a heal may get your single heal, even if you intended it for someone else. Generally, the game's smart about what enemies and allies are targeted - particularly for special moves that have a body in proximity - but there are occasionally some unexpected results. All of it requires a certain amount of precision on the player's part, so I don't recommend this game if you just want to leave a path of candy-colored virtual destruction behind you after a long day at the office.

The character development and collection elements are disappointing. Your characters level and gain new skills and stats automatically - you have no say in the process. I thought I'd love the music collection, where you find scores and play duets with random NPCs through the land. The benefits are not major, and there aren't serious consequences to using the wrong piece of music in your performance, so you can just keep guessing at which one matches your partner's until you get it right. What's more: many of the score pieces can only be matched in encore mode. Apart from the score pieces, there are no other collection or development mini games. Eternal Sonata's gameplay is completely linear - there are no sidequests. I find this shocking, but the game doesn't suffer much for it.

The intricate character designs are a cosplayer's dream. I loved that you can play the game through in Japanese with subtitles, as dubbing usually leaves much to be desired. The dialog was decent, but the narrative text over Chopin's pieces was speculative, repetitive, and downright horrible. Most children write better reports in the second grade. Chopin's music was beautiful as always, and presented in recordings by a real pianist (Stanislav Bunin). The synthesized game music was also pretty (reminded me of FFX), if a little over-dramatic at times.

I do like the fantastically beautiful setting and story, but I must admit that it is a little one-dimensional. Humor is only a glimmer, and the premise is interesting, but all of your characters' motivations are tenuous. Party members (10 in all) rotate in and out for the first 3/4 of the game, usually for reasons that aren't very convincing. All of the characters are very sweet, but I still don't feel any deep interest or compassion for any of them. You do eventually learn of organizations and politics in the world, so you're not just finding random monsters to fight, but the conflicts don't run very deep.

Overall, Eternal Sonata is a very solid game. This will scratch your itch for good RPGs - at least for a little while. Don't expect a saga or a gameplay revolution, but be prepared to manage every moment of your battles. And don't eat sugar before you play: the game will give you plenty.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/07

Game Release: Eternal Sonata (US, 09/17/07)