Eternal Sonata is similar to your classic Japanese Role-Playing Game (JRPG) in that the characters have a very young appearance, combat is more or less turn-based, and the story has some aspects that are similar to other linear RPGs like Final Fantasy.

Rating: T
Players: 1
Genre: RPG
Developer: Tri-crescendo
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Release Date: November 2007

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Eternal Sonata is similar to your classic Japanese Role-Playing Game (JRPG) in that the characters have a very young appearance, combat is more or less turn-based, and the story has some aspects that are similar to other linear RPGs like Final Fantasy. What brings this game up a notch from other RPGs is the little tweaks to the combat system, the variety in characters and places, and the uniqueness of the theme of the game. Almost every single person and place, even some weapons and special abilities, is named after a musical concept, may it be an instrument (like Viola, the archer, or Claves, the fencer), a style (Jazz, the broadsword wielder), a time period (the kingdom of Baroque), or time marking (a la Allegretto, the short sword user), among some other things. At first it seems a little overwhelming if you aren’t a musician, you pick up little bits here and there. Even if you don’t know any of the references, it doesn’t detract from the story.

The basis of this game and the root of the story lies with a composer named Chopin. Chopin was a real life composer that lived and composed during the 1800′s. The world that the game takes place in is the dream world that Chopin has come up with in his head while lying on his deathbed. He places himself inside this world, where he meets the colorful characters living in a land torn by a looming war.

At the beginning, the player takes control of a young girl named Polka who lives in a village called Tenuto. Polka is a special case because she can use magic, which, in this world, means that she is close to her own death. In the early part of the game, when she ventures to Ritardando and tries to help an injured man, he not only refuses all help, but everyone else around reacts in fear and extreme caution. Frederic, Chopin’s first name and the name his avatar in this dream world, is with her and is puzzled by this.

After that scene, we are introduced to a young man named Allegretto and his young companion, Beat. Both boys are homeless and live in a shelter in the sewer, and they are notorious for stealing bread from the local baker to feed the children they share their living space with. Eventually, these two meet up with Polka and Frederic, all agreeing to go together to the city of Forte to meet with Count Waltz. Allegretto wanted to talk about the living conditions of the people, and Polka wanted to request the sale of mineral powder to slow or stop, as it detracted from her selling floral powder.

Mineral powder plays a big part in the story. It is made from minerals found on Mount Rock, a place you visit later on in the game, and used as a quick remedy. Unfortunately, there are very negative side effects that result in death in some cases, while floral powder is all-natural and has none of the side effects. While on their travels, the party passes through Agogo Forest, where a young girl named March lives. After some interaction and a boss fight, March requests that the party finds her twin sister, Salsa. They agree and continue on, later meeting Viola, a talented archer and sheep herder, who also wants to join them.

The party eventually gets to Forte and a lot of exciting things unfold. I don’t want to spoil the rest of an amazing story, but it kept me engaged from beginning to end. It was very hard for me to put the controller down for more than a half hour just because I wanted to find out what would happen next. I will say that you get to travel to a lot of far off and wonderful places, meet a wide variety of characters, some who will join your party and some who will really make you think. Yes, you have to think a little if you really want to get a deep understanding of the story. If you just want to play and get the basics, then no, just play on as normal.

Combat is definitely one of the highlights of this game. Most RPGs feature some slow, turn-based combat system, as this one does, but Eternal Sonata adds some things to it. This comes in a few forms. One of the most noted is the party level function. New party levels unlock at certain checkpoints throughout the game, each one adding some little alteration to provide a new challenge as well as a change that makes things easier. At first you have unlimited Tactical Time, which is the time before you make your first move when you can think and plan about what to do, and by the time you reach party level 5, this is gone except by additions from accessories and equipment. Your Action Gauge eventually goes into real time starting with party level 2. As you get to higher party levels, you unlock additions called Harmony combos or chains, as well as gaining the ability to counterattack.

One annoying thing is the guard function. You have to time it just right in order to guard, and if you either aren’t given the option or react too soon or too late, then you don’t get to block. This is especially annoying in the end game when you fight various bosses that hit hard and you need to conserve and take care of your hit points. One good thing, though, is what comes from the Y button. When you press the Y button, you can unleash whatever Special Attack it shows. Your echo, which comes from hit combos, can max out up to 32, and with each level, your special attack grows stronger. Once you get the usage of Harmony, at 24-32 echo, you can chain together these special attacks. The attacks can range from Polka’s Orange Glow to Falsetto’s Snow Fist, and they also help to rebuild your echo for the next go around.

Aside from combat, story, and characters, this game has amazing music and graphics. The music played throughout the game is mostly Chopin’s compositions for piano as well as some additional in-game pieces composed just for the game. Between chapters and some cutscenes, there are 5-10 minute history lessons that talk about Chopin’s life. For people that are playing this game just to mark another rpg off of their list, these might be boring, but for those that are interested in music history, these are very good sources of information.

The cutscenes are beautiful graphics-wise. The characters and scenery are really well-done. Even the voices fit the characters, though some of the younger party members get a little annoying. It’s fun to watch how the older cast, like Viola, humors and at one point plays cards with Beat and Salsa, two of the youngest party members. At some points, the length of the scenes make me think that this game would have been better as a movie, as it got really irritating after a 15 minute boss fight to sit there for another 15 or 20 minutes for a cutscene. Granted, the story had me so wrapped up, I didn’t mind as much, but it can get a little tiring.

As far as complaints, I don’t have many other than how the blocking mechanic works, and the length of the cutscenes, as I’ve already mentioned. The game is fairly short and can be completed in 30 hours or so if you rush through everything and don’t focus on leveling your party up, and I would have liked to see the extensions come to the Xbox 360 version as well as the Playstation 3 edition that came out almost a year later. Another thing that just strikes me as odd instead of as a negative is the numbers. Characters have high stats and HP levels, reaching up into the 20,000 and up range for HP. As someone who grew up playing Final Fantasy where the max was 9,999, this seems weird, but it fits.

As a musician, I loved being able to recognize the references to theory concepts and having an understanding of them to understand why the characters or places have those names. For example, Polka has the upbeat personality and attacks at a polka-style pace. This game made both my rpg fan side and my music nerd side happy, as it blended both very well. If you are a fan of traditional JRPGs, a musician into games, or just love a really in-depth, classic story about good vs evil, then pick this game up and play through it. It’s worth every minute of those epic cutscenes.