Eternal Sonata (360)

Hello again. Now that we've gotten our vacation done, we're full of new games to review for your pleasure. Today I'm reviewing one of the handful of RPGs on the 360. Let's see what I think of it.

Story: While most people start with it being a dream of Chopin's before he dies, I don't think that is the best way to go. Mostly because that is not where the gaem starts. It starts you in this brightly colored world with a girl, Polka, coming home from market. Then it shows Chopin on his bed. Then it introduces Allegretto and his friend Beat as they steal bread for the poor. Then it goes back to Polka, then Retto (as he's known). Then Polka again, and finally Chopin is introduced into the world. Eventually you all meet and decide to go talk to the ruler of the land and discover why he's taxing everything so heavily, except for the cure-all known as mineral powder. They soon learn that mineral powder turns people insane and makes them mindless soldiers, which Waltz (the lord) wants so he can invade another country. Not only this, but Waltz is looking for ways to make the powder even more effective. The story has potential, but it is very very slow in execution. Also throughout the game you are given little tidbits about the life of Chopin. Most of what happens is going from point A to point B though. It is very linear. My biggest issue, and I think this is the best place to put it, is the cutscenes. Don't get me wrong, they're lovely. However, they are long, cannot be sped up, and happening too frequently. There was one time where there were about four cutscenes in a row that took so long my controller turned off. I like cutscenes, but I also like playing a game, and if I had to choose, the game would win. So, for too many drawn out dialogue moments, the story is losing points. It'sd a shame too, cause I really think the story had so much potential. 2/5

Audio: This is a game about a world in the mind of a composer. One would hope that the music would be amazing, and I think that it is. It's full of orchestral music that fits in with the game beautifully. Also during the parts about Chopin's life, they play music that he composed. The voice acting is pretty good, with some top name people involved. However, and maybe it's because of my new hatred of cutscenes, I could have really done with less of it. Still the audio shines. 4/5

Graphics: I love the graphcis with their cell shaded animated style. Somehow, though, the bright colors of the game make me feel like I've been eating tons of sugar. The game itself isn't all that light and fluffy, but the graphics seem to be. As beautiful as they are...they're almost too much. My other issue, the camera. It's fixed into place, which isn't horrible in dungeons, but it's annoying on the field. Especially since monsters appear on the field. I'm not sure what I want to give this. We don'd do halves; if we did, I'd write a 3.5. Since we're nice, we'll round up, but jsut keep in mind it was rounded. 4/5

Gameplay: The battle system is rather fun. It is a mixture of turn based and real time action. Each person has a turn and when it comes up they move as you direct and do what you say. They can attack, use a special, or use an item. As you progress through the game your party level will increase whick will shorten time you can use to plan your moves as well as add some more abilities. One such ability is the echo gauge, which increases with each successful attack your party does. It then boosts the power of whatever special ability you use next. Which special attacks will change depending if you're in the light or in the shadows, which adds a level of tactical thought. For example, Chopin has a healing spell when he's in the light, but when he steps into the shadow he has a powerful attack. As your characters level up you can learn more attacks, and you can set which ones you want to have in battle. Some monsters also change depending on if they are in light or dark. There's more, but that's all I can think of for now. As I said, monsters appear on the field so you can decide if you want to fight or not, and by approaching them from behind you can get a preemptive strike. I think that's about it. fairly easy gameplay with some good points. 4/5

Replay: Typical RPG, so no point in replaying unless you love it that much. 2/5

Overall: As muc has I loved the gameplay and the music and even the overall story, I can't give this game above a 3. The horrible cutscene length took away far too much of my pleasure to fully appreciate the game. I'd recommend renting it, to see what you think, but definitely don't buy it straight out. Not unless you prefer watching to playing. 3/5