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IGN Review of Eternal Sonata
Every once in a long while, a game comes along that -- while not perfect -- catches you off guard and results in a refreshing experience that can surprise both newcomers and veteran gamers alike. Last year, tri-Crescendo brought one such game, Eternal Sonata, to the 360 and left PlayStation 3 owners hoping for a port. This week, that hope was fulfilled as Eternal Sonata has arrived on Sony's current-gen console. The PS3 version not only provides RPG enthusiasts with the same fantastic experience that 360 owners were privileged to last year, but it expands on the package as a whole with new cutscenes, characters, dungeons and what appears to be even more challenge.
The reason Eternal Sonata is so special is because of its basic premise: legendary composer and "poet of the piano" Frederic Francois Chopin lies on his deathbed in Paris. As his life slips away, his dreams take the shape of a vivid, beautiful world where he can spend his final moments. He soon finds himself swept away in a quest that has been woven by an expansive cast, one that takes the group of colorful characters all across the world and through some of the most charmingly created locales.
The first thing that gamers might not realize in regards to Eternal Sonata is how intriguing and ultimately surreal the narrative is. Although the game starts off in rather typical fashion, later plot points reveal a much more thought-provoking tale that begins to force the player into questioning dreams and reality. All the while, gamers are treated to some truly incredible music. The games soundtrack contains mostly original works, all of which deserve high praise, but some of Chopin's own compositions are also included -- along with fascinating biographical information that is displayed during the pieces.
The structure of Eternal Sonata is very linear, though I never found myself frustrated by that setup. Most of the dungeons allow you to look around different paths and rooms for treasure, but mostly you'll be running from point A to point B, yet you'll be wholly enthralled along the way.
Monsters walk about the environments and will run after you if you get too close. Once you touch the monster, a battle ensues in a separate battle area as is traditional for JRPGs. Once you enter that confrontation, you'll be greeted with a fairly refreshing battle system -- one that will certainly please action RPG fans. Three characters can be used at a time and actions are carried out in turns. When your turn comes, you can run around the field and slash away with the X button and perform special techniques with the Triangle button.
The unique elements come into play when you consider the Light and Dark dynamic in place. This fantastic system allows characters to access different abilities depending on whether they're standing in light or shadow. This makes battlefield awareness an absolute necessity and it adds a great deal of depth to what could have otherwise been a standard battle setup.
The real genius of it all comes from the Party Level system. As set points in Eternal Sonata, your Party Level will go up and increase the difficulty of battles. At the beginning of the game, your turn timer will only count down when you're moving -- and you have unlimited time to consider your move before you begin controlling your character. However, this becomes surprisingly more complex as you go, as your Tactical Time becomes limited prior to your turn and soon the timer will continuously count down even when you're standing still. Other elements, like counterattacks, Echo and Harmony chains are also introduced, all of which keep Eternal Sonata fresh throughout.
Another one of Eternal Sonata's less obvious strengths is the quality of the NPCs. RPG fans all know that talking to NPCs can often be a tedious, unfulfilling task in order to dig up useful information or treasure. In Eternal Sonata, NPCs often have thoughtful, charming and sometimes even poignant comments to make that truly enrich the overall experience. It really encourages you to talk to as many people in town as possible, which is great.
The PS3 version also benefits from new dungeons and quests. These additions fit quite nicely into the game as a whole, elongating one's total play time and further broadening the already skillfully executed narrative. Two previously unplayable characters, Price Crescendo and Princess Serenade, are now playable. Although they're only available much later in the game, it's nice to see an even larger cast of characters at your disposal.
The only technical fault I could possibly level at the PS3 version of Eternal Sonata is that it takes quite a while to save your game. Not terribly long, but the multiple scanning and saving processes take about twenty seconds or more, and that can be frustrating at times. Otherwise, Eternal Sonata runs beautifully on the PS3 and load times are very impressive. This is clearly the definitive version of the title and anyone that missed out on the 360 version should definitely this one pick up.
©2008-10-24, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved
The reason Eternal Sonata is so special is because of its basic premise: legendary composer and "poet of the piano" Frederic Francois Chopin lies on his deathbed in Paris. As his life slips away, his dreams take the shape of a vivid, beautiful world where he can spend his final moments. He soon finds himself swept away in a quest that has been woven by an expansive cast, one that takes the group of colorful characters all across the world and through some of the most charmingly created locales.
The first thing that gamers might not realize in regards to Eternal Sonata is how intriguing and ultimately surreal the narrative is. Although the game starts off in rather typical fashion, later plot points reveal a much more thought-provoking tale that begins to force the player into questioning dreams and reality. All the while, gamers are treated to some truly incredible music. The games soundtrack contains mostly original works, all of which deserve high praise, but some of Chopin's own compositions are also included -- along with fascinating biographical information that is displayed during the pieces.
The structure of Eternal Sonata is very linear, though I never found myself frustrated by that setup. Most of the dungeons allow you to look around different paths and rooms for treasure, but mostly you'll be running from point A to point B, yet you'll be wholly enthralled along the way.
Monsters walk about the environments and will run after you if you get too close. Once you touch the monster, a battle ensues in a separate battle area as is traditional for JRPGs. Once you enter that confrontation, you'll be greeted with a fairly refreshing battle system -- one that will certainly please action RPG fans. Three characters can be used at a time and actions are carried out in turns. When your turn comes, you can run around the field and slash away with the X button and perform special techniques with the Triangle button.
The unique elements come into play when you consider the Light and Dark dynamic in place. This fantastic system allows characters to access different abilities depending on whether they're standing in light or shadow. This makes battlefield awareness an absolute necessity and it adds a great deal of depth to what could have otherwise been a standard battle setup.
The real genius of it all comes from the Party Level system. As set points in Eternal Sonata, your Party Level will go up and increase the difficulty of battles. At the beginning of the game, your turn timer will only count down when you're moving -- and you have unlimited time to consider your move before you begin controlling your character. However, this becomes surprisingly more complex as you go, as your Tactical Time becomes limited prior to your turn and soon the timer will continuously count down even when you're standing still. Other elements, like counterattacks, Echo and Harmony chains are also introduced, all of which keep Eternal Sonata fresh throughout.
Another one of Eternal Sonata's less obvious strengths is the quality of the NPCs. RPG fans all know that talking to NPCs can often be a tedious, unfulfilling task in order to dig up useful information or treasure. In Eternal Sonata, NPCs often have thoughtful, charming and sometimes even poignant comments to make that truly enrich the overall experience. It really encourages you to talk to as many people in town as possible, which is great.
The PS3 version also benefits from new dungeons and quests. These additions fit quite nicely into the game as a whole, elongating one's total play time and further broadening the already skillfully executed narrative. Two previously unplayable characters, Price Crescendo and Princess Serenade, are now playable. Although they're only available much later in the game, it's nice to see an even larger cast of characters at your disposal.
The only technical fault I could possibly level at the PS3 version of Eternal Sonata is that it takes quite a while to save your game. Not terribly long, but the multiple scanning and saving processes take about twenty seconds or more, and that can be frustrating at times. Otherwise, Eternal Sonata runs beautifully on the PS3 and load times are very impressive. This is clearly the definitive version of the title and anyone that missed out on the 360 version should definitely this one pick up.
©2008-10-24, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved