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For 360 owners, it’s truly been Halo mania these past few weeks. You can even check out our official review on that very subject. However, for those not desperate to Finish the Fight, or perhaps those whom have already finished it multiple times over, another 360 release quietly crept in just a week prior to Halo 3.

Eternal Sonata marks a list of several RPG’s orientated towards Japan, in a bid by Microsoft to win over some market share. While it has worked to some degree, the 360 remain fairly synonymous with first person shooters and also synonymous with poor sales in Japan. However, as it currently stands, on no other next-generation console do we yet have access to such a huge lineup of quality role-playing titles. Oblivion, Bioshock and Blue Dragon have already graced our screens, with Mass Effect and Lost Odyssey hot on their heels. While there seems to be an almost overwhelming number of RPG titles, for those fans of the more specified J-RPG genre, there Eternal Sonata only stands against Blue Dragon, and fortunately, it stands as the better of the two selections.

The Tale of Eternal Sonata

Eternal Sonata comes courtesy of Tri Crescendo and Bando Namco. While it was a 360 exclusive, we’ve just recently learned the title can be expected sometime early next year on the PS3. Unfortunately, that really voids Eternal Sonata from being a system seller here in the states, but after all the true purpose of the game was and is to move units in Japan. After weak success (although strong compared to most 360 games in Japan), we’ve received the English version that seems to have held up quite nicely in the transition.

The game itself is a little hard to wrap your head around. It takes place on the famous Polish composer Chopin’s deathbed. As he lies dying in France, he has a deep and realistic dream (or what he assumes is one), which transports him into the main narrative. The world of Eternal Sonata itself is filled with numerous musical references, in fact every character and location is inspired by musical terms in some fashion. The narrative itself is loosely (very loosely) related to some of Chopin’s life landmarks. Prepare for an epic and quite philosophical tale, as the opening scenes showcase a flash-forward of the other main character Polka throwing herself from a cliff. Upwards of a quarter of the epic is in game cut scenes, which will take you on the journey.

Much can be said about the story of Eternal Sonata, and while it can be quite deep, and once in a while slow moving, I found it to be quite engrossing, pulling me back for more. There are 6 educational scenes, which last about 3 minutes that inform you about Chopin’s life, and how it (loosely) ties into the game. It plays one of his songs that is the subject of that particular chapter, and shows appropriate still frames in the background as the subtitles explain. The voice acting for the most part is handled quite well, it can be a little rough in places, but adds far more to the title than simple scrolling text. You can quickly skip through it all, and just play the game itself, although much will be lost in translation, and I wouldn’t recommend it.

Visually, Eternal Sonata is a stunning game. It certainly does not push the console or can be compared graphically to a title like Gears of War, but from a creative standpoint, the game is spot on. The colours are extremely vibrant, the world topography is hugely varied, and you’ll never be in a location long enough to grow sick of it. The title holds up quite well on both a Standard and HDTV set, but the sheer pallet of colours really pops on an HD set. The one real gripe with the title is, that at all points, the camera remains fixed. It works by and large for the title, but there are a few points when the camera fails to swing far enough ahead of you so that you can see yourself running into an enemy. A lot can be said that at some points you simply want to take a look around, but are forced to deal with the static camera angles.

The Game Play of Eternal Sonata

The game plays quite well. With the ability to see enemies on the field, you can avoid them for the most part at your leisure. When you do encounter an enemy though, you’ll be swapped over to the battlefield, where you will have three characters at a time in your party. The opposing enemies will also vary from 1-3, although generally speaking you’ll encounter 3 enemies, occasionally 2, and rarely 1. The game uses a bit more of a action RPG feel, with your attacks laid out to theA button, items on the X button, swapping the items with RT and LT, the B button is dedicated to guarding attacks, and the Y is mapped out to special attacks. Each turn is a timed affair, which allows you to physically run up to the enemy and tap A to attack or Y to use your special move on them.

Having only a single special move mapped to Y, and later in the game a second if the Y button is held then released, it may seem slightly limited. However, the dynamic battlefield lets you either implore a light attack, or dark attack — depending on whether you are standing in the sunlight, or in the shadows when you use it. Enemies and items all have an effect on the light and dark attacks, and allow for creative opportunities to position yourself to use the appropriate attack.

Level progression for each character is fairly straightforward, with experience being rewarded at the end of each battle. Your base stats will all receive bonuses, and somewhat randomly every 6 or 7 levels or so, you’ll earn a new special attack. Eternal Sonata also introduces the Party level, which after key events will level up your abilities, and introduce new things to the playing field. These can range from the amount of time you have to think before acting will decrease, and eventually disappear altogether, you’ll gain extra item slots, the ability to block and later counterattack if timed properly, as well as the harmony chain. Since special attacks are unlimited, you can build up points by using a regular attack button, which increases the special attacks potency when used. At later party levels, if you’ve built up enough power, you can trigger harmony chains, which allow you to use multiple special attacks, from multiple characters in a single characters’ turn. The party level is a great mechanic, which helps the battles to remain fresh by giving you a new tactics at certain points in the title.

One of the praise worthy features of Eternal Sonata is that at no point are you forced to grind. Through the occasional encounter, and boss battles, you will gain enough experience to acquire levels and continue playing through the title. Although in some respects, you’ll often prefer to avoid enemies to make it to the inevitable boss battle, which will yield a multi-level gain. Another interesting feature is that while you will have upwards of 8 characters to choose from, characters you don’t use will slowly auto level somewhat randomly, staying about 5 levels behind your preferred characters. It’s nice as no characters are left behind, and all are heavily involved in the plot line, but you’ll often find it best just to stick with 3 or 4 preferred characters, and let others randomly level waiting in the wings.

The game is structured into chapters, which more or less break into two cities or locations with a merchant, two multi level dungeons in various settings, a boss at the end of each, and cut scenes sprinkled throughout. In that respect the game is predictable, but the variety of dungeons and ways of solving your way to the end can sometimes be a challenge.

Worth your Time and Money?

There are a few important considerations before running out to grab a copy. Eternal Sonata clocks in around 20-30 hours worth of content, while a little short compared to most J-RPGs, I felt the experience was enough to be satisfying. The average gamer may even find this more appealing as you’re more likely to complete the experience and not lose interest.

One of my biggest irks with the title was the way Achievements are handled. By playing through the game and completing the entire story, you’ll earn a measly 120 points. That’s it. There are a few ways that you can pad this up to 200-250 if you absolutely know what you are doing, but since the achievements are kept secret, you’ll simply earn 120 for completing the chapters and reaching party level 5.

So how exactly will you be picking up your total 1000 points? You will be playing through the entire title, again. It seems a little harsh, as you play the game again in encore mode, very little has changed. You’ll retain your Party level (ie. The advantages of increased item slots, harmony chains, blocking and counter attacks), but all items and character exp is reset. However, a few side quests along the second play through open up which allow you to collect and do the required tasks to earn the rest of your achievements. In a sense, this makes the replay value somewhat more desirable; especially skipping through the cut scenes will knock down the playtime. However it’s hard not to feel somewhat cheated when you’ve beaten the entire 30 hours game, and earned barely over 120 points, which could easily be achieved in an hour with quite a few Xbox Live Arcade Market titles.

In Conclusion

Eternal Sonata is the one of the best J-RPGs on next generation consoles right now. The visual and story elements are highly addictive and entertaining. You’ll constantly feel like you are progressing, and won’t get too sick of certain areas like some slower progressing RPGs. While the game is on the short side, the Encore mode will be a must for any Achievement collector. The Achievements themselves are anything but a quick cash in, but fortunately all are within the realm of attainability unlike other titles such as Guitar Hero, whose uppermost difficulty can be extreme. If you simply hate RPGs, this probably isn’t the greatest launching points into the genre, as it is still somewhat cliché, slower paced, and the core mechanics are all there. If you are looking to invest in a J-RPG this year, and are stuck between Blue Dragon and this title, go with Eternal Sonata, you will be glad you did.

Final Score: 8.6/10