Sword Machine Review: Eternal Sonata

Eternal Sonata (Trusty Bell: Chopin no Yume in Japan) is Tri-Cescendo’s first solo project, and Namco Bandai’s first RPG for the Xbox 360. Though the game was generally well-received by critics, it remains fairly obscure when compared to other 7^th generation RPGs.

Eternal Sonata follows famous Polish composer Fredric Chopin through a dream he has while on his deathbed. In this dream, he envisions a medieval world divided into two kingdoms, Forte and Baroque, which are vying for dominance. In the background, a relatively new medicine, Mineral Powder, is being heavily propagated, but has troubling side-effects.

Story: C-

Easily the worst part of Eternal Sonata, the story, though generally easy to follow, is very shallow, and many of the game’s plot points feel contrived. For instance, there is a pirate ship area that the party will visit, but for really no reason other than the fact that someone wanted to put a pirate ship in the game.

The characters in Eternal Sonata, though each fairly individualistic in terms of their design, have almost no discernable personalities, and most of them join your party for almost no reason at all. Additionally, most of the characters experience almost no character development whatsoever, and you will have a difficult time sympathizing with any of them. This problem is complicated further as you near the end of the game, and each character starts to preach and philosophize completely out of the blue, totally inconsistent with their character.

The story does an adequate job of giving you a reason to play, and gives at least some meaning to the transition between areas. Additionally, the constant musical references do a wonderful job of making the world truly seem like something a composer would dream up. Unfortunately, the final couple of chapters are completely random, throwing out whatever reason the main story had. It feels instead like the developers try to end the game quickly while still trying to fit in deep philosophical commentary and preachy Saturday morning morals. It all feels terribly out of place, and destroys a story that had some definite potential for 80% of the game.

Visuals: A+

Taking the idea of Chopin’s dream world, the art direction is spot-on, and consistently breathtaking throughout most of the game. Everything from the architecture of the most insignificant house in town down to the seams in characters’ clothing just teems with attention to detail. Despite the high level of detail, nothing feels crowded or overly busy. Instead, the dying Chopin’s dream world often feels more alive than many simulated “real world” environments from other games.

The character models are all exquisitely built, and present one of the best concept art to in-game model examples I have ever seen.

Only the lack of changeable weapon graphics and sometimes awkward animations during cutscenes prevent ES from earning an S rank in the visuals department. However, these are only mild annoyances to the ultra picky, and still won’t detract from the overall beautiful presentation.

Music & Sound: A+

Being an avid Sakuraba fan myself, I must admit that the soundtrack for ES is among some of his best work. The tracks fit the mood almost perfectly the majority of the time, either through cheery melodies or mysterious tunes. There are a couple of tracks that didn’t really hit me, but for the most part, the soundtrack is fantastic.

The voice acting is quite well-done, despite the undeniably cheesy script at times. Both the Japanese and the English actors deliver good performances. The Japanese voices are especially well done, with very good lip-synching. Again, because of the ridiculousness of the story near the end, some of the actors have an understandably hard time staying in character, but overall, a very good job.

Finally, the sound effects add just the right feel to the game, and whoever worked on them clearly worked closely with the art and story directors to keep the game feeling very cohesive to the “dream” motif.

Gameplay: B+

Eternal Sonata’s battle system is part turn-based, part action, and the result is something that has never quite been seen in any other RPG that I can think of. Party members and enemies are placed in various locations within a particular battle map, and each receives a “turn” based on agility. Within a given character’s turn, he or she may run around the battle map, attack, use items, execute special moves, or cast magic within an allotted amount of time. This time is usually short (ranging from 6 to 3 seconds), so taking enemy and ally positioning into account and planning ahead become the key to successful battles.

Another very cool feature of the battle system is the light/dark system. Basically, each character can have two special skills equipped: one for use in the light, one for use in the dark. Each battlefield has areas of “light” and “darkness” which are often static, but can be dynamic in certain instances. (For example, passing clouds can cast a shadow on the field, creating a moving “dark” area.) Positioning characters in the light will allow them to only activate their “light” skills, while the reverse is true in shadows. Additionally, some enemies glow or cast their own shadows, adding another dynamic element to some battles.

Despite the undeniably innovative battle system, battles become very repetitive very quickly. This is due partially to the fact that allies and enemies always arrange themselves on opposite ends of the field every battle. It is further dumbed down by the universal approach that most players will inevitably wind up falling into: Run to the nearest enemy, mash the attack button until the timer is almost up, mash the special attack button, rinse, repeat. Though there is definitely room for some strategic battling (especially in utilizing long-ranged attacks), there is little need, as even the most powerful bosses can be defeated using varying slight modifications to the approach outlined above.

Players looking to get maximum play time out of their game will probably be disappointed to discover the glaring lack of extra content in Eternal Sonata. There are almost no additional sidequests, and only one mini-game I can think of (which really isn’t very fun). There are no unlockables I know of, except for a harder mode available upon clearing it once (which really shouldn’t take you much more than 35 hours, even if you’re thorough).

Despite the flaws with the battle system, the game plays incredibly well, with nothing really to complain about. Map navigation, menus, shopping, and dialogue are all basic, though the presence of invisible walls in many areas might frustrate the more exploration-minded. It is too bad the battle system becomes so repetitive, otherwise the game would have definitely received an A in this category.

Overall: B+

Eternal Sonata is a solid RPG that benefits greatly from inspired music and art direction, and implements some refreshingly new concepts into turn-based battles. In all aesthetic and technical aspects, the game is brilliantly crafted, and is a testament to the innovation and skill within Tri-Crescendo. It is unfortunate that the game’s story is so shallow, otherwise the game would be a must-buy for anyone. As it is, the story will undoubtedly turn many off, and confuse the rest.

I still love this game despite its flaws, and would recommend it to anyone who can appreciate artistically original games. Hopefully we will see more inspired work (along with an inspired story) from Tri-Crescendo in the near future. Overall, if you’re a JRPG lover and own a 360, this game should definitely have a place in your collection.

Check out our review criteria and scoring breakdown for more information.