Eternal Sonata Review ... (7 out of 10)
September 30 , 2007 ... Review by Mike
I rented Eternal Sonata in the black hole known as the time after I beat Bioshock and the few days before Halo 3 came out. So right away this game had a ticking clock attached to it … and it will be one of the few games I didn’t beat before I reviewed it. But let me state this … after putting in 12 + hours into the game … I’ve got a pretty good idea of what it is … and I liked it.
In this game you play as Frederic Chopin … the famous Polish composer of the 18th century. But there is a twist right away that hooked me … you’re playing the entire game in his mind as he dreams on his death bed. In this dream world … people who are terminally ill are able to use magic and are feared because of it. Chopin meets up with a girl named Polka who can also use magic and is trying to sell floral powder but can’t because of the high taxes. Ok … ok … I won’t get too far into the story here or I’ll be writing for a couple of pages. The story is very unique to say the least … and I’ll have to rent it again when I can put the remaining 10 hours in to find out what happened.
Eternal Sonata is a mystery to me … it wants to be an action RPG … but it also wants to be a traditional RPG. Because of this they made a game that has a traditional exploration system and an innovative battle system that is extremely fun and satisfying. The game is gorgeous … and looks NOTHING like a Dreamcast came … but it does have some pretty telling flaws as well.
The worst problem with Eternal Sonata is the repetitiveness … and while you can probably say that about the entire genre of RPGs … this game takes it up a couple of notches. The game goes something like this … battle … battle … treasure chest … battle … battle … level up … battle again … boss battle … cut-scene … rinse and repeat. This pattern can seem tedious but since the battle system is fun and the battles aren’t random … I didn’t have “too” much of a problem with it.
Now let’s get to the grades …
Gameplay: As far as RPGs go … this game is more of the same but a little different. The battle system is turn based but you have to actively
attack and defend rather than sort through a Menu. The enemies are cool the first time you face them … not so much the 50th time. The battle system has a catch where the game mechanics will change depending on if the enemies or you are standing in the shadows or not. This is actually more annoying than cool because all the enemies are always standing in the same spots. The boss battles are epic … but they don’t vary much from one another. The bottom line is that there needed to be more variety but the concept is good.
Grade: C +
Single Player Experience: The story in this game is very interesting and the characters are compelling in the fact that you care about them … even if they don’t really exist in the context of the story. The idea of playing Chopin’s final dream is very unique and the dream world you get thrown into is very vivid and fascinating. The only problem with the story mode in this game is that I could do with about 50% fewer cut scenes.
Grade: B +
Multiplayer Experience: (Extra Credit) This game is not fun to watch for others … ask my roommate.
Grade: FAIL
Graphics: While the graphics will not floor anyone … the Art design is probably my favorite part about this game. Eternal Sonata proves that cell shading on the 360 can look very bitchin’. The environments are gorgeous and the characters are very well designed other then the weird arm angles that never seem to change. This game is bright and beautiful.
Grade: A
Sound: Since this game is filled with musical undertones … the sound in this game is top notch … right up there with the graphics. The background music is pleasant and melodic … and the battle music doesn’t seem repetitive (even though it is). It is very cool how they tied the world of Chopin’s music with this game.
Grade: A
Value: (Based on a $60 purchase) I’m sure that once you beat this game … there isn’t any reason to ever pick it up again. And since it is short for a RPG … it can be beaten in a rental period by someone who didn’t buy Halo 3 a couple of days later. So unfortunately … there isn’t much of a reason to buy it over renting it.
Grade: D
Eternal Sonata At A Glance |
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7 |
The Goods |
Terrific Art Design / Great Story / Fun Battle System / Great sound / Light and Darkness change gameplay |
The Flaws |
Very Linear / Enemies don't vary much from one another / Cutscenes are too common and long winded |
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Good |
The Verdict |
I didn’t play Blue Dragon … so I can’t tell you if this is the best JRPG on the 360 for those who are starved for one … but it is good.. Rent it if you like the genre or are interested in it. |
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