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First play through is fairly easy and the game does not provide much of a challenge in terms of puzzles or quest. Second play through is much harder, regular battles if not at a high enough level will be tougher than even the most advanced bosses. Bonuses such as score pieces are a trivial distraction and status items/cures are not even practical to use. Overall the story line is a strange yet intriguing journey towards righteousness and justice. Advancing to Level 6, giving the group a max of 6 harmony chains is a must to complete the second play through. It also makes the game worth playing over again. Game has great voice overs and dialogue but needs more customization. The inability to control camera angles is a pain and a blessing in disguise. Near the last quarter of the game you can control up to 3 characters from a pool of 12. 7-8 of the characters are so weak in spells and skills they are not even worth investing time in, which takes a lot out of the game. Overall, game play is not new or anything inventive but it provides the right amount of distraction until the next great rpg comes out to PS3. This rpg seems to target the younger generation of gamers with its simple mechanics and easy gameplay but lacks the amount of action, gore and excitement to keep them coming back for more. That is probably why even though the game is great it does not really target any group successfully.Read full review
Eternal Sonata (トラスティベル ～ショパンの夢～, Torasuti Beru Shopan no Yume?, Trusty Bell: Chopin's Dream) is an original role-playing video game created by Tri-Crescendo, one of the developers of Baten Kaitos and Baten Kaitos Origins. The Xbox 360 version of the game was released on June 14, 2007 in Japan, September 17, 2007 in North America, and October 19, 2007 in Europe. The game was also released on the PlayStation 3 with additional content as Trusty Bell: Chopin's Dream - Reprise (トラスティベル ~ショパンの夢~ ルプリーズ, Torasuti Beru Shopan no Yume Rupurīzu?) on September 18, 2008 [3] in Japan, and in North America on October 21, 2008 (release date announced as of 9-15-08),[4] and in Europe (with the original name 'Eternal Sonata') on February 13, 2009.[5] The game is centered on the Polish romantic pianist and composer Frédéric Chopin, who died of tuberculosis at the age of 39. The story envisions a fictional world dreamed by Chopin during his last hours that is influenced by Chopin's life and music, and in which he himself is a playable character, among others. The game features a selection of Chopin's compositions played by pianist Stanislav Bunin, though most of the in-game music was composed by Motoi Sakuraba. The game's battle system centers on musical elements and character-unique special attacks. Light and darkness plays a part in the appearance and abilities of enemies on the battlefield, as well as the types of magic that can be cast.[6]Read full review
I bought this game for my girlfriend to test the video-gaming waters and see how she would fare. Perhaps more by fortune than talent, I picked a game that fit the part perfectly. The battle system in Eternal Sonata is engaging but simple. It is a mixture of turned based and real time because each character takes a turn with a 5 second time limit to attack and move. When it's not a characters turn, they need to defend against enemy attacks by hitting a button at the right time. It was just complicated enough to feel tactical, while not being overwhelming. The story line is fantastic in this game. The characters each have very distinct characteristics that transform throughout the game. It doesn't take many twists and turns, but still retains a sense of interest. The use of music, for obvious reasons, should also be praised in this game. I never noticed how important good music was for an RPG before I play Eternal Sonata. It really brings you into the game, and I've been having a hard time following it up with another RPG. In short, it's a wonderful game to play by yourself, but allows you to bring along another player. The other players can control one of the characters while in battle, but they don't need to get dragged along the map or worry about equipment or skills. I suggest it to any RPG fans, you won't regret it.Read full review
Eternal Sonata is one of those games that delivers a refreshing twist to an already-outdone genre. When I first read that it was a RPG set in the dreams of the dying composer Chopin, I almost laughed. Such a crazy idea would never play out well! Or, will it? Firstly, I'm going to talk about the graphics. Eternal Sonata definitely impresses on just about every graphical level; the cutscenes rival the very best Disney movies, and the in game cell-shading in a real-time world is truly breathtaking. The atmosphere in this game is truly astounding, little details like light flourishes through tree canopies, and floating petals from flower fields...It truly comes together to make a spectacular, dreamy world to play in. A minor annoyance is that the camera is fixed, and thus there's no freedom to look over the dreamy landscapes, and it leaves you wondering what beauty lies just beyond the paths you are forced to walk. A quick note, although the camera is fixed, never once does it become awkward, or get in the way. The camera is done just perfectly, in my opinion. Another note, this game runs as smoothly as butter, and there's never any frame drops! I want to say this has been recorded at 60fps but don't quote me. It's just smooth. The story revolves around Chopin, and his party of followers that he meets whilst in his dreams. The voice acting isn't terrible, and definitely gets better as the game progresses, but this is after all a Japanese RPG, so we can forgive that aspect. Characters are so vibrant, and the personalities are so real, for once there's an RPG where you actually care about the characters! I suppose this is almost playing a book, with Disney film style graphics, there's real depth and character, and real involvement on the player's behalf. Music? The score to this game features music composed from Chopin, as well as some specially-performed tracks, and overall the music is absolutely stunning. It's graceful, elegant and definitely beautiful to listen to. This is just another aspect where this game excels! There's no more random encounters, either! All enemies are present in the world, so you have the choice whether to fight or not. The levelling system isn't the best, either. Save for a few boss battles, you never really have any trouble with enemies, even with the weakest characters. The battles are done very well too, mixing traditional turn-based techniques with a clever time limit which promotes quick thinking and a little button bashing. Overall, I think its a very good system and it makes for fun play during the long long hours spent on this game! Overall, the game is stunning. Great visuals, stunning musical score, and a gripping story. There's fairly limited replayability, though. As once you know the plot and how the game ends, there's very little reason to go back other than to witness the sheer splendour of the environments once more. Definitely an RPG worth having.Read full review
I was somewhat uncertain how well the gameplay would be considering that you can have two people playing simultaneously during battle play. The primary controller controls navigating through the world, finding items, configuring the characters with equipment, etc. If you are one who doesn't mind watching game play while waiting for a battle scene to come up -- then this is a great RPG for two people to play. The world was done very well graphically. The cut scenes dividing each of the chapters reveal more and more information about the life of Frederick Chopin. The facet of the game most enjoyable was the music. Containing many original Chopin piano pieces and completely filled with music terms, this is a vibrant wonderfully portrayed musical fantasy land. If you are a fan of classical music, enjoy intelligent and in-depth multiple non-linear story lines -- then this is a great RPG to play. I also hear that it was not widely available in the United States. I could not find it in any local game stores -- the only place that had it available was the internet. The only complaint I have is the length of the game. It could easily be beaten by a single player in under 48 hours of play. But considering everything else -- the play, the music, the graphics, the story -- it leaves you more interested in the story and the unusual characters you meet along the way. Very interesting, creative game. One to hold on to also.Read full review
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