Eternal Sonata

Eternal Sonata is a Japanese roleplaying game of the Xbox 360, which is simply adorable. It plays in a similar way to many other games in the genre, but adds a few new twists in terms of it combat system, bringing a breath of fresh air.

Firstly the design of the game is very similar to Japanese anime - cute characters, bright and beautiful backdrops, and the usual silly comic moments are all thrown into the mix. The graphics aren't going to amaze anyone; there are no fantastic textures etc, but the overall style makes it feel as though you were watching an interactive anime movie.

The gameplay in most respects is no different to any other JRPG. You tend to spend most of your time moving from point A to point B and collecting new weapons and items along the way to boost your characters, as well as plenty of leveling up to acquire new abilities. This is a common turn off for non-rpg fans, so there is nothing here that will bring them into the genre. The battles are initiated by running into the enemies on screen - a system that works a little better than random battles a la Final Fantasy, but can also lead you to miss out on leveling up properly if you try to rush through sections. However, this aspect has been seen in other RPGs, such as Tales of Symphonia.

However, there are a few ingenious additions. Firstly, the battle system, while turn based, also adds an action element. You move your character in their turn and attack and use items and special moves. In the enemies turn you can actively defend against their attacks and also counter attack them. Also, in addition to leveling up your characters, at certain points in the game you party's level will increase. This has the effect of limiting your tactical time (the amount of time you have to think about your actions) and your turn time (the amount of time you get to move your character around in). However, these levels also unlock bonuses, such as Echoes (which allow you to string together attacks to build Echoes which then increase the power of your specials) as well as the counter attack ability and more. You can also choose to set the party level lower if you don't feel comfortable at the higher ones.

Finally, the story is simply magical. It centers around Frederic Chopin, the famous composer, and the world that he creates in his dreams while at death's door. However, the questions of whether this dream is a reality or not is central to the plot. The story is divided into eight chapters - most of which are named after a piece of Chopin's music, and at some point you will get to hear the entire piece played, along with an educational subtext which teaches you about Chopin's life in the real world and the influences behind his music. Much of this also ties into the story in this 'dream world', but I thought that this educational premise in such a beautiful game was simply marvelous.

Overall, Eternal Sonata is a brilliant RPG. While it features many aspects of previous games in this genre, it also has some new mechanics. Plus at over 30 hours of gameplay, it'll entertain you for a while. The story+ mode also grants some additional replay value, especially if you want to get all the 360 achievements (as some can only be obtained in the second play through). However, after the first run through you'll probably beat the game in under 20 hours. Still, I would highly recommend this game to all fans of JRPGs and anime, though many disillusioned with linear RPGs won't find much new here.