Eternal Sonata (PS3)

Title translation: cure for insomnia.
11/4/2008 5:20 PM | 1 Comments | Page 2 of 3

Eternal Sonata foregoes many JRPG conventions; there are no attack points or mana counters. Combat is turn-based, in that each character on the field has their own window of opportunity for action. Character movement and attacks are constrained by a stopwatch called the Action Gauge, which continually ticks down. Early on, the Gauge will only tick while characters are moving or attacking, but that can change as they gain experience. (Ironically, more experienced characters might end up with no time to plan tactics without penalty, while beginners do.)

At first, combat is all about quickly running towards enemies, then spamming your chosen attack once in range and adding a time-consuming special move right as the Gauge is about to run down. So long as you begin an attack while there's time on the clock, it will run its full course even if your Gauge is empty.

Not that it's quite so simple. Successful hits will add a sliver of time back to the Action Gauge and also contribute Echoes to the party, which increase the power of special attacks. Because combat takes place in real time to a certain extent, there is an option, based purely on timing, to block incoming attacks.

The most unique aspect of combat is the light/shade dynamic. Essentially, characters have different attack options when standing in light and shadow. You'll want to immediately scan each arena for spots that will allow your preferred and most useful attacks to take effect, in order to gain some tactical advantage. It's a neat idea that adds something to an otherwise button-mashing combat system.

Now back to the core narrative conceit: that Frédéric Chopin, dying of tuberculosis, imagines a rich fantasy world in which he lives out his last days. Why does he dream a JRPG fantasy? Chopin lived in the mid-19th century; popular fantasies of the time might have been sourced from traditional fairy tales and their offshoots, not the boilerplate character and town designs that litter so many role-players.

Though the characters and places are all named according to musical terms, the game's visual and playable elements rarely cohere into any exploration of Chopin's life and work. Yes, snippets of his music make their way into the story, but really? Asking me to match a snippet of a Chopin composition with that of a non-player character in order to earn some trinket is a pathetic means by which to honor the work of a man held (by the game) in such high regard.