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role-playing Role-playing or roleplaying is the changing of one's behaviour to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role, or consciously to act out an adopted role. While the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' offers a definition of role-playing ...
video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
developed by tri-Crescendo and published by
Bandai Namco Games is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game video game publisher, publisher, and the video game branch of the wider Bandai Namco Holdings group. Founded in 2006 as it is the successor to Namco's home and arcade video game ...
. The
Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the Xbox (console), original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detail ...
version of the game was released in 2007 on June 14 in Japan, September 17 in North America, and October 19 in Europe. The game was also released on the
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...
with additional content as on September 18, 2008 in Japan, in North America on October 21, and in Europe with the original name ''Eternal Sonata'' on February 13, 2009. The story follows the Polish romantic
pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...
and
composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...
Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period who wrote primarily for Piano solo, solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown ...
, who died of
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
at the age of 39, and his adventure in a fictional world that he dreams as he is dying, which is influenced by his life and music and in which he and others are playable characters. The game's battle system focuses on musical elements and character-unique special attacks. Light and darkness affect the appearance and abilities of enemies on the battlefield, as well as the types of magic that can be cast. The game features a selection of Chopin's compositions performed by pianist Stanislav Bunin, with original compositions composed and arranged by
Motoi Sakuraba is a Japanese composer and keyboardist. He is known for his numerous contributions in video games, including the '' Tales'', ''Star Ocean'', ''Mario Golf'', '' Mario Tennis'', ''Golden Sun'', and ''Dark Souls'' series, as well as several other a ...
. It is notable for its use of classical piano pieces, educational cutscenes featuring real paintings and photographs, in contrast to its cel-shaded graphics, and lush landscape design.


Gameplay

''Eternal Sonata'' follows general conventions of the
role-playing Role-playing or roleplaying is the changing of one's behaviour to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role, or consciously to act out an adopted role. While the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' offers a definition of role-playing ...
genre; the player controls a party of up to twelve characters to explore the world, interact with its inhabitants, buy and sell equipment at shops, and encounter monsters while in the field. These encounters are visible and the player can choose to avoid the encounter, if possible, as well as gain the advantage in battle by approaching them from behind. Experience points are awarded to all members of the party, though at a reduced rate for those not involved in combat, and characters improve in various statistics and learn special combat skills as they level up. Weapons, armor, and accessories can be used to improve these statistics, which can be purchased through money earned in combat, found in chests, or by selling equipment and
photograph A photograph (also known as a photo, or more generically referred to as an ''image'' or ''picture'') is an image created by light falling on a photosensitivity, photosensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic image sensor. Th ...
s which Beat can take during battle. The player can also find Score Pieces scattered about the world, which represent short musical phrases. Various
NPCs A non-player character (NPC) is a character in a game that is not controlled by a player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster (or referee) rather than by a ...
in the game will offer to perform with the party, requiring the player to match a Score Piece to the phrase they offer, with the resulting composition being ranked. Discordant matches will result in no reward, but close or perfect matches will gain a bonus item from the NPC.


Combat

While the main combat system is turn-based, using only three characters within the party, it also incorporates elements of an
action game An action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction time. The genre includes a large variety of sub-genres, such as fighting games, beat 'em ups, shooter games, rhythm games and ...
. Each character's turn is preceded by "Tactical Time", a period of time during which the player decides what action they take. Once the player initiates an action or "Tactical Time" expires, a function of the Party Class Level, they have a limited amount of time, indicated by an Action Gauge, to move the character, attack the enemy, or use recovery skills or items. Regular attacks are made at melee or ranged distances depending on the character's weapon and add to the Action Gauge as well as to the party's "Echoes" meter. Special skills, which include offensive attacks and recovery skills, consume generated Echoes, with the effect becoming more powerful with more Echoes. When a character defends against an attack, there is a short period before the attack where the player can press a button to block some damage from the attack or to counterattack and interrupt the monster's turn. Recovery and other one-time-use items are stored in a common pouch with a limited capacity; the player must "set" items in the pouch so that they can be cycled through and triggered during battle. Light and dark areas on the battlefield, created by the time of day, environment, and the shadows of characters and monsters, affect combat. Party members have special skills that are active in lit and dark areas, with the effect changing depending on the area. Monsters also have powers depending on whether the area is lit or dark, while others will change form when moving between lit and dark areas. The player can manipulate the nature of areas using special items, but this can also be affected by monsters or by dynamic changes on the battlefield, such as the shadow of a cloud moving across the ground. As the player progresses through the game, they increase their Party Class Level, which grants bonuses but imposes limitations on combat. For example, one Party Class improvement increases the number of slots for character's special skills, but reduces the amount of Tactical Time and time available in the Action Gauge. The Level cannot be altered by the player in their first playthrough, but can be adjusted in Encore Mode.


Plot

The game takes place mainly within Chopin's dream world, with brief segments in the real world where he is on his deathbed. The story is divided into eight chapters, each represented by one of Chopin's compositions and related to events in his life. Chopin meets Polka, a young girl who possesses magic and will soon die from her illness. She also sells floral powder, but her business is being threatened by the introduction of the cheaper mineral powder, which is mined by Forte's ruler, Count Waltz. After being shunned by the citizens of Ritardando, who believe that her magic is related to her illness, she decides that she wants to do something with her life before she dies. The party sets out to meet with Count Waltz regarding the mineral powder and to stop the mining of Mt. Rock, which is damaging Agogo Forest. Over time, they learn that Waltz intends to use the mineral powder to create an army of soldiers and lead an insurrection against Forte's enemy, Baroque. They head for Forte, but are stopped and taken to its dungeon, as it was alerted to the arrival of the rebel group Andantino. After escaping, the party meets up with Andantino, but is spotted by Forte personnel and escapes by jumping off of a bridge into a river. Half of the party and Andantino head for their hideout Andante, while the other half is rescued by Prince Crescendo of Baroque. Upon reaching Baroque, the party discusses the situation, as Forte threatens war, but Baroque wants peace. Crescendo considers a plan to assassinate Count Waltz, but it is soon discarded. That half of the party returns to Ritardando to reunite with the party, while Allegretto leaves to retrieve Polka from her village. The party heads for Baroque and decides to explore Aria Temple; upon returning to Baroque, they find that Crescendo and Serenade are missing and learn that they left for Forte to turn themselves in to prevent war. On their way to Forte, they fight Crescendo, Serenade, and Count Waltz, who completes a potion that transforms his partner, Legato, into a monster. Realizing that the world is in danger, the party follows Waltz and Legato to the city of the dead, Elegy Of The Moon, where souls lost to the mineral powder dwell. At Double Reed Tower, they fight and defeat them before facing Chopin, who he believes that this is the only way to put his soul to rest. Realizing that it is the only way to save the world, Polka jumps off a cliff and is reborn younger, but soon ages and embraces Allegretto. Back in the real world, Chopin dies and he plays his piano in a blooming sea of nocturnal flowers called 'Heaven's Mirror', composing a song inspired by Polka.


Characters

Characters in ''Eternal Sonata'', with the exception of real-world people such as Chopin, are named after musical terms. * : A renowned composer and pianist who meets Polka in the dream world and decides to help her. Over the course of the story, he begins to question whether or not the dream world is reality. He is 39 years old, the age Chopin was when he died.
''Voiced by:'' Mitsuaki Madono (Japanese);
Patrick Seitz David Patrick Seitz (born March 17, 1978) is an American voice actor, ADR director and script writer best known for portraying Dio Brando in ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure''. He has provided voices for English versions of Japanese anime and video ...
(English) * : A young girl who sells floral powder in Ritardando. She possesses powerful magic abilities, which will soon kill her and have caused her to be shunned by others. Despite this, she seeks to do something with her life before she dies while using her magic to help others. She is 14 years old, the same age that Chopin's sister Emilia was when she died.
''Voiced by:''
Aya Hirano is a Japanese actress and singer. Beginning in the entertainment industry as a child actor in television commercials, she appeared in her first Voice acting in Japan, voice acting role in the anime television series ''Angel Tales'' (2001). In ...
(Japanese); Erin Fitzgerald (English) * : A thief who is kind and steals to feed children who cannot feed themselves. While he knows that this is not a permanent solution, he does so in hopes that they will not go hungry or poor like he has.
''Voiced by:''
Hiro Shimono is a Japanese voice actor and singer affiliated with I'm Enterprise. His notable roles include Ayato Kamina in '' RahXephon'', Akihisa Yoshii in ''Baka and Test'', Haruka Kasugano in ''Yosuga no Sora'', Keima Katsuragi in ''The World God Only K ...
(Japanese);
Sam Riegel Samuel Brent Oscar Riegel (born October 9, 1976) is an American voice actor. He is best known for his voice roles as Donatello (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Donatello in the 2003 ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003 TV series), Teenage Mutant ...
(English) * : A boy who lives with Allegretto in Ritardando and treasures the camera his father gave him. He is cheerful and gets along well with others.
''Voiced by:''
Yumiko Kobayashi is a freelance Japanese voice actress from Chiba Prefecture. She was formerly affiliated with Arts Vision until August 2007. She made her voice acting debut as Mita in '' Kirara'' while still in college in 1998, and her first lead role was as K ...
(Japanese);
Mona Marshall Mona Marshall is an American television and voice actress, known for her work in a number of cartoons, anime shows, films and video games. Her major credits include ''South Park'', where she voices many of the female characters on the show, '' .h ...
(English) * : A shepherd who the party meets in the countryside. She is a tough talker and, due to being older than the others, can fend for herself. She has a pet named
Arco Arco may refer to: Places * Arco, Trentino, a town in Trentino, Italy * Arco, Idaho, in the United States * Arco, Minnesota, a city in the United States * ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California, home of the Sacramento Kings Companies * ARCO (b ...
, who tags along with the group.
''Voiced by:'' Hoko Kuwashima (Japanese);
Megan Hollingshead Megan Hollingshead, also known as Karen Thompson or Kelli Kassidi is an American voice actress, best known for her roles as Nurse Joy in ''Pokémon'', Mai Valentine in ''Yu-Gi-Oh!'', Shizune in ''Naruto'', Caster in ''Fate/stay night'', Rangi ...
(English) * : A guardian of the Agogo Forest along with her sister March, who the party meets while imprisoned in Forte Castle's dungeons. She is brash, outspoken, and energetic.
''Voiced by:''
Mika Kanai is a Japanese voice actress and singer. She is attached to Ken Production. She is best known for her roles in '' Idol Angel Yokoso Yoko'' (as Yoko Tanaka), '' Tanoshii Moomin Ikka'' (as the Snork Maiden), '' Goldfish Warning!'' (as Wapiko), ' ...
(Japanese); Amy Gross (English) * : Salsa's twin sister and a guardian of the Agogo Forest. In contrast to Salsa, she is more reasonable and gentle.
''Voiced by:'' Chiwa Saito (Japanese); Amy Gross (English) * : The leader of the revolutionary group Andantino, who is quiet and serious and worries about the damage Count Waltz is causing through mineral powder and the processes to mine it.
''Voiced by:'' Joji Nakata (Japanese); D.C. Douglas (English) * : Jazz's lieutenant in Andantino, who is perceptive and tough and has known him since childhood.
''Voiced by:'' Tomoe Hanba (Japanese);
Julie Ann Taylor Julie Ann Taylor (née Pickering, born January 29, 1966)Birthday references: * * is an American voice actress who is best known for her role of Ai Tanabe in '' Planetes'', Mutsumi Otohime in '' Love Hina'', Yukari Hayasaka in '' Paradise Kiss'' ...
(English) * : Jazz's girlfriend and a soldier of Andantino, who is also a spy for Forte but comes to regret her position. She is later murdered by Rondo for treason, but can be revived.
''Voiced by:''
Mie Sonozaki is a Japanese actress, voice actress and singer from Tokyo, Japan. She is best known for her role as Arle Nadja in the long-running video game series, ''Puyo Puyo''; and Jeanne in ''Bayonetta''. She is also the official Japanese dubbing roles ...
(Japanese);
Tara Platt Tara Platt (born June 18, 1978) is an American actress and author who has provided voices for dozens of English-language versions of Japanese anime films, television series and video games. Her notable roles in anime include Temari (Naruto), Tem ...
(English) * : The prince of Baroque, who replaces his father as Baroque's leader due to his sickness and later rescues Polka, Beat, Chopin, and Salsa after they fall into Adagio River. He is playable in the PlayStation 3 version.
''Voiced by:''
Katsuyuki Konishi is a Japanese voice actor from Wakayama, Japan. He is affiliated with Ken Production. His debut role was Volfogg/Big Volfogg in '' GaoGaiGar''. He is most well known for portraying Kamina in '' Gurren Lagann'', Laxus Dreyar in '' Fairy Tail'' ...
(Japanese);
Cam Clarke Cam Clarke is an American voice actor, known for his work in animation, video games, and commercials. Among his notable roles are Leonardo and Rocksteady in the 1987 ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' animated series, Shotaro Kaneda in the 1989 ...
(English) * : Prince Crescendo's fiancée, who initially works as a spy for Forte, but leaves Forte to join Baroque. She is playable in the PlayStation 3 version.
''Voiced by:''
Fumiko Orikasa is a Japanese actress, voice actress and singer. She voiced Rukia Kuchiki in ''Bleach'', Meyrin Hawke in '' Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny'', Chun-Li in ''Street Fighter'', Kanade Minamino/Cure Rhythm in ''Suite PreCure,'' Lotte Yanson in '' ...
(Japanese);
Stephanie Sheh Stephanie Sheh (born April 10, 1977) is an American voice actress, ADR director, writer, and producer who has worked for several major companies. She is often involved with work in English dubs of anime, cartoons, video games, and films. Her not ...
(English)


Development

Director Hiroya Hatsushiba stated: For the localization, the game's text was proofread by the Frédéric Chopin Society in
Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
. The localization team wanted to be as historically accurate as possible, without losing the original message of the script.
ESRB The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is a self-regulatory organization that assigns age and content ratings to consumer video games in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. The ESRB was established in 1994 by the Entertainment Softw ...
posted their rating for ''Eternal Sonata'' in April 2007, listing the game as being intended for release on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. However, when news of this quickly spread, the ESRB removed the listing entirely. On September 11, Bandai Namco's official site listed ''Eternal Sonata'' as coming soon to PlayStation 3, yet also listed the Xbox 360 version as being "available now". Again, as news quickly spread, the information was removed. The following day, scans from ''
Famitsu , formerly , is a line of Japanese Video game journalism, video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly f ...
'' were released, confirming the game as being released for the PlayStation 3. Bandai Namco later officially confirmed ''Eternal Sonata'' for the PlayStation 3, and was scheduled for release in 2008. There are features exclusive for the PlayStation 3 version. This includes new playable characters, Crescendo and Serenade, who played a major role in the plot of the game, but were not playable in the Xbox 360 version. It also includes a new clothing system, in which the player can freely change a few characters' costumes, specifically those of Allegretto, Beat and Polka – the three characters that are controllable in the field at various points in the game. The other extras are the two dungeons, Lament Mirror and Church of EZI, the former of which is compulsory. ''Eternal Sonata'' features a large soundtrack, mostly composed by Motoi Sakuraba, with seven of Chopin's compositions performed by Russian pianist Stanislav Bunin and presented in 5.1 surround sound. Featured music of Chopin's include Étude Op. 10, No. 12, Étude Op. 10, No. 3 and Polonaise Op. 53. A
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
aria In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...
composed by Sakuraba titled is also performed by Akiko Shinada for the soundtrack. The game's background music was released in Japan as the four-disc album on July 25, 2007 under the King Records label.


Manga

A
manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
adaptation of ''Eternal Sonata'' was drawn by Mimei Kuroi and published by
ASCII Media Works , formerly , is a Japanese Publishing, publisher and brand company of Kadokawa Future Publishing headquartered in Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. It originally formed on April 1, 2008, as a result of a Mergers and acquisitions, merger bet ...
under their
Dengeki Comics is a manga publishing label affiliated with the Japanese publishing company ASCII Media Works (formerly MediaWorks (publisher), MediaWorks) and is aimed at a male audience. Aside from the main Dengeki Comics label, there is the related Dengeki Co ...
comic imprint, and the chapters were collected into a single
tankōbon A is a standard publishing format for books in Japan, alongside other formats such as ''shinsho'' (17x11 cm paperback books) and ''bunkobon''. Used as a loanword in English, the term specifically refers to a printed collection of a manga that w ...
on September 27, 2008. While it deviates from the game's story drastically, it does reach the same conclusion; in addition, Viola, Falsetto and Claves do not appear at any point in the manga due to the condensation of the altered story, and the roles of Salsa and March are greatly reduced, with the two appearing only briefly and not joining the party.


Reception

Anticipation for the game seemed high prior to release, with the game having reached number four in Amazon Japan video game pre-orders not long after a demo was made available on the Japanese Marketplace, and even number one on Amazon Japan's video game charts not long before the game's release. ''
Famitsu , formerly , is a line of Japanese Video game journalism, video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly f ...
'' rated the game 9/9/9/8, for a total score of 35/40. During its release week, the Xbox 360 version the game reached second place on the Japanese sales charts at 49,334 copies.GamesAreFun Japanese Sales
6/11-6/17. Retrieved June 20, 2007
The following week, it had dropped to 35th. The PlayStation 3 version debuted on Japanese sales charts at number four with around 34,000 copies sold. ''Famitsu'' reported that year-end Japanese sales of the game reached about 70,435 copies on the Xbox 360 in 2007 and 53,314 copies on the PlayStation 3 in 2008. At E3 2007, it won ''
GameTrailers ''GameTrailers'' (''GT'') was an American video gaming website created by Geoffrey R. Grotz and Brandon Jones in 2002. The website specialized in multimedia content, including trailers and gameplay footage of upcoming and recently released v ...
'' award for Best Role-Playing Game and ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' award for Best Original Score on Xbox 360, and was a runner-up in Best RPG, Best Artistic Design on Xbox 360 and Best Use Of Sound on Xbox 360. In 2007, ''Eternal Sonata'' was nominated for
Spike Video Game Awards The Spike Video Game Awards (in short VGAs, known as the VGX for the final show) was an annual award show hosted by American television network Spike from 2003 that recognized the best computer and video games of the year. Produced by '' GameT ...
for Best RPG, but lost to ''
Mass Effect ''Mass Effect'' is a military science fiction media franchise created by Casey Hudson. The franchise depicts a distant future where humanity and several alien civilizations have colonized the galaxy using technology left behind by Elder race, a ...
''. In
2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
, the
Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) is a non-profit organization of video game industry professionals. It organizes the annual Design Innovate Communicate Entertain Summit, better known as D.I.C.E., which includes the presentation ...
named ''Eternal Sonata'' as one of the nominees for 2007's " Role-Playing Game of the Year", but eventually lost to ''
Mass Effect ''Mass Effect'' is a military science fiction media franchise created by Casey Hudson. The franchise depicts a distant future where humanity and several alien civilizations have colonized the galaxy using technology left behind by Elder race, a ...
''. In Europe and the U.S., it received many high reviews.
GameRankings GameRankings was a video gaming review aggregator that was founded in 1999 and owned by CBS Interactive. It indexed over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 video games. GameRankings was discontinued in December 2019, with its staff bei ...
gave the PlayStation 3 version an average aggregate score of 82% based on 28 reviews, and the Xbox 360 version 80% based on 59 reviews.
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
gave the PlayStation 3 version an average aggregate score of 80/100 based on 34 reviews, and the Xbox 360 version 79/100 based on 56 reviews. ''
GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady, and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
'' gave it an 8.5 out of 10, praising its magnificent visual design, stunning musical score, inventive battle system and great cast, though it admitted that the story is completely linear. ''IGN'' gave the Xbox 360 version an 8.3 out of 10, claiming that it had some of the best visuals on the 360 and had great combat. They also said that "the soundtrack is astounding" and claimed the story did a great job of educating the player about
Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period who wrote primarily for Piano solo, solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown ...
, but the game was criticized for its linearity and for the lack of exploration. ''IGN'' gave the PlayStation 3 version a higher 8.7 out of 10 and the Editor's Choice Award, with praise for its extension of the storyline, the inclusion of new playable characters, and the inclusion of other extras, such as new dungeons and customizable characters. ''
X-Play ''Xplay'' (previously ''GameSpot TV'', ''Extended Play'', and ''X-Play'') was a television program about video games. The program, known for its reviews and comedy skits, aired on G4 in the United States and has aired on '' G4 Canada'' in Canada ...
'' gave the game a 3 out of 5 praising the combat, soundtrack and visuals but complained that there were too many mini games, a poor story and too many
role-playing video game Role-playing video games, also known as CRPG (computer/console role-playing games), comprise a broad video game genre generally defined by a detailed story and character advancement (often through increasing characters' levels or other skills) ...
clichés. Johansen Quijano-Cruz of ''Eludamos: Journal for Computer Game Culture'' reviewed the game from an artistic and literary perspective, praising it as an excellent role-playing game, particularly for the social criticism conveyed by its storyline. He regards it as a primary example of a video game that "makes powerful statements about the society in which we live" and "incorporates, analyzes, interprets, and offers critical commentary of certain aspects of society".Johansen Quijano-Cruz (2009)
Chopin's Dream as Reality – A Critical Reading of Eternal Sonata
, ''Eludamos Journal for Computer Game Culture'' 3 (2), pp. 209–218


Notes


References


External links


Sonata form

Official Japanese website

Official Japanese website for the PlayStation 3 version

Official North American website
{{Chopin 2007 video games Cooperative video games Dengeki Comics Video games based on real people Cultural depictions of Frédéric Chopin Bandai Namco games PlayStation 3 games Fantasy video games Role-playing video games Shōnen manga Tri-Crescendo games Video games scored by Motoi Sakuraba Video games developed in Japan Video games featuring female protagonists Video games with cel-shaded animation Xbox 360 games Works about pianos and pianists Multiplayer and single-player video games