is an original
role-playingA computer role-playing game is a broad video game genre originally developed for personal computers and other home computers. While technically not a separate genre, and sharing the same defining characteristics as console RPGs there are nonetheless general tendencies that make them distinct...
video game created by
Tri-Crescendotri-Crescendo was founded in February 1999 by Hiroya Hatsushiba, who still heads the company. Hatsushiba originally being a sound programmer, tri-Crescendo was initially responsible for the sound in all games by tri-Ace starting with Valkyrie Profile, until 2001 when it started its first original...
, one of the developers of
Baten Kaitos and
Baten Kaitos Originsis a role-playing video game first unveiled at the 2005 Tokyo Game Show by Namco and Monolith Soft. The official name was revealed at E3 2006 on May 10, 2006....
. The
MicrosoftMicrosoft Corporation is a multinational computer technology corporation that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of software products for computing devices...
Xbox 360The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft, and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles....
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
Sonyis a multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, and one of the world's largest media conglomerates with revenue exceeding ¥ 7.730.0 trillion, or $78.88 billion U.S. . Sony is one of the leading manufacturers of electronics, video, communications, video game...
PlayStation 3The PlayStation 3 is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment, and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series...
with additional content as on September 18, 2008 in Japan, and in North America on October 21, 2008 (release date announced as of 9-15-08), and in Europe (with the original name 'Eternal Sonata') on February 13, 2009.
The game is centered on the
PolishThe Polish people, or Poles , are a Western Slavic ethnic group of Central Europe, living predominantly in Poland. Poles are sometimes defined as people who share a common Polish culture and are of Polish descent. Their religion is predominantly Roman Catholic...
romantic
pianistA pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers....
and
composerA composer is a person who creates music, usually by musical notation, for interpretation and performance. The level of distinction between composers and other musicians varies, which affects issues such as copyright and the deference given to individual interpretations of a particular piece of...
Frédéric ChopinFrédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He was one of the great masters of Romantic music....
, who died of
tuberculosisTuberculosis is a common and often deadly infectious disease caused by mycobacteria...
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
pianistA pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers....
Stanislav BuninStanislav Stanislavovich Bunin is a Russian-born pianist.He was born in Moscow in 1966 into an established European musical family which included his grandfather Heinrich Neuhaus and his grandmother Zinaida .In 1985, after a series of prizes, he won first prize and the gold medal in the 11th...
, though most of the in-game music was composed by
Motoi Sakurabais a Japanese composer of video games, anime series, and television dramas as well as independent progressive rock albums.-Biography:Motoi Sakuraba was born in Akita Prefecture, Japan...
. 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.
Gameplay
Eternal Sonata follows many general conventions in a typical
console role-playing gameA console role-playing game is a video game genre that has its origin rooted in video game consoles and includes game mechanics and, frequently, settings derived from those of traditional role-playing games...
: the player controls a party of up to twelve characters to explore the world, talking with its inhabitants, buying and selling equipment at shops, and encountering monsters while in the field. These encounters are visible, and the player can opt to avoid the encounter, if possible, as well as gaining an edge on the monsters 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 will improve in various statistics with each experience level as well as learning special combat skills. 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 both equipment and
photographA photograph is an image created by light falling on a light-sensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic imager such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are created using a camera, which uses a lens to focus the scene's visible wavelengths of light into a reproduction of...
s which can be taken by the character Beat during battle. The player may also find Score Pieces scattered about the world, which represent short musical phrases. Various
NPCA non-player character, often shortened to NPC, is a character that is controlled by the gamemaster in role-playing games. When this definition extends to video games, an NPC in a video game is usually part of the program, and not controlled by a human....
s in the game will offer to perform with the party, requiring the player to match a Score Piece to the phrase offered by the NPC, 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 3 characters within the party, it incorporates elements of an
action gameAction game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand-eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games....
. Each character's turn is preceded by "Tactical Time", a period of time which the player can use to decide the course of action to take with that character. Once the player initiates an action or "Tactical Time" expires (a function of the Party Class Level), the player then has a limited amount of time denoted by an Action Gauge to move the character, attack the enemy, and use recovery skills or items. Regular attacks are made at melee or ranged distances depending on the weapon choice of the character, and add a small quantity of time back to the Action Gauge, and additionally add to the party's "Echoes" meter. Special skills which can include both offensive attacks and recovery skills will consume whatever Echoes have been generated to that point, and will have a more powerful effect relative to that number. When a character defends against an attack, there is a short period before the attack strikes where the player can press a button to block some of the damage for the attack, or to possibly even counterattack the blow and interrupt the monster's turn. Recovery and other one-time-use items are kept 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 battle field generated by the time of day, environment, and shadows of the characters and monsters will affect combat. Each party character has one or more special skills that are active in lit areas, and a similar number but with very different effects in a dark area. Monsters themselves may have a dissimilar set of powers in the area of the battlefield they are in, while other monsters will actually change form when they move between lit and dark areas. The player can manipulate the nature of areas using special items, but this can also be affected by the monsters themselves, or through dynamic changes on the battlefield such as the shadow of a cloud moving across the ground.
As the player progresses through the game, they will increase their Party Class Level. Each improvement in level grants some bonuses while also imposing additional limits on combat. For example, one Party Class improvement increases the number of slots for special skills for each character, but at the same time, cuts down the amount of Tactical Time and time available in the Action Gauge.
Plot
The game for the most part takes place within the dream world of Chopin, with brief segments in the real world to report on Chopin's status. The story is divided into eight chapters, with each chapter being represented by one of Chopin's compositions, and being related to events within his historical life. The story begins with a small group of characters wishing to meet with Count Waltz of Forte regarding the mineral powder.
The initial party wants to find out why the mineral powder is so cheap compared to the floral powder and to stop the mining of Mt. Rock to acquire it. This is because the mining damages Agogo Forest. As they progress, the party learns that the mineral powder has fatal side effects that would aid Forte's insurrection against its enemy, Baroque. Realizing this, the party heads for Forte, but are stopped and taken into the Forte dungeon because Forte was alerted to the planned arrival of the rebellion group, Andantino. Shortly after escaping, the party unites with Andantino and are spotted by the same Forte personnel south of Fort Fermata (which is a short walk from Forte), and fall off a bridge into a river. Half of the party, along with Andantino, go through poisonous swamps to Andante, the hideout of Andantino. The other half of the party were saved by Prince Crescendo of Baroque, with his ship. They encounter pirates and defeat them shortly thereafter. After getting safely into Baroque, the party discuss the situation. Forte is threatening a war, but Baroque wants peace. Crescendo thinks of the plan to assassinate Count Waltz of Forte, but the plan is quickly discarded.
In the PlayStation 3 version, that half of the party, along with Prince Crescendo and Princess Serenade, are then warped into Lament Mirror. The party discovers the history of Baroque and Forte. They find out that they were also once at a similar situation of threat to an all-scale war.
That half of the party returns to Ritardando to reunite with the rest of the party. As they do, Allegretto leaves the reunion to retrieve Polka from her village. The full party then heads for Baroque and decide to explore Aria Temple, where they uncover a part of the mystery. When the party returns to Baroque, they find Crescendo and Serenade missing. It is discovered that they left for Forte to turn themselves in to prevent war. The party heads for Forte, and on the way (at Mt. Rock), they encounter Crescendo, Serenade and subsequently, Count Waltz. They battle, but Count Waltz completes a potion which turns his partner, Legato into a giant dragon monster. Legato then rips a portal in the air and disappears with Waltz. Realising that the entire world, not just Baroque is in danger, the party follows them to the city of the dead, Elegy of the Moon, where souls lost to the mineral powder dwell. The party advances past Xylophone Tower and the Noise Dunes to Double Reed Tower, where Legato made another portal. There, the party defeats them and have to face Chopin as well, for him to complete his destiny. Realising the end to the journey, Polka jumps off a cliff and is reborn younger and embraces Allegretto. Finally, back in the real world, Chopin’s spirit rises out of his body and he plays his piano one last time, in a blooming sea of the nocturnal flowers 'Heaven's Mirror', composing a song that was inspired by Polka.
Characters
All of the characters in
Eternal Sonata, with the exception of real-world people such as Chopin, are named after musical terms.
- Note: Character names link to their respective musical terms, not to articles on the characters themselves.
: As he lies dying of
tuberculosisTuberculosis is a common and often deadly infectious disease caused by mycobacteria...
in the real world, Chopin dreams of this world. A 39-year-old man (although he appears much younger, the game does show he is 39 years old) who appears as a tall gentleman in a long coat and top hat. Frederic has a kind, calm personality and quickly befriends Polka. Like Polka, Frederic can use magic, a sign of terminal disease in his dream world.
Voiced by: Mitsuaki Madonois a voice actor who was born in Osaka, Japan. He has a penchant for voicing characters who are supposedly jokers, but sometimes hide a more insidious nature is a voice actor (seiyū) who was born in Osaka, Japan. He has a penchant for voicing characters who are supposedly jokers, but sometimes...
(Japanese),
Patrick SeitzPatrick Seitz is an American voice actor, script-adapter and ADR director, primarily known for his work in anime and video games....
(English)
: A 14-year old girl who can use magic, which is a sign of disease in their world. Because of this, she is shunned by many, but still has a pretty upbeat and sweet personality. Frederic mentions she reminds him of his sister, who also died of tuberculosis. After a while in the video game, she will develop a crush on Allegretto.
Voiced by: Aya Hiranofrom Aichi Prefecture, Japan, is a seiyū and J-pop singer who has had roles in several anime, visual novels, and TV commercials in Japan. She is contracted to Space Craft Produce, a branch of Space Craft Group for her seiyū career. For her singing career, she is signed under Lantis...
(Japanese),
Erin FitzgeraldErin Fitzgerald is a voice actress. She is currently living in Los Angeles.- Anime roles :* Bleach - Mizuho Asano* Ranma ½ - Kodachi Kuno...
(English)
: A 16-year old homeless orphan with a
Robin HoodRobin Hood is a hero in English folklore, a highly-skilled archer and outlaw. In particular, he is known for "stealing from the rich and giving to the poor," assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men"...
complex, willing to steal to feed the less fortunate. He's confident and strong, but not stupid. A revolutionary at heart, he does have a soft side, mostly shown with Beat, whom he has taken as a little brother, and Polka, whom he gradually falls in love with.
Voiced by: Hiro Shimonois a Japanese seiyū, or voice actor. He is employed by I'm Enterprise.-TV anime:*Asura Cryin *Basquash! *Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo *Cluster Edge *D.Gray-Man...
(Japanese),
Sam RiegelSamuel Brent Oscar Riegel is a voice actor, writer and director who appears in many television cartoons, anime, and video games. He began as a child actor in theater in Virginia, and moved to New York City to perform in Broadway and off-Broadway shows. After college at UVA in Charlottesville,...
(English)
: An 8-year-old homeless orphan whose most prized possession is his camera (his father gave it to him) . While he often does not get the point of what Allegretto and the others are saying until later and maintains an air of innocence, he is no stranger to fighting.
Voiced by: Yumiko Kobayashiis a female seiyū who was born in Yōkaichiba, Chiba Prefecture. She is currently a freelance seiyū but until August 2007 was affiliated with Arts Vision.She and fellow Excel Saga seiyū Mikako Takahashi are known as the duo "The Excel Girls"...
(Japanese),
Mona MarshallMona Marshall is an American voice actress. She is often cast in the role of a young boy. Her roles have included parts in not only Japanese anime, but also in American cartoons as well. Mona Marshall has recently lent her voice to the talking bear Koby the Study Buddy...
(English)
: A 26-year-old shepherd the party meets in the countryside. She's a tough-talker and can handle herself, being slightly older than the others in the party. She has a pet named Arco who tags along with the group. When the whole group reunites at Baroque Castle, it is shown that she is in love with Jazz, though she considers herself 'in third place', after Claves and Falsetto.
Voiced by: Houko Kuwashimais a seiyū and singer born December 12, 1975 in Kanegasaki, Isawa, Iwate Prefecture, Japan. She is capable of playing a variety of roles, ranging from young boys to feminine women. Kuwashima is currently affiliated with Aoni Production. Her given name, , is sometimes misread as Noriko, even in Japan...
(Japanese),
Megan HollingsheadMegan T.D. Hollingshead is an American theatre and voice actress. She also sometimes goes by the name of Karen Thompson...
(English)
: An 8-year-old guardian of the Agogo Forest with her sister. The party meets her when they were imprisoned in the Forte Castle dungeons. Salsa views hats as the best treasure in the world. She is quite brash, outspoken, energetic and very competitive towards Beat.
Voiced by: Mika Kanaiis a Japanese seiyū and singer from Tokyo. She is currently attached to Ken Production. Her pet name is . She is best known for her roles in Idol Tenshi Yōkoso Yōko , Tanoshii Mūmin Ikka , Goldfish Warning! , Soreike! Anpanman , Yadamon , After War Gundam X , Tokyo Pig is a Japanese seiyū and...
(Japanese), Amy Rose (English)
: The other guardian of the Agogo Forest; Salsa's twin sister. She tends to be the more reasonable one of the two, making her a sharp contrast to Salsa. March appears to be mature and gentle.
Voiced by: Chiwa Saitois a Japanese seiyū . She is employed by I'm Enterprise.Saitō is one half of the seiyū duo "coopee", along with Natsuko Kuwatani. In the "Divine Design" arc of the Getbackers drama CDs, she voices a character who battles the character voiced by Kuwatani. She is a member of the seiyū group "MORE...
(Japanese), Amy Rose (English)
: Jazz is 27 years old, leader of the revolutionary group Andantino. Quiet and serious, he worries about the damage Count Waltz might be doing to the people with the mineral powder and the processes needed to mine it. Later, he suspected Falsetto to be a spy from Forte, but Claves wouldn't allow Jazz to believe it was Falsetto.
Voiced by: George Nakata (Japanese), D.C. Douglas (English)
: Jazz's lieutenant in Andantino, she's perceptive and tough, and inwardly dislikes Claves. Falsetto is 22 years old and has known Jazz since childhood.
Voiced by: Tomoe Hanba, born June 9, 1972 in Tokyo, is a seiyū who works for Arts Vision.-Anime:* Phil Phleira Deed in Candidate for Goddess* Viro in Elemental Gelade* Aura and Moogle in Final Fantasy: Unlimited* Maki Amakasu in Iketeru Futari...
(Japanese),
Julie Ann TaylorJulie Ann Taylor 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 and Taiga Fujimura in Fate/Stay Night among others...
(English)
: Jazz's 24-year-old girlfriend and another soldier of Andantino. Later, she is shown to be a spy for Count Waltz and is killed for choosing to help Jazz instead. Claves is jealous of Falsetto and Jazz's relationship. From the start, she already knew that Falsetto suspected her of being a spy for Forte. In the secret dungeon, Mysterious Unison, it is revealed that Claves possessed a unwillingness to die produced by her love of Jazz, which summoned her body into the dungeon; however, her soul was scattered into seven pieces, and the group helps reunite her soul to bring her back to life. It is debatable whether or not her revival is canon, but because an achievement is unlocked for her reviving her and she is featured in the ending if she is, it is likely that it is.
Voiced by: Mie Sonozaki, born February 7, 1973 in Tokyo, Japan is a voice actress and singer in Japan. She is represented by Remax.-Television animation:* Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto * Beyblade 2002 * Bleach * Burst Angel...
(Japanese),
Tara PlattTara O. Platt is an American film and television actress as well as a voice actor. She is married to fellow voice actor Yuri Lowenthal.ARG players may recognize her as the voice of Isabel/Cassie/and Genie for the alternate reality game I Love Bees....
(English)
: The young prince of Baroque. Crescendo replaces his father for leading Baroque into the future war between Forte due to a sickness his father is suffering on. He rescues Polka, Beat, Frederic, and Salsa after they fell into Adagio River. Later, he finds out that his fiancee, Serenade, is a spy from the message Claves sent with a dove before her death. Crescendo is only playable in the PS3 version.
Voiced by: Katsuyuki Konishiis a prolific male seiyū from Wakayama, Wakayama Prefecture. He is currently affiliated with Ken Production. His bloodtype is B and his debut role was Volfogg/Big Volfogg in GaoGaiGar.- Television animation :...
(Japanese),
Cam ClarkeCameron Arthur "Cam" Clarke is an American voice actor, made famous for his many starring roles in popular video games, animated television and film. Born in Burbank, California, he is the son of movie actor and director Robert Clarke...
(English)
: The fiancee of Prince Crescendo. Like Claves, she is a spy from Forte. Her position was revealed to Prince Crescendo from the letter Claves sent. Serenade is only playable in the PS3 version.
Voiced by: Fumiko Orikasais a Japanese seiyū and singer who works for Atomic Monkey. Her record label is Geneon Entertainment. Shopping is one of her hobbies. She is a skilled dancer, and is referred to as "Oririn" by fellow seiyū and fans. Her blood type is A. She also performed a fair number of anime insert and character...
(Japanese),
Stephanie ShehStephanie Ru-Phan Sheh is a Chinese-American voice actress, a writer, and a story editor. She is also credited as Jennifer Sekiguchi, Tiffany Hsieh, Lulu Chiang, and Laura Chyu...
(English)
Development
Says director Hiroya Hatsushiba:
For the localization, the game's text was proofread by the Frederick Chopin Society in
WarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River roughly from both the Baltic Sea coast and the Carpathian Mountains. Its population as of 2009 was estimated at 1,709,781, and the Warsaw metropolitan area at approximately 2,785,000...
. The localization team wanted to be as historically accurate as possible, without losing the original message of the script.
On April 23, 2007, the ESRB posted their rating for Eternal Sonata 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, 2007, 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
Famitsuis a Japanese video game magazine published by Enterbrain, Inc. and Tokuma. Currently, there are five console-only spin-off versions of Famitsū: Shūkan Famitsū, Famitsū PS, Famitsū Xbox, Famitsū Wii+DS, and Famitsū Wave DVD...
were released, confirming the game as being released for the PlayStation 3. On September 14, 2007 Bandai Namco officially announced Eternal Sonata was coming to the PS3, during Spring 2008 in Japan.
As Namco Bandai had stated, 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 will also include a new clothing system, in which the player can freely change a few characters' costumes. 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 Stanislav Bunin and presented in 5.1 surround sound. Featured music of Chopin's include Étude Op. 10, No. 12,
Étude Op. 10, No. 3Étude Op. 10 No. 3, in E major, is a solo piano work composed by Frédéric Chopin. This is a slow cantabile study, in which the right hand must maintain a singing tone in the melody whilst contributing to the accompaniment.-Significance:...
and Polonaise Op. 53. A
Japaneseis a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family. There are a number of proposed relationships with other languages, but none have gained general acceptance...
ariaAn aria in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment...
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
mangaManga consist of comics and print cartoons , in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 20th century...
adaptation of
Eternal Sonata was drawn by Mimei Kuroi and published by
ASCII Media Worksis a Japanese publishing company in the Kadokawa Group which formed on April 1, 2008 as a result of a merger between ASCII and MediaWorks where MediaWorks legally absorbed ASCII. Despite this, the former president of ASCII, Kiyoshi Takano, became the president of ASCII Media Works. The company...
under their
Dengeki Comicsis a manga publishing label affiliated with the Japanese publishing company ASCII Media Works and is aimed at a male audience. Aside from the main Dengeki Comics label, there is the related Dengeki Comics EX label which publishes a lesser number of manga volumes...
comic imprint, and the chapters were collected into a single
tankōbon, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series, though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
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.
Reception
Anticipation for the game seemed high prior to release, with the game having reached number four in
Amazon JapanAmazon.com, Inc. is an American-based multinational electronic commerce company. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, it is America's largest online retailer, with nearly three times the Internet sales revenue of the runner up, Staples, Inc....
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.
Famitsuis a Japanese video game magazine published by Enterbrain, Inc. and Tokuma. Currently, there are five console-only spin-off versions of Famitsū: Shūkan Famitsū, Famitsū PS, Famitsū Xbox, Famitsū Wii+DS, and Famitsū Wave DVD...
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.
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.com'sGameTrailers is a media website that specializes in video game related content. It provides free access to original programming , game trailers and recorded game play. Many of the video clips are offered in high definition along with standard definition .Users can upload videos, create blogs and...
award for Best Role-Playing Game and
IGN'sIGN is a multimedia news and reviews website that focuses heavily on video games...
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 Europe and the U.S., it received many high reviews. Metacritic has a score of 79% based on 53 reviews.
GameSpotGameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which purchased...
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.
IGNIGN is a multimedia news and reviews website that focuses heavily on video games...
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 stated that "the soundtrack is astounding" and claimed the story did a great job of educating the player about
Frédéric ChopinFrédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He was one of the great masters of Romantic music....
. However, the game was criticized for being too short for a
JRPGJRPG, an acronym for Japanese role-playing game, refers to either:* The majority of console role-playing games, a genre of role-playing video games* Japanese role-playing games, tabletop role-playing games released in Japan...
and for the lack of exploration. IGN gave the PS3 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-PlayX-Play is a TV program about video games, known for its reviews and comedy skits...
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
RPGRole-playing video games form a loosely defined genre of computer and video games with origins in pencil and paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, borrowing much of their terminology, settings and game mechanics....
clichés.
External links