Eternal Sonata

 Xbox 360
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 116 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 85 out of 116
  2. Mixed: 22 out of 116
  3. Negative: 9 out of 116
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. [Anonymous]
    Aug 3, 2008
    10
    One of the best in-game music soundtracks to date... must buy if you enjoy classical music
  2. rossa.
    Jul 20, 2009
    10
    Brilliant graphics, excellent sound, amazing battle system!! I went into my local video game store looking for a rpg to keep me ocupied over the summer this was on sale 2nd hand for less than £5 so i thought why not setting my expectations low i was first amazed then realised i must be dreaming as this cant be as good as i thought. i was right it wasnt it just kept getting better Brilliant graphics, excellent sound, amazing battle system!! I went into my local video game store looking for a rpg to keep me ocupied over the summer this was on sale 2nd hand for less than £5 so i thought why not setting my expectations low i was first amazed then realised i must be dreaming as this cant be as good as i thought. i was right it wasnt it just kept getting better and better!! The story is a political story like many other rpgs, a king is poisoning his subjects and you end up being the one to stop him. it also has bits of the famous polish composer chopin life story which is informative and interesting with some of his composisions played in the background the voice acting is on par with other jrpgs on the 360. the combat system lets people gradualy into the game becoming more complex throughout the game keeping you intresseded and challenged throughought. this is by far the best jrpg on the 360 to date cannot find fault with it.… Expand
  3. PabloR.
    Jul 10, 2008
    10
    One of the best games for the 360. Who ever complains about the dialog is an idiot.. Put the voices on Japanese and subtitles. Way different, and it's not just the awesome graphics that make this game what it is.. It's the unique 4 player fighting, and awesome story with Twists everywhere.
  4. ChrisC.
    Nov 5, 2007
    10
    This game has very uniqe game play and with a strong story it build my intension of rating it to a 10.Eternal sonata is one of the best JRPG for xbox360 so far to and has really brang my hopes up for more JRPGS. Eternal sonata has very different things from other rpgs and is a game to buy!
  5. hellstorm901
    Sep 5, 2013
    10
    The first game I owned on the Xbox360 and still the one I consider my favourite.

    The story, whilst difficult at times to understand, is lovely. The characters are like able and the voice acting on them especially Polka is fitting. Even if a player does not enjoy the voiceovers the game offers the ability to change the voiceovers to Japanese which are just as equally well voiced. The    The first game I owned on the Xbox360 and still the one I consider my favourite.

    The story, whilst difficult at times to understand, is lovely. The characters are like able and the voice acting on them especially Polka is fitting. Even if a player does not enjoy the voiceovers the game offers the ability to change the voiceovers to Japanese which are just as equally well voiced.

    The combat is difficult and punishing at times but as you play more and more it will become more familiar. A clever thing to note is with the theme of music in the game. Blocking in combat especiallly bosses is about rhythm.

    The game is quite lengthy even if the path is linear.

    It's really difficult to review this game as it's something that really should just be experienced rather than described.    … Expand
  6. RandyS.
    Oct 26, 2007
    9
    Absolutely beautiful game with engaging, delightful characters, an interesting plotline, a fun battle system and a real feeling of being different. The historical grounding of the game is interesting too, as are the segments about the real life Chopin.
  7. Jukka
    Jan 1, 2008
    9
    Very beautiful graphics and musics. Interesting story and hours of fun.
  8. SteveT.
    Oct 1, 2007
    9
    I am really liking this game. It starts a bit slow, but it begins to develop quickly. I find my self almost addicted to the simple yet fun battle sequences. I also like the story so far. It moves kind of slow, but it is well done in my opinion. I also like the simularities to Radiata Stories. You can tell the same artists worked on both of these games. Some characters in Eternal Sonata I am really liking this game. It starts a bit slow, but it begins to develop quickly. I find my self almost addicted to the simple yet fun battle sequences. I also like the story so far. It moves kind of slow, but it is well done in my opinion. I also like the simularities to Radiata Stories. You can tell the same artists worked on both of these games. Some characters in Eternal Sonata look remakably simular. Anyway this is a great game for RPG fans. I hope to see more RPGs like this on the 360.… Expand
  9. SanosukeG.
    Oct 18, 2007
    9
    Amazing sound and graphics are this games strong point. The dungeon music, especially near the end, had me standing still just to listen to it for a while. The battle system is great, and progresses with you through the game, keeping the experience fresh! This is the first game I've ever power leveled for the fun of it. The story is gripping and keeps you interested, but it is a Amazing sound and graphics are this games strong point. The dungeon music, especially near the end, had me standing still just to listen to it for a while. The battle system is great, and progresses with you through the game, keeping the experience fresh! This is the first game I've ever power leveled for the fun of it. The story is gripping and keeps you interested, but it is a little preachy. Now for the downsides. It's linear. Very linear. Also, the cut-scenes are in excess of fifteen minutes long, so that could be good or bad, depending if you have the time. Definitely the best RPG on the 360 right now!… Expand
  10. KDep
    Sep 24, 2007
    9
    This game is absolutely excellent. The story is wonderful, the visuals are good, the music is spectacular and the gameplay is solid and changes throughout the game to make things more interesting. This game is engrossing and probably the best way to describe it is "charming". The characters are extremely likable (or dislikable for the villians). Definitely pick this one up.
  11. AndreT.
    Sep 28, 2007
    9
    Chopin's dream...this game is all about that, but in a very good and imaginative way. The game is a long hommage to this amazing pianist and composer. And what a beautiful one it is! The graphics are very detailed. The character design is simply flawless. The soundtrack is composed of Chopin and variations from his works and it's simply well done, and of very good taste. The Chopin's dream...this game is all about that, but in a very good and imaginative way. The game is a long hommage to this amazing pianist and composer. And what a beautiful one it is! The graphics are very detailed. The character design is simply flawless. The soundtrack is composed of Chopin and variations from his works and it's simply well done, and of very good taste. The battle system (Turn based + action) begin simple and level up of it's own. It's make combat very interesting and fun in the long run. The story is amazing, because it revolved around a real person: Chopin. But also because the dialogs/voice over are holding it. You get caught in the emotion of the game, and that's a very good thing. If you love RPG, don't miss this game. It's one of the finest I played since a long time (FFX).… Expand
  12. moonman1994
    Jul 18, 2012
    9
    Eternal Sonata is a very very unique game. It blends the history of Chopin's life with a fantasy world that is based on music. The game play is for the most part fun and the battle system is pretty great. Also there is a large cast of interesting characters that back up the story very well. The main reason Eternal Sonata is so good is that it is just so different from any other game. It'sEternal Sonata is a very very unique game. It blends the history of Chopin's life with a fantasy world that is based on music. The game play is for the most part fun and the battle system is pretty great. Also there is a large cast of interesting characters that back up the story very well. The main reason Eternal Sonata is so good is that it is just so different from any other game. It's story is a perfect blend of Chopin, music and fantasy. Also the game even teaches you a bit about Chopin's life which is cool. Also the music is great and you can listen to it at any time during the game. Also the game is pretty and filled with levels that seam surreal.… Expand
  13. Infielozo
    Oct 29, 2013
    9
    The classiest and most artistic RPG I've ever witnessed, the battle system was unique and very entertaining with the ability to team up with your party members to deliver devastating attacks. It was visually stunning and the soundtrack matched it's elegance, the story was interesting and at times educational, nothing out there like this one. The enemies were sometimes recycled and lackedThe classiest and most artistic RPG I've ever witnessed, the battle system was unique and very entertaining with the ability to team up with your party members to deliver devastating attacks. It was visually stunning and the soundtrack matched it's elegance, the story was interesting and at times educational, nothing out there like this one. The enemies were sometimes recycled and lacked in variety, but that is more of a microscopic problem. Money comes easy in this game and you'll battle bosses and rare monsters with an eagerness, due to the photography opportunities that rake in the cash by simply snapping a great shot. My truly strong complaint is the lack of duration, this was an insanely SHORT game (20+ Hrs.) by today's RPG standards, so it was difficult to realize the game was done. I would have wanted a lengthier game to keep using it's addictive battle system, this game was very enjoyable.… Expand
  14. Camlambelot
    Mar 6, 2022
    9
    Chances are nobody will read this review in 2021 or beyond, but, this game is truly something special and is greatly deserving of a remaster or a remake.. and maybe even a sequel or spiritual successor some day? The battle system is a unique blend of real time turned based features making it a strategic and fun game to play.

    One of the best soundtracks and art style in a JRPG since I've    Chances are nobody will read this review in 2021 or beyond, but, this game is truly something special and is greatly deserving of a remaster or a remake.. and maybe even a sequel or spiritual successor some day? The battle system is a unique blend of real time turned based features making it a strategic and fun game to play.

    One of the best soundtracks and art style in a JRPG since I've ever heard and seen other than Final Fantasy and the Nier series. If you can get passed the bad delivery of lines and somewhat childish characters, the story is something special and memorable.    … Expand
  15. HumanReviewer92
    Nov 7, 2015
    9
    When I first played this game I thought it was going to be a real dud but once I started playing it I could not stop. It had a very beautifully written story line with very rich rounded characters. I loved how it incorporated music and Chopin (I play the piano so I get all the musical references). The gameplay was actually very interesting with allowing you to move around and being a veryWhen I first played this game I thought it was going to be a real dud but once I started playing it I could not stop. It had a very beautifully written story line with very rich rounded characters. I loved how it incorporated music and Chopin (I play the piano so I get all the musical references). The gameplay was actually very interesting with allowing you to move around and being a very hit point based with a few special attacks. I was very impressed with this game when I first played it.… Expand
  16. Gilead3
    Apr 13, 2016
    9
    Bellisima obra de arte, juego de rol por turnos que es una delicia, y como es de esperar la banda sonora es espectacular, la historia es muy buena y te dan ganas de jugar y jugar
  17. Fakir23
    Feb 13, 2020
    9
    Un juegazo que esconde mucho mas de lo que parece. Ojalá hubiera un secuela.
  18. CloudStrife05
    Aug 23, 2021
    9
    I enjoyed Eternal Sonata very much. Ending was different and I appreciated that. System is easy to pick up, especially if you have played many JRPG's.
  19. VLG
    Aug 22, 2023
    9
    Amazing game, surprisingly. I still listen to its OST to this day. It was a bit too long.
  20. Dowse
    Apr 20, 2009
    8
    Good game, with an engaging story line, educative musical information and decent enough battle system, however is let down by the tediuous out of battle controls.
    Also, after not playing the game for a good while, i realized there was no actual journal or quest log telling me where to go or what i was doing.
  21. MegWhiteley
    Mar 22, 2012
    8
    Good title, Eternal Sonata is beautiful, the music is amazing, and have much elements of a great RPG, but some of this elements fail, and in a terrible mode. Eternal Sonata can be better, have beautiful graphics, amazing music, great controls, but the gameplay is regular.
  22. NickPVT
    Dec 5, 2013
    8
    Beautiful visuals, fun combat and well done voice acting. I really enjoyed the underlying message from the story, which I hope isn't lost on most players. All in all it was a fun game but something about the whole thing felt lacking. I can't put my finger on it, so instead of a 9 or 10, i gave it an 8.
  23. NexusTsunami
    Jan 22, 2017
    8
    Was passiert wenn ein CEO eines Publisher/Developer der vorrangig JRPG´s entwickelt zuhause bei klassischer Musik ein fundamental prägendes Erlebnis hat (Nein, was denkt ihr denn...)? Richtig er will ein JRPG machen welches auf klassischer Musik aufgebaut ist.

    Spass beiseite. Eternal Sonate ist ein tolles Spiel. Zwar für JRPG Verhältnisse kurz aber spassig. Das Kampfsystem ist eine    Was passiert wenn ein CEO eines Publisher/Developer der vorrangig JRPG´s entwickelt zuhause bei klassischer Musik ein fundamental prägendes Erlebnis hat (Nein, was denkt ihr denn...)? Richtig er will ein JRPG machen welches auf klassischer Musik aufgebaut ist.

    Spass beiseite. Eternal Sonate ist ein tolles Spiel. Zwar für JRPG Verhältnisse kurz aber spassig. Das Kampfsystem ist eine Mischung aus AKTIVEM SRPG und dem typischen rundembasierendem Kampfsystem. Die Skills sind schön anzusehen und das Feedback eines gewonnenen Kampfes toll. Die Musik ist ironischerweise weniger Klassisch als man erwarten würde... genial wäre ein Remix/Cover von Klassikern (z.b. Canon Rock von JerryC - ein Cover von Canon in D von Pachabel) für Battlethemes gewesen.

    Die Spielewelt wirkt wie in einem Traum (naja... SPOILER :-))...

    Kurz gesagt: Eternal Sonate ist ein klasse JRPG für ein oder zwei Wochenenden.    … Expand
  24. Gerard51MX
    Jun 22, 2016
    8
    soy seguidor de los jrpg, en cuanto salio este juego para 360 fui a comprarlo pues ya habia visto gameplays y videos y me convencia enormemente. A decir verdad el juego es una joya graficamente, la musica me encanto, los controles me agradaron demasiado, la combinacion entre golpes por turno y tiempo real es buenisima, ademas la adicion de cadenas y eltener que decidir si usar item,soy seguidor de los jrpg, en cuanto salio este juego para 360 fui a comprarlo pues ya habia visto gameplays y videos y me convencia enormemente. A decir verdad el juego es una joya graficamente, la musica me encanto, los controles me agradaron demasiado, la combinacion entre golpes por turno y tiempo real es buenisima, ademas la adicion de cadenas y eltener que decidir si usar item, movimiento o correr todo mientras pasan los segundos de tu turno le dan buen reto; la historia es otra cosa... desde los primeros minutos ya deseaba saber que pasaria... avance y me siguio atrapando la historia pero realmente la historia va bajando su nivel conforme avanzas, hay misiones que estan ahi de relleno y se nota, el final pues... no termina de convencerme y lo senti algo apresurado. Los personajes tienen su personalidad bien marcada y eso se agradece, otro punto a favor es que puedes rejugarlo con algunos cambios. En general un buen rpg, no el mejor de 360 y no de los mejores de la historia pero si te gustan los rpg, este no debe faltarte… Expand
  25. KlaatuHorror
    Apr 4, 2020
    8
    One of the roleplaying games with the best combat system I have ever seen. It is a pity that this company does not continue to release jewelry like this. Hopefully one day, with the resources and the muscle of money that he deserves, they will do works of the stature of this eternal sonata.
  26. maintitle
    Jun 4, 2022
    8
    If you've played this game you are an total and absolute nerd and I welcome you into my coven. Put this on the marketplace for XBox One, Microsoft, you cowards!
  27. ChristopherP.
    Oct 10, 2008
    7
    Pretty, artistic, unique, and with a wonderful battle system that does away with MP and SP in favor of an amazingly fun combo system that kind of works like a fighting game: The more combos you do, the higher your "Harmony Chain" (think of charging what MP/SP normally is) goes up, the max level being 32. Technically, you can do special moves at any time, but the power will be so weak Pretty, artistic, unique, and with a wonderful battle system that does away with MP and SP in favor of an amazingly fun combo system that kind of works like a fighting game: The more combos you do, the higher your "Harmony Chain" (think of charging what MP/SP normally is) goes up, the max level being 32. Technically, you can do special moves at any time, but the power will be so weak there's really no point unless you really build up the Chain--especially once your battle level goes up to the point where you can do special team combos, for up to 6 special moves all at once (!). The battle system evolves as the game progresses so as not to overwhelm you all at once with the end-game battle system that's very tricky to work with, but not unfair or convoluted at all. The soundtrack, ripped straight from Chopin, is quite pleasing. The voice acting may be God-awful for a lot of the characters (Beat, Salsa, and Polka are nails-on-a-chalkboard annoying), but you can switch to Japanese with subtitles if you like. But either way, the dialogue is boring, as are the lifeless, overlong and often pointless cut-scenes. Another drawback is the nearly entirely linear storyline. The only major side-quest you can do is the painful secret dungeon, and although the rewards for exploring it can make your characters almost invincible, its structure is horrifically frustrating due to a complete lack of a map for the maze-like structure and an almost unchanging tileset and terribly uninteresting enemies (you're fighting... pirates and walking turnips here?) for each floor, with absolutely no landmarks to go by. Worse, to beat it, you're required to hunt down quite a few items to gain the right to beat the boss of the place. To top it all off, the final boss isn't all that difficult if you got the ultimate weapons and armor all throughout the dungeon, and once you beat him you achieve a character who, very disappointingly, is just worthless. You do get a big achievement and unlock the most complex but by far the most powerful battle level to use for New Game+ and the final boss. Speaking of the final boss, it screams "We're out of development time and ideas, so let's throw something nonsensical together." Not only is the final boss completely uninteresting and just plain random, it doesn't even make any sense how you end up fighting him. It just happens, and there's no way anyone could predict it coming--and he's one of the easiest bosses you'll fight, even if you had never walked into the secret dungeon. Then you get the ending, which is just anticlimactic. Nothing really happens in the mundane forty-five minute ending, and a bunch of questions presented in the story remain unanswered. But, despite the annoyances, the game is kept interesting by the artistic style, pretty visuals, Chopin soundtrack, fun and evolving battle system, and an overall pleasant story, sans the unsatisfying last couple chapters and the ending.… Expand
  28. JohnV.
    Aug 31, 2007
    7
    The graphics are simple, but solid. Anyway, they're not ugly, though they hardly take advantage of the 360's power. That said, the gameplay is active and fun, for what it's worth. Not a AAA, but a grounded title that does what it sets out to do. I was personally surprised by how much I enjoyed myself. Few RPGs have that effect on me.
  29. betgold
    Jan 13, 2014
    7
    i love the art and the music in this game (and god bless the language option !!!),the story was complicated in some points but really original,the battle system can be difficult at times,but i bought this game in summer,so i had plenty of time to spend on this game,the only thing that bothered me were the cutscene,sometimes they were too long and slow....but overall i don't regret to havei love the art and the music in this game (and god bless the language option !!!),the story was complicated in some points but really original,the battle system can be difficult at times,but i bought this game in summer,so i had plenty of time to spend on this game,the only thing that bothered me were the cutscene,sometimes they were too long and slow....but overall i don't regret to have played it.… Expand
  30. GrahamE.
    Oct 7, 2007
    6
    Excellent graphics and a good battle system fail to make up for a sub-part plot, straight-out annoying characters, and a terribly linear game. Rent it, beat it in 18 hours, and return it.
prev
Page:

Awards & Rankings

43
#43 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2007
27
#27 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2007
8
#8 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2007

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 56 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 43 out of 56
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 56
  3. Negative: 0 out of 56
  1. Play.tm
    85
    The exciting and varied battle system, the impeccable visuals and the bonkers yet brilliant central story idea make this one of the most charmingly enjoyable games I've played in a while.
    Read full review
  2. Thunderbolt
    80
    This unpredictable tale will have players engaged until the excellent finale.
    Read full review
  3. Maxi Consolas (Portugal)
    85
    Even to gamers more used to Bioware and Bethesda, it’s still a great proposition to everyone who likes RPGs, with its delightful backstory and visuals. [Nov 2007]
See all critic reviews »