Unfortunately, since we weren’t able to see the characters fighting in the game before we recorded, we had to make some guesses about the way in which lines would be used in battle situations. Sometimes we got it right, but sometimes we didn’t. So, in the end, it was necessary to edit some lines slightly. But, overall, I think it came out sounding pretty good.

Overall she sounds incredibly enthusiastic about the whole project, to the point where I'm actually mulling over picking up the PS3 version for another play through.

RPG Eternal Sonata Composes New PS3 Features Tomorrow [Official PlayStation Blog]

Thanks to Sara for passing along the newsletter image with the date on it. Much appreciated!

Santa Clara, Calif – Leading video games publisher and developer NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc., today announced Eternal Sonata™ for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. An award-winning role-playing game inspired by the life of legendary composer Frederic Chopin, Eternal Sonata is set to arrive on the PLAYSTATION 3 system this fall with new quests, new playable characters, new music and more.

A unique role-playing experience, Eternal Sonata lets gamers travel with 19th century composer Frederic Chopin as he explores a magical dream world during his final hours among the living. Utilizing a breathtaking cel-shaded graphics engine that gives form to the ethereal beauty of Chopin’s music, the game transports players to a vivid world inhabited by brave heroes, fearsome monsters and stunning environments. The game’s fast-paced battle system features an innovative“light and dark” mechanic which allows players to execute different special attacks depending on whether they stand in light or shadow, and transforms enemies into new and fearsome forms. Combining turn-based and real-time elements, this system allows for creative strategy and engaging action in each encounter, breaking new ground in the role-playing genre.

Critically acclaimed upon its original 2007 release, Eternal Sonata was selected as“Best Role-Playing Game” by GameTrailers.com and received“Best Artistic Design honors from IGN.com at E3 2007. The game was also chosen as a runner-up in the role-playing game category at the Spike TV 2007 Video Game Awards.

Eternal Sonata will launch for the PLAYSTATION 3 this fall and is currently available in stores for the Xbox 360. For more information, please visit eternalsonata.namcobandaigames.com.

New Details on Eternal Sonata's PS3 Port [Eternal Sonata]

I can’t speak for any other territories, but I believe Eternal Sonata is only announced for the PS3 in Japan right now... We have no plans to release the game on the PS3 in the US at this moment.

So no plans "at this moment." But tomorrow? The day after that? Next month? Who knows?!

Namco Bandai Eternal Sonata PS3 Japan Only [videogaming247 Thanks, nekotails!]

The Neverending Story

You've probably heard the plot synopsis before. Frédéric Chopin lies on his death bed after a long struggle with pulminary tuberculosis, and in his last moments he visits a fantastical world where everyone has a music-themed named and the terminally ill can cast magic. He meets a girl named Polka who is dying and wants to do something good for the world before she goes and gets caught up in an epic struggle against Count Waltz of Forte, who is using medicine to turn his citizens into mindless, magic-using monsters. Along the way you meet a host of colorful characters including Allegretto and Beat, a pair of orphans trying to help the poor in the port city of Ritardando, Jazz, Falsetto and Claves, members of the Andantino resistance, and twins Salsa and March, who are seeking to protect the Agogo forest from the dangers of Forte's strip mining.

The game packs plenty of social commentary in a tiny package. From class struggles to drug use, ecological concerns to unfair taxation, Eternal Sonata has it all. It's a bit much, really, to the point where I was rolling my eyes every time a new issue came to light. Messages in video games are great in moderation, but this is just a bit much.

You Talk Too Much

Speaking of a bit much, the exposition in the game is downright yawn-inducing. Whenever a character starts talking to themselves you know you are in for a good five minutes worth of dialog that usually says the same thing, over and over again. At one point Chopin questions the nature of reality and dreams, and I literally fell asleep in the middle of it. Boring, weighty dialog that just bogs down the game tremendously. There's a death scene that I swore went on for ten minutes, and the character was completely alone at the time. I never wanted a person to die as much as the character in question. You'll see.

Shot Through The Heart

While we're on boring and repetitive, let's talk about combat. Now combat in Eternal Sonata is a mix of real-time and turn based that is actually quite pleasing at first. Your character's turn comes up, and then once you initiate an action you have a certain amount of time available to act, after which the turn passes on. Characters can use normal attacks to build up combos which are then used to augment the power of special attacks. Later on you can chain special attacks once you have a certain amount of combo points, making for some interesting and downright awesome amounts of damage racking up. Quick, easy, and a lot of fun.

Unfortunately, every area you wander into only houses two or three types of enemies with established attacking patterns, so after you've f aught a similar group three or four times you end up doing the exact same thing, over and over again. After the 10th similar group it starts getting really old, and almost frustratingly easy if there is such a thing.

Aside from the nifty combat style, Eternal Sonata is pretty much your standard RPG. Your characters level, learn new powers, gain enhanced stats, etc. Your equipment is good until you find the next upgrade, and as long as you keep up with equipment and take care of every monster you run into the whole game is pretty easy. Of course I am only about 23 hours in right now, and I've still got a major boss fight or two left, but so far it's been smooth sailing.

You're Beautiful, It's True

Where the game really shines is presentation. It's no secret that I've been in love with the game since I saw the first screenshots, and the real thing holds up just as well. Environments are vibrant, colorful, and full of just as much character as the characters themselves. You can take a screenshot during any of the cutscenes and have yourself an image suitable for framing. My only real complaint with the graphics is that the characters all look the same, albeit with different hair styles and colors, but that's pretty much the same with any anime-inspired look.

Rock Me Ama...Nevermind

A game about Chopin better have good music, and Eternal Sonata delivers, to an extent. The Chopin portions are simply amazing. Each chapter of the game is named for one of the composers more famous works, and at certain points in each chapter the piece will play in full, along with a brief history behind the music complete with still photographs and illustrations from places Chopin lived. From the five or so pieces I've collected I've learned more about the man's life than any music appreciation class I've ever taken. In case you are really, really pathetic, Namco Bandai will sell you a code to unlock all of the music for a small fee via Xbox Live. Seriously, if you do this you suck.

The rest of the game music, however, suffers in comparison. At best it is generic, though a few pieces do stand out. I don't care how talented a game composer you are - you go up against Chopin, you lose.

As with any Japanese game translated into US English, voices are pretty hit or miss. Some are done very well (the man himself), while others are at first cute but quickly become grating (March.) Japanese with subtitles is the way to go, as any anime fan worth their salt will tell you.

This Is The End

Eternal Sonata is a truly beautiful game graphically and musically, and the concept certainly deserves points for originality, but the rest of the game didn't follow suit. It's certainly worth purchasing, but don't go into it looking for and innovating RPG or you'll be disappointed.

Hopefully, this news doesn't come as too much of a shock for Namco Bandai themselves who were "not aware" of the PS3 version of the game just a few months ago and that portable defibrillators are on hand at the publisher's HQ.

Eternal Sonata also on PlayStation 3 [Jeux-France]

Clerical error or something far more sinister?! It's hard to think "sinister" when one is discussing an RPG occuring in the mind of a dying Polish composer or rolling things up with a katamari, so we'll remain simply skeptical of the listings. Maybe we will know more after our trip to Tokyo next week.

Thanks to our tipsters for the heads up.

NEW ETERNAL SONATA COMMUNITY SITE STEPS UP TO THE PODIUM

Eternal Sonata fans rejoice as NAMCO BANDAI Games has dimmed the house lights and drawn back the curtains on Endless Nocturne, a new interactive community site for their upcoming RPG title, Eternal Sonata for the Xbox 360. Aspiring maestros around the world are invited to create their magnum opus for fellow composers, and receive musical "Notes" for their submissions of fan art, contributions to the community forums, and participation in polls, quizzes, surveys, and other Eternal Sonata-inspired assignments and creative opportunities. Accomplished artistes can then exchange their Notes in the Endless Nocturne shop for Eternal Sonata posters, custom signed artwork, soundtracks, copies of the game, or even the ultimate musical prize — an iPod or Zune MP3 player. Artisans and aficionados alike can join the Eternal Sonata community now at www.endlessnocturne.com.

Eternal Sonata is the RPG to own this Fall as its intuitive and strategic combat system, featuring a blend of real-time and turn-based battle, keeps the action flowing and takes into account elements such as light and darkness. Boasting an intriguing story told through real-time cut-scenes, an unforgettable cast of characters, and incredibly detailed environments to explore, Eternal Sonata is set to deliver one of the most engrossing RPG experiences of the year for the Xbox 360.

For more information on Eternal Sonata, please visit http://eternalsonata.namcobandaigames.com

People who play games and people who love classical music are not necessarily sharing [the] same type of interests. Most people in Japan know the name of Chopin; however, most of the people who know of Chopin think he is just some kind of a great music composer without knowing any more about him. Most of them have heard Chopin's music but not a lot could put his name to it immediately. By creating a colorful fantasy world in Chopin's dream, I was hoping that people would get into this game easily and also come to know how great Chopin's music is.

Eternal Sonata (or Trusty Bell as it is still called in the corner of this clip) continues to wow us with it's stunning graphics and this short bit of the prologue doesn't disappoint. The first half is really nothing more than two characters speaking to each other and sure I can't understand a word of Japanese, but boy howdy is it gorgeous.

The second half, which is included after the jump, shows a portion of the story we haven't seen to much of yet. That is the storyline which ties the whole game together; the composer Chopin on his deathbed, whose fevered dreams define the game's main story. Instead of being in an open field, we are taken into in interior scene that is highly detailed and every bit as beautiful as it's simpler counterpart.

This is really shaping up to be a must have 360 title for me. So far, the few RPG offerings we've seen for the system have been pretty dull. Perhaps Eternal Sonata can break the mold and give us a truly in-depth RPG experience. Flynn De Marco

Given that PlayStation fans have already had their fill of three Katamari titles, combined with Microsoft's desire to expand its library with non-shooters and the paltry PS3 install base, an exclusivity deal, timed or no, makes good sense. Namco Bandai and Microsoft seem like great corporate pals. I bet MS would've even let them publish Frame City Killer without a peep!

I guess we'll know if and when the PLAYSTATION 3 is getting a new-gen Katamari at E3. Exciting times, aren't they? Michael McWhertor

On A Roll, Or, How Microsoft Secured Yet Another Exclusive—Beautiful Katamari—From Namco Bandai [N'Gai Croal's Level Up]

Chopin-starring RPG Eternal Sonata (AKA Trusty Bell) is released today in Japan, and already there is sequel talk. At a launch party held in Roppongi, a Bandai Namco VP Shin Unozawa floated the word "sequel," saying the company would like to assist in creating one. Nothing official was announced, of course. (Well, a VP saying that is kinda official!)

Best of all, the Roppongi event had popular pro fighter and self-proclaimed Xbox 360 fan Kazushi Sakuraba on hand. Sakuraba often shows up for matches in funny costumes like schoolboy outfits and whatnot. For the launch party, he wore a custom made Trusty Bell lucha libre mask. So cool. Brian Ashcraft

Trusty Bell Event [Famitsu]

Another beautiful trailer for Eternal Sonata (formerly Trusty Bell) from Japan. These trailers continue to impress with their pretty graphic style and classical music score. If you didn't go through all the ridiculous steps to play the English language version of the Japanese demo, you'll have to be satisfied with these Japanese language trailers. If you're really nice to Ash, maybe he'll translate them for you.

Seriously, he loves it when you message him with stuff like that. Flynn De Marco

I went back and checked with the battle trainer guy, who explained that you have different powers depending on whether you are in a light or dark part of the battlefield., which explains why I was taking pictures I suppose. Oh, and there are also birds in the demo, assuaging my onion fears. Michael Fahey

Thanks for the tip, Cody!

Although the game has been honored with the Xbox 360 bundle treatment in its native Japan, the game was never branded with an "Only On Xbox 360" descriptor. While the game is almost definitely coming to the PLAYSTATION 3, don't be surprised if that particular version sees a bit of a delayed release so Namco gets their co-marketing dollars.

While we await the impending official confirmation, let's just enjoy this new world of non-exclusives, where Xbox 360 owners and PS3 owners can live in harmony and discuss the finer points of cel-shaded adventuring in the dreamworld of Polish composer Fr d ric Chopin. Michael McWhertor

ESRB Software Ratings

Just like Blue Dragon before it, Microsoft Japan is enticing Japanese customers to take that leap of faith with a console/RPG game bundle. This time, it's Trusty Bell. The game features a core Xbox 360, wired controller, copy of Trusty Bell (retitled Eternal Sonata for the West) and a special DVD soundtrack. Bundle drops June 14, pricing is open, and the side of the box has Trusty Bell art on it — If you are into that. Brian Ashcraft

Trusty Bundle [Game Watch]