Eternal Sonata

Eternal Sonata is a role-playing video game developed by tri-Crescendo and published by Bandai Namco Games. The game was originally released on Xbox 360 in 2007, followed by an expanded version releasing on PlayStation 3 the following year.

The story follows the Polish romantic pianist and composer Frédéric Chopin, who died of tuberculosis at the age of 39, and his adventure in a fictional world that he dreams of 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. 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.

Eternal Sonata follows general conventions of the 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 photographs which Beat can take during battle. The player can also find Score Pieces scattered about the world, which represent short musical phrases. Various NPCs 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.

While the main combat system is turn-based, using only three characters within the party, it also incorporates elements of an action game. 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.

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.