Game Journal – Eternal Sonata (Entry 01)

Wow, this was such a long cutscene. 10 minutes! The description of Tenuto is so idyllic that I kept expecting something to go terribly wrong. Instead, the game was much more subtle about it, hinting at larger problems in the world through Polka’s mother. She seems concerned about the potential for people to be swayed towards war. Her advice to Polka that if that ever happened, “the only way to stop it would be for you to jump into the ocean” comes kind of out of nowhere.

I’m not gonna lie, I thought this cutscene was hilarious. It was so dramatic and intense and Polka was well…staring into a puddle. Good job Japan! I definitely believe Polka’s mom has gone through something intense and potentially tragic. I hope she has some purpose in the plot!

I’m interested in how they’re going to link Chopin from the real world to the fantasy world. Sure, he’s a character in it, but what about a larger sense? Strangely, for a guy that knows he’s in his own dream and claims to know everything that’s in it, he does seem surprised by Polka a lot. Hopefully he doesn’t actually know everything, that would be boring (thanks, Children of Dune).

I am curious how they will use this too. Right now we just seem to be focusing on a bunch of nameless characters (Concerned Woman A and Sir Dr. Healsalot)

Polka is quite a complicated character. At only 14 years old, she already knows she’s going to die of an incurable illness, she is deeply lonely, and still decides she’s going to use what’s left of her life to help others

Polka’s plight is certainly heartbreaking and it gives you an instant sense of empathy for her character. I think we’ve all seen the whole “selfless hero/heroine” stint before but her terminal illness and the way others avoid her is definitely tough to take in as a player.

Mysterious. Handsome. Well-dressed in a top-hat with pocketwatch. He cuts quite the figure, though he seems a touch out of place (which makes sense, since he’s from Earth).

Classy and charming. I love this guy and I love his English voice. It’s so calming!

For some reason he seems to know a lot about the economics of Ritardando (taxation on bread kids!). He’s kind of a “Robin Hood” type of figure and he seems to take care of a bunch of orphan kids in the sewers

Apparently he used to be in the church choir, and had quite a voice. I want to know how he changed from that to where he is now, though I suspect it will be him noticing the disparities between have and have-not. Still doesn’t explain his knowledge of macroeconomics, but maybe they’ll explain.

A little kid that follows Allegretto. He has a gun, somehow, and also a camera. Taking pictures during battle nets you actual stills, and you can sell them for quite a bit at the store. As a character, he’s a little annoying, but he serves as someone Allegretto can educate about the world, and the player by extension.

So, this was kind of a downer. I was not expecting magic use to imply a fatal illness. I’m still not sure if it’s even true or some superstition, but I already feel bad for Polka.

This is definitely going to be a big theme in the game, from what I can tell. Mineral powder has replaced all other medicines, and is heavily subsidized by the government. Every indication I can find also shows that it does work, but has powerful negative side effects. I’m interested to see where we’re going with this.

Allegretto, Chopin, and Polka’s mother especially seem to have some pretty deep thoughts. Allegretto gives Beat an economics lesson on taxation, Chopin debates the nature of reality with Polka, and Polka’s mother spins a metaphor of waves in the ocean for the dark desires in the human heart.

Oh my goodness yes…everyone is all about the philosophy and the economics. It’s like Spice and Wolf invaded my game.

I really like the real-time quasi-action system they have. Having abilities change depending on whether a character is in light or shadow is really cool.

I like this but I also wish it could be manipulated a bit more. It seems like items can make you light and dark and you can stand it enemy shadows to change light to dark (so…awesome…) but you can’t lure enemies from light to dark right now.

They really went all out on this. Everyone and every place has a musical name, the menu promises we will have piano pieces and musical scores to collect. Heck, even the scroll bar in the save menu is a set of piano keys!

It is incredible how much effort is in this to keep the musical theme. They really devoted thought to all the names, the decorations, and heck…they even have some mysterious language that appears to be music based.

Ooh, I didn’t notice the language thing; that’s cool! Now I’ll be on the lookout.

Gorgeous and often stunning. Dappled sunlight plays through trees. Flowers sway in a light breeze. Ritardando is a riot of colorful tile and stonework. Even the little items, like jars of jam or posters, are incredibly detailed. A ton of effort was put into this game, and it shows.

God everything is so beautiful in this game. The colors are just amazing and the use of them everywhere is what really bring this to life. I am beyond amazed every new scene I go.