If Resonance of Fate was a dash of cayenne pepper in the otherwise bland collective plots of Japanese role-playing games, Eternal Sonata was a bowlful of the stuff. It casts you as a fantastical incarnation of Polish piano prodigy Frédéric Chopin on a colorful romp through his own super ego as he lies on his death bed. It is an unorthodox and introspective depiction of the tuberculosis-stricken artist that is commendably true to its history. This is a game that makes use of authentic paintings and photographs as often as it does conventional cutscenes. A delightful score featuring some of Chopin's finest pieces played in rare form accompanies its action-heavy gameplay, which itself is punctuated by history lessons chronicling the pianist's short life. As you may suspect, though, what begins as an intriguingly metaphorical adventure predicated upon such undertones as maturity, self-sacrifice and Chopin's own romantic struggles quickly devolves into the crock of ass-pulls you would rightfully expect from a JRPG. There is no definition of avant garde capable of justifying its absurd ending, which is completely detached from every decision leading up to it and sends a theretofore brilliant story frame into a stiff nosedive.
A freelance games writer, you say? Typically battling his current RPG addiction and ceaseless perfectionism? A fan of horror but too big a sissy to play for more than a couple of hours? Spends far too much time on JRPGs and gets way too angry with card games?
Well that doesn't sound anything like me.
