[Multiplatform] Trusty Bell, aka Eternal Sonata

FYI, if you don't own a 360 and happen to own a PS3 (nobody actually bought one of these right?) there are some strong indications this will eventually show up on that platform as well. The information is from the ESRB which is usually a good source for unannounced games.

link

Shouldn't really surprise anyone with hardly anything from 3rd party publishers being one platform exclusive this generation.

How ya doing, buddy?

So I have mixed feels about this one after playing the demo. I don't like the battle system much as it is just a mind numbing button masher. Basically take the Tales system, remove all of the combos, remove enemies attacking you while attacking and you have the Eternal Sonata system. The light-dark system is interesting, but would have worked out FAR better if the battle system was actually real-time. It could get a bit more complex later in the game, but having to pound that A button as many times as you can in a time limit gets old pretty quick. Oh and the guard system is friggen annoying having to time a 'B' press over and over. I'm hoping some of the later party levels not available in the demo will offer some battle types that are a bit more to my liking.

Graphically the game is sharp in texture quality but the environments and models are a bit too simplistic and last gen. I'm honestly not seeing the stunning and jaw dropping visual experience many others are claiming. They aren't bad by any means but nothing fantastic either.

Overall? Well its a classic jRPG on a next gen system, but it isn't the greatest start in my opinion. The game is a bit rough in many aspects but it does have its appeal in areas as well.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Elixir

It's just a demo, the only real enemy you faced was the boss. Which did attack you. The thing with the battle system is that, real time battles feel more suited for this game over turn based or sRPG style. Sure they aren't NEW or anything, but it's practically the same as Abyss, which was a good game.

It's nothing like Abyss. It's a turn based button masher not a real-time combo system found in the Tales games. I mean seriously, most of the game revolves around smashing the A button as fast as you can and the enemies just stand there and take it. There really isn't any strategy involved. To me this game feels like an extremely dumbed down real-time system. I give them credit for trying to mix things up, but in the end the battle system just gets very dull very quickly.

Quote:

Stop playing it on a 21" CRT.

Okay, but I'm playing it on a 55-inch Bravia but whatever. The environments and models are primitive. The explorable paths are highly restricted and the overall polygon count is really low for a next gen game. Now perhaps this was done on purpose for style but it highly reminds me of the extremely simple modeling found in Tales of the Abyss. It doesn't look bad but it's not very impressive either. The shadowing system is also really basic static shadows too which is a real shame considering how important shadow and light are to this game. A more dynamic and modern shadow system should have been developed.

Overall this game shows that Tri-Cresendo is still very much a developing talent and add in the fact that this game most likely didn't get a reasonably high budget. It's rare for me to not find high value in jRPGs but this one just isn't clicking well with me for various reasons.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

So Namco just posted this on their site as being a TBA PS3 game.

Eternal Sonata™ - NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.

So uh, if you own a PS3 or something and were planning on getting a Xbox 360 just for this game, I'd hold out for an official word.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

A bit 'o solid evidence for the PS3 version:

Famitsu Scan

And according to RPGamer the PS3 version will include Crescendo and Serenade as playable characters and provide the player with a costume change system.

I was speaking idiomatically.