Beyond the combat, there is plenty of eye candy to enjoy. It is nearly impossible to not be in awe of the game's amazing use of color in the rich and varied environments. For HDTV owners, this will be a real joy, as few games display such bright, crisp and attractive colors. The game really exuberates life, and the character models, using a slight cell-shading technique, look impressive.

The game's sound, ironically enough, is probably its weakest link. There are some memorable tunes (namely those by Chopin himself), and even some fun but slightly frustrating musical mini-games, but overall, the music does not stand out as much as it should in a game based around a renowned composer. In addition, the English voice acting does not meet expectations, with characters sounding annoyingly cute. Even worse, odd pauses sometimes punctuate the dialogue, with no one speaking for several seconds, and it comes off sounding more awkward than dramatic.

Eternal Sonata is not perfect. Some people will get turned off by the overly "kiddy" atmosphere that pervades the game world, and the story comes off as preachy. It's also substantially shorter than the average JRPG, clocking in at roughly 30 hours. However, the game brings this imaginative world to life with an engaging battle system and an endearing story.