Tri-Crescendo talks Eternal Sonata, US/Europe version goodies
Among the big titles coming out this September, Tri-Crescendo‘s Eternal Sonata is definitely one to watch out for under Xbox 360’s banner. Gamespot had a chat with Tri-Crescendo’s director, Hiroya Hatsushiba, to tell us more about the game and how transition from Japanese to US/Europe version will go.
As many of us already know, Eternal Sonata will thrust players into Chopin’s consciousness as he faces death. The concept is fresh, and there’s a very good reason behind it. According to Hatsushiba, the game aims to attract two markets that are substantially different – the music lovers and gamers. Through incorporation of Chopin’s music, Eternal Sonata hopes to tell the world how amazing his music was.
There aren’t any friends or relatives in Chopin’s dream though, but fictional characters that fit perfectly with the setting. Another unique twist is in the gameplay, introducing the use of light and dark to alter character abilities. Even monsters transform depending on the shade they’re under.
“We needed to simplify the controls… However, this reduces the potential variety within battles, so we came up with the idea of each special move in light and dark places behaving differently,” he explained.
Sounds good enough? It doesn’t stop there, because US and Europe versions of Eternal Sonata will get bonuses not available in Japan. Both versions will be packed with Japanese and English voice-overs, and slideshows of real-life pictures will replace the custom backgrounds during Stanislev Bunin performances when each chapter ends.
More after the jump!
Among the big titles coming out this September, Tri-Crescendo‘s Eternal Sonata is definitely one to watch out for under Xbox 360’s banner. Gamespot had a chat with Tri-Crescendo’s director, Hiroya Hatsushiba, to tell us more about the game and how transition from Japanese to US/Europe version will go.
As many of us already know, Eternal Sonata will thrust players into Chopin’s consciousness as he faces death. The concept is fresh, and there’s a very good reason behind it. According to Hatsushiba, the game aims to attract two markets that are substantially different – the music lovers and gamers. Through incorporation of Chopin’s music, Eternal Sonata hopes to tell the world how amazing his music was.
There aren’t any friends or relatives in Chopin’s dream though, but fictional characters that fit perfectly with the setting. Another unique twist is in the gameplay, introducing the use of light and dark to alter character abilities. Even monsters transform depending on the shade they’re under.
“We needed to simplify the controls… However, this reduces the potential variety within battles, so we came up with the idea of each special move in light and dark places behaving differently,” he explained.
Sounds good enough? It doesn’t stop there, because US and Europe versions of Eternal Sonata will get bonuses not available in Japan. Both versions will be packed with Japanese and English voice-overs, and slideshows of real-life pictures will replace the custom backgrounds during Stanislev Bunin performances when each chapter ends.
If you somehow missed this, those in the US who pre-order will also be able to get one of five faceplates for their 360 along with the game. Japan only received one design, while there are no plans for Europe as of now. GameStop and EB Games began taking pre-orders more than a month ago.
But wait, there’s more! Hatsushiba also mentioned that they’re planning to release some good downloadable content, namely the Piano Key (unlocks all music in the game, instead of having to beat every chapter for them) and Gamer Icon Packs to pimp out your 360 profile with Eternal Sonata character graphics.
Expect the game to hit the shelves outside Japan come September 17 this year, published by Namco Bandai. Taking Hatsuhiba’s final words:
You will be able to enjoy this game without any prior knowledge of Chopin or his work. People who are not interested in classical music can enjoy this game as well. I am sure you will become accustomed to the control system quickly. I hope players will love the atmosphere of this game enough to play it through.
Via GameSpot