Yep. I beat the main quest a few months ago, and am still finishing up the optional ultra-dungeon before I replay the second quest.
Eternal Sonata is a real mixed bag of an RPG. I'd give it a 8.25 overall rating:
Pros:
- Quite possibly the best cell shading. Ever. Fantastic graphics
- Battle system is very unique. Kind of like a turn based Kingdom Hearts. Gets real awesome at the end of the game with 6-attack Harmony Chains (which do around 500,000 damage per chain)
- Decent bit of gameplay. 1st playthrough is 30hrs + 2nd playthrough has alternate stuff added in.
- Music is top-notch. Some of the best JRPG music out there.
Cons:
- Story is confusing, and kind of dumb at times (but also good at times)
- Voice acting is marginal. But the Japanese track is pretty good.
- Dungeons are too linear, and simple for the most part.
- Eventually, the game winds up being "too stale" to be a top-tier JRPG.
IMO, it's definately a must-buy at a budget price....But at full-price it's iffy. Some people love the game - the combat is definately different and good in the beginning, but the game overall lacks the polish of a AAA RPG like Blue Dragon (say what you will, but BD's production values are really, really good).
Back from the dead, I'm afraid.
