We’re used to videogames picking weird and wonderful themes to cloak their gameplay – after all, what medium better lends itself to some childlike, implausible make believe. But there has likely never been a premise so strange as that of new 360 Japanese RPG, Eternal Sonata, a game which asks the player to inhabit Polish composer Frederick Chopin’s dreams as he drifts in and out of consciousness while laying prostrate on his deathbed.

Your task is to guide a young terminally-ill girl by the name of Polka through Chopin’s dream world, Forte, as she teams up with other musically-named children to unite against the game’s antagonist, Count Waltz. The dastardly Count is enslaving the citizens of Forte by feeding them a mineral powder and herein themes of life, death, the abuse of power, drug taking and human fragility converge. While, in synopsis, this all sounds thoroughly crazy and ill-advised for a videogame, in reality the developer has constructed a delightful experience full of rare joy, wonder and romance.

Eternal Sonata’s wonderful, bright engaging visuals, drawn from a rich colour palette and dramatically lit, are sound-tracked by Chopin’s better-known works (at least during the cut scenes) and these elements conspire to make this game a wonderful place to spend time in. Character costumes have an historical authenticity despite the stylized features of the bodies they clothe. However, the stunning effect of the game’s environments has been cheated slightly by the developers: with fixed cameras and, usually tight paths to explore there’s no room to explore off the beaten track, nor even manoeuvre the camera round top get a better look at it.

The game underneath all of this candy-coating is both solid and enjoyable. For RPG fans disappointed by the fierce traditionalism of Blue Dragon, Eternal Sonata tries its hand a number of innovative ideas that all work well. There are no random battles to contend with – all enemies are visible in the field and can be engaged with or left alone. When you do enter a battle the game’s clever mash-up of turn-based and real-time control is compelling. At the start of each character’s turn, a timer starts counting down. During this time it’s possible to execute as many moves as you can muster from a stock of attacks, spells or simply running around the battlefield. Performing any of these actions depletes the bar faster and so it’s a case of carefully planning your moves within the window of opportunity for maximum effect.

Overlaid on this already intriguing mechanic are the effects of light and dark. When standing in the light you have a different set of moves available compared to when you’re standing in the dark. For example, when in the light you might be able to perform a party healing spell while, when standing in the dark you have the options of a fearsome offensive attack. These abilities change depending on how close you are to an enemy and so a rich and complex system emerges.

This core keeps driving you through the narrative which, while interesting and colourful, is also consistently linear. A relatively short game for an RPG it nevertheless burns exceptionally brightly and, for players who have been starved of a killer Japanese RPG on the 360, this is a must have title, albeit a curious and relentlessly individual one.

4 out of 5