By Billy O'Keefe
McClatchy-Tribune

Eternal Sonata
For: Xbox 360
From: Namco Bandai
ESRB Rating: Teen (fantasy violence, mild language, use of alcohol)

Some people like the idea of role-playing games more than the actual genre itself. Others simply cannot justify dedicating 70-100 hours of their lives just to see how one ends.

For both audiences, and any RPG enthusiasts hungry for a change of pace, "Eternal Sonata" may provide some salvation.

For starters, "Sonata" is a 30-ish-hour game _ short by modern RPG standards, but longer than most story-driven games in other genres. The story path the game takes is pretty linear, and players rarely will find themselves drawn off the main road by side missions or dull fetch quests. The narrative chugs ahead, and outside of searching for hidden paths that lead to rare weapons and armor, you'll do the same.

"Sonata" also takes measures to minimize the need for "grinding," that fun-draining practice of leveling up your character's stats in lieu of an important boss fight. Characters level up liberally, and opportunities for raking in gold for potions and other protections are everywhere if you know where to look. The game eschews random encounters in favor of placing enemies in plain sight, and you typically can avoid filler battles whenever you'd rather push forward.

Funny thing, though: The fights are so much fun, you might actually seek them out.

Like most RPGs, "Sonata's" fights play out in turns. Within those turns, though, it transforms into an action game. You can move, attack and perform special moves in real time whenever its your turn, and you can block attacks with perfectly-timed button presses when it's an enemy's turn. It's a terrific system that blends mindless action, reflexes and strategy, and here's hoping we haven't seen the last of it.

(For an especially good time, play with friends. "Sonata" offers three-player co-op, but only offline, not over Live.)

"Sonata's" music-centric storyline takes place inside the mind of a dying Frederic Chopin (yes, the composer), and the creative liberties the game takes with that premise keep things interesting even when the narrative occasionally plateaus.

The dreamy premise also makes way for what is, bar none, one of the prettiest and most musically gifted games of 2007. "Sonata's" environments are soaked in color and detail, and its character designs redefine how cel-shaded graphics should look. The voiced dialogue that comes out of these characters' mouths is fairly awkward, but the music is so good that your ears never suffer for long.