(Namco Bandai)
Xbox 360

Eternal Sonata starts out with dark intrigue: the doe-eyed Polka, who's seems so sad and lonely, jumps off a cliff. Then, in a flashback, there's her Mom, giving her some heavy-handed advice about the evils of the world. Cut to Chopin, yeah, that Chopin, who's in bed dying. Sounds like a great beginning, right? It is, except the fairy tale-inspired writing is, well, cloying, and the girl's voice is so high-pitched as to be distractingly annoying.

Still, behind all the lurid colors, the preaching, and fairy tale nature the game is an appealing story about the life of Chopin. Since it's the composer's party, the characters, like the depressed little Polka, are all named for types of music. Usually, a game hits you over the head with themes of jealousy and power with melodrama that harkens back to The Perils of Pauline. Here, emotions are more measured and messages about how hard life can be are more subtle.

While you can't move anywhere in the game to explore its lush environs (a serious negative), this strange dream of Chopin's (along with the game's evolving combat system) is enough to keep you going through this odd if somewhat too-moralistic offering.—Harold Goldberg