Remember those big combo enders with the Y button? Those are your light/dark attacks, two separate sets of moves that change depending on where your character is standing mid-battle. If you're in the shade, the moves pull from your dark list - likewise, fighting in the light brings out your other set. Some enemies are weak against one, strong against the other, you figured that out by now, but elements of the battle zone will change where the light and dark patches are, forcing you to keep moving. To complicate things even more, some enemies radiate light or nullify it altogether, requiring you to devise news ways of dispatching their toothy hides.
Ready for one more biggy? If an enemy strolls into the shade, it morphs into a huger, nastier version of itself. The lesson here is: don't let them get to the darkness. A simple fight can go south pretty quick if a light source is lost.
The more regular attacks you string together, however, the more powerful your light/dark attack will be when you let it go. In other words, it's a combo meter that increases the power of your special attacks with each successful hit. Balancing your light and dark attacks, the power of these attacks, character placement and a constantly draining time meter make each battle an intense, involved exercise. Proximity-based attacks and spells add to the strategy, so, for example, if you let loose a wide-swinging special move, it'll tag any enemy in range. The same goes for healing spells, so perfect placement is absolutely critical.
Eternal Sonata has its share of obnoxious things to pick at, but there's just so much energy and effort going into it that it's hard not to get sucked in. Even if the dialogue is cheesy and derivative, the breathtaking visuals make you forget. Then you're in a battle and all the other nonsense bleeds away, leaving you with a shockingly deep fighting system and a colorful world full of cool things to see. It's also so focused on visuals and music (names like Allegretto, Beat, Viola and Polka are all over the place), that it easily bring it a crowd that normally pays no mind to the stat-tracking ways of the RPG.
