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* WorthlessTreasureTwist: A variation in that the party actually finds a real pirate's treasure of gold and jewels, but what Salsa values is a [[NiceHat pirate's hat]] to replace her hat that got lost at sea.
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* StealthPun: Sop and Rano, two girls in Tenuto Village whose combined names make "soprano."
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* StealthPun: Sop and Rano, two girls in Tenuto Village whose combined names make "soprano."" Also, March's line "experience is what counts" upon winning a battle.
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** Not ''entirely'' averted, as Chopin was not a conductor; any actual directing he did would have been from the piano, and thus he would not have had use of a baton!
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* EenieMeenieMinyMoai: The Score Piece participant Desolate Goro/Saburo and the others like him in the Noise Dunes of Fantasy entrance area to the Double Reed Tower of Sand.
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** InstantCostumeChange: When selected from the menu, the new costume takes effect for the character in the field the menu you exit the menu.
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* NintendoHard: Many elements of the battle system have been altered in the PlayStation3 UpdatedRerelease to remove things that were easy in XBox360. Both roaming enemies and bosses often give less EXP, bosses often substantially less. Beat's photos are harder to get Rank A and while in the original even Rank C sold for a lot of gold, in the update the best Rank A generally sell for less than a Rank C of the same monster from the original. Characters learn certain Special Attacks at different levels (usually, though not always, ones less favorable to the player) and one of the most painful - Angel Trumpets (the main items used for reviving) carry a weight of three in the item set instead of two.
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trope renamed at TRS
* MundaneMadeAwesome: Salsa getting the pirate hat, declaring it to be the "ultimate treasure". The fanfare and background make it a CrowningMomentOfFunny.
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* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome: Salsa getting the pirate hat, declaring it to be the "ultimate treasure". The fanfare and background make it a CrowningMomentOfFunny.
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* DifferentAsNightAndDay: The twins, Salsa and March, are not only opposite in personality but use solar- and lunar-themed attacks, respectively. Additionally, when you find a weapon for one that does greater damage to light creatures, there's a complimentary one nearby that does greater damage to dark creatures.
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* PolarOppositeTwins: The twins, Salsa and March, are not only opposite in personality but use solar- and lunar-themed attacks, respectively. Additionally, when you find a weapon for one that does greater damage to light creatures, there's a complimentary one nearby that does greater damage to dark creatures.
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* InsultToRocks - "Really though, comparing sea water stirred up by the beauty of the moon to the ugly waves created by the effects of human desire is rather an insult to the ocean."
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* UpdatedRerelease: The PS3 version adds several quests, Crescendo and Serenade as playable characters, and expands upon a lot of plot points of the original. In fact, the differences between the two are greater than most people realize. Most monsters in battle (especially bosses) give less EXP in the PS3 version, though Level 99 is only really achievable in PS3, due to a bonus monster that gives over 500,000 EXP. Many characters learn certain Special Attacks at different levels and the requirements for high-quality Photos from Beat are much stricter on PS3. Many battle quotes have been altered too. Besides the obvious changes, certain dialogues within the game have been subtly altered and it even seems as though certain lines that weren't actually altered were nevertheless re-recorded to give them a different tone or emphasis. There are even changes as subtle as a battlefield in PS3 having a shifting shadow of darkness that isn't present in the XBox 360 version, making it much more likely that the player will have to face the more challenging dark opponent.
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* UpdatedRerelease: The PS3 version adds several quests, Crescendo and Serenade as playable characters, and expands upon a lot of plot points of the original. In fact, the differences between the two are greater than most people realize. Most monsters in battle (especially bosses) give less EXP in the PS3 version, though Level 99 is only really achievable in PS3, due to a bonus monster that gives over 500,000 EXP. Many characters learn certain Special Attacks at different levels and the requirements for high-quality Photos from Beat are much stricter on PS3. Many battle quotes have been altered too. Besides the obvious changes, certain dialogues within the game have been subtly altered and it even seems as though certain lines that weren't actually altered were nevertheless re-recorded to give them a different tone or emphasis. Heck, even some of the ''subtitles'' were altered to better reflect the feel of the dialogue, even if the recorded dialogue itself wasn't changed. (Something you'd never notice unless you were watching video of the two versions side-by-side.) There are even changes as subtle as a battlefield in PS3 having a shifting shadow of darkness that isn't present in the XBox 360 version, making it much more likely that the player will have to face the more challenging dark opponent.
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Killed the plea for more help - The characters page is very good - it even has pictures, which a lot of them don\'t get. And a few other tweaks, including removing a character-specific trope.
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[[Characters/EternalSonata Character sheet under construction.]] [[NeedsMoreLove Please feel free to contribute.]]
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[[Characters/EternalSonata Character sheet under construction.]] [[NeedsMoreLove available here. Please feel free add tropes related to contribute.specific characters to the character sheet.]]
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* AnIcePerson: Falsetto, so very much.
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* UpdatedRerelease: The PS3 version adds several quests, Crescendo and Serenade as playable characters, and expands upon a lot of plot points of the original.
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* UpdatedRerelease: The PS3 version adds several quests, Crescendo and Serenade as playable characters, and expands upon a lot of plot points of the original. In fact, the differences between the two are greater than most people realize. Most monsters in battle (especially bosses) give less EXP in the PS3 version, though Level 99 is only really achievable in PS3, due to a bonus monster that gives over 500,000 EXP. Many characters learn certain Special Attacks at different levels and the requirements for high-quality Photos from Beat are much stricter on PS3. Many battle quotes have been altered too. Besides the obvious changes, certain dialogues within the game have been subtly altered and it even seems as though certain lines that weren't actually altered were nevertheless re-recorded to give them a different tone or emphasis. There are even changes as subtle as a battlefield in PS3 having a shifting shadow of darkness that isn't present in the XBox 360 version, making it much more likely that the player will have to face the more challenging dark opponent.
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* ItIsPronouncedTropay: "Hanon" is ''French'' and is properly pronounced as "Huh-non" (as in non-dairy.) In most "Let's Play" videos however, you will hear pronounced "Han-in," as if it rhymed with "cannon."
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Typo in a link. Also moving an item to YMMV
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* ItsTheSameNowItSucks: The game is a [[{{Reconstruction}} strictly traditional]] EasternRPG; people who went in with other expectations shouted this.
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* WouldtHitAGirl: Averted even outside of battle. In one particular cutscene, [[spoiler:Jazz]] slaps [[spoiler:Falsetto]]. You don't hate him for it. Maybe it helps that [[spoiler:he then hugs her.]]
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* WouldtHitAGirl: WouldHitAGirl: Averted even outside of battle. In one particular cutscene, [[spoiler:Jazz]] slaps [[spoiler:Falsetto]]. You don't hate him for it. Maybe it helps that [[spoiler:he then hugs her.]]
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The ptitle migration
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* [=~It's The Same Now It Sucks~=]: The game is a [[{{Reconstruction}} strictly traditional]] EasternRPG; people who went in with other expectations shouted this.
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* [=~It's The Same Now It Sucks~=]: ItsTheSameNowItSucks: The game is a [[{{Reconstruction}} strictly traditional]] EasternRPG; people who went in with other expectations shouted this.
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* [=~Wouldn't Hit a Girl~=]: Averted even outside of battle. In one particular cutscene, [[spoiler:Jazz]] slaps [[spoiler:Falsetto]]. You don't hate him for it. Maybe it helps that [[spoiler:he then hugs her.]]
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* [=~Wouldn't Hit a Girl~=]: WouldtHitAGirl: Averted even outside of battle. In one particular cutscene, [[spoiler:Jazz]] slaps [[spoiler:Falsetto]]. You don't hate him for it. Maybe it helps that [[spoiler:he then hugs her.]]
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Eternal Sonata has been praised for its strictly traditional story and gameplay, [[LoveItOrHateIt and criticized for the same.]] The game was first released for the {{Xbox 360}} in 2007, then for the {{PS3}} [[UpdatedRerelease (with added features and a somewhat altered plot)]] in 2008.
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http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/204711-chopin_large.jpg
[[caption-width:300:This guy is Chopin! No, really!]]
[[caption-width:300:This guy is Chopin! No, really!]]
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%% Please do not change or remove without starting a new thread.
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.
[[caption-width:300:This guy is Chopin! No, really!]]
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[[{{Characters/Eternal Sonata}} Character sheet under construction.]] [[NeedsMoreLove Please feel free to contribute.]]
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'''Provides examples of:'''
* AbsoluteCleavage: Viola. Captain Dolce counts too.
* AbsoluteCleavage: Viola. Captain Dolce counts too.
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*
** Viola.
** Captain Dolce counts too.
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* TheseHandsHaveKilled: In the ending of the PlayStation3 version, [[spoiler:Frederic stares at his hands in this manner after he wakes up following Polka's sacrifice. Of course, technically he didn't, but he blames himself for not being able to do anything to stop what happened.]]
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* SureLetsGoWithThat: When Allegretto decides to ditch the party who's supposed take care of the "ghosts" underneath the Mandolin Church, Allegretto decides to jet to go fetch Polka. Viola suggests that perhaps the reason he's leaving is because he's scared of ghosts, and he happily seizes on that excuse, stating that he never told anyone before, but he's super-scared of ghosts.
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* HeKnowsAboutTimedHits: Polka and Allegrettos' early-game battle tutorials. "The animals that live in the forest around here aren't really very strong, so I should be able to defeat them without too much trouble. But, just to be safe, I'll go over the basics of how to fight again."
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* MultipleEndings: [[spoiler:If you lose to Chopin in the final battle, he wakes up in the real world.]] The PS3 version of the game also bears some changes on the normal ending.
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* MultipleEndings: [[spoiler:If you lose to Chopin in the final battle, he wakes up in the real world.]] The PS3 version of the game also bears some changes on the normal ending. Additionally, the PS3 version has at least three different sequences that can be shown during the first set of closing credits. What's odd is that there doesn't seem to any specific trigger that determines which ending you get. The endings are as follows:
*[[spoiler:Frederic appears on a black background and addresses a soliloquy directly to his late sister, Emilia.]]
*[[spoiler:Photos of various scenes from throughout the game are shown.]]
*[[spoiler:The characters appear and recite lines from the game. However, they don't directly address the player like in the XBox 360 version and some of the lines they use are ones that are exclusive to the PS3 version.]]
*[[spoiler:Frederic appears on a black background and addresses a soliloquy directly to his late sister, Emilia.]]
*[[spoiler:Photos of various scenes from throughout the game are shown.]]
*[[spoiler:The characters appear and recite lines from the game. However, they don't directly address the player like in the XBox 360 version and some of the lines they use are ones that are exclusive to the PS3 version.]]
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* [[TalkingToHimself Talking to Herself]]: The twins Salsa and March share a voice actress (in English; their Japanese voice actresses are different).
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* TalkingIsAFreeAction: For any character uttering one of their soliloquys prior to launching a charged-up Special Attack. The Action Gauge stops cold which is a good thing, since a couple of these soliloquys take longer for them to say than a full turn of the Action Gauge.
* [[TalkingToHimself Talking to Herself]]: The twins Salsa and March share a voice actress (in English; their Japanese voice actresses are different).
* [[TalkingToHimself Talking to Herself]]: The twins Salsa and March share a voice actress (in English; their Japanese voice actresses are different).
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* PaletteSwap: Heinously used to turn a roster of about thirty types of monsters into seventy. As well, used to turn early game bosses into mini bosses in the FinalDungeon.
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* PaletteSwap: Heinously used to turn a roster of about thirty types of monsters into seventy. As well, used to turn early game bosses into mini bosses in the FinalDungeon. In the PlayStation3 UpdatedRerelease, March actually LampShades this when after the party defeats the White Jewel in the Double Reed Tower, she notes that its appearance was similar to a monster in the Agogo Forest (the Baby Dragon fought by Allegretto and Beat), so examined it and found that the texture of its hide was different, and a lot more durable.
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* ArbitraryHeadcountLimit: The party size climbs to ten in the 360 version, and a rather large twelve in the PS3 version, possibly a record for any RPG not named ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'', ''ChronoCross'', ''VideoGame/RadiataStories'', [[RunningGag or]] ''{{Suikoden}}'', but you'll only ever have three characters in the active battling party.
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* ArbitraryHeadcountLimit: The party size climbs to ten in the 360 version, and a rather large twelve in the PS3 version, possibly a record for any RPG not named ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'', ''ChronoCross'', ''VideoGame/ChronoCross'', ''VideoGame/RadiataStories'', [[RunningGag or]] ''{{Suikoden}}'', but you'll only ever have three characters in the active battling party.
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Added two items, removed item to be transferrdd to YMMV
* HeyYou: When the party reaches the summit of Mt. Rock, Allegretto addresses Crescendo and Serenade (a prince and princess respectively) with a hearty "Hey, guys!"
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-->'''Rondo''': You fool. The information you provided us was very valuable. But I was ordered to kill you if your identity was revealed. Don't take it personally.
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-->'''Rondo''': You fool. The information you provided us was very valuable. But I was [[JustFollowingOrders ordered to kill you you]] if your identity was revealed. Don't take it personally.
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* {{Padding}}: Why else would you need to get special water from the end of a graveyard to give to a child to feed a plant; defeat a ghost in the basement of a church; have to board a pirate ship to defend a military vessel that has its own guards and guns; or climb a temple/tower as requested to by a priest.
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* DubNameChange: From Japanese to English, Jitterbug's name is changed to Jazz, but the other names are kept the change (although in Japanese they call him Chopin, while in English they call him Frederick). However, if you play the game using the French on-screen text, a number of other characters change names. For your side, Beat becomes Piccolo, Viola is Harpe, Claves is Mazurka. (A mazurka is a type of Polish folk dance and Chopin composed several of them, one of which can be listened to on a piano in the tavern in Forte.) Serenade's poodle puppy changes from Minuet to Menuet. Oh, and Frederic and Serenade both gain accent marks over the "e"s in their names. For the baddies, Fugue becomes Staccato, Guitar is Banjo, Rondo is Rumba, and Count Waltz, of course, becomes Comte Valse. Incidentally, Jazz is still Jazz.
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* DubNameChange: From Japanese to English, Jitterbug's name is changed to Jazz, but the other names are kept the change (although in Japanese they call him Chopin, while in English they call him Frederick). However, if you play the game using the French on-screen text, a number of other characters change names. For your side, Beat becomes Piccolo, Viola is Harpe, Claves Falsetto is Mazurka. (A mazurka is a type of Polish folk dance and Chopin composed several of them, one of which can be listened to on a piano in the tavern in Forte.) Serenade's poodle puppy changes from Minuet to Menuet. Oh, and Frederic and Serenade both gain accent marks over the "e"s in their names. For the baddies, Fugue becomes Staccato, Guitar is Banjo, Rondo is Rumba, and Count Waltz, of course, becomes Comte Valse. Incidentally, Jazz is still Jazz.
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** It's advisable not to get on Beat's bad side either. [[spoiler:Tuba learned that the hard way.]]
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* StealthPun: Sop and Rano, two girls in Tenuto Village whose combined names make "soprano."
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* TheDoctorDolittle: Part of the second trading sidequest involves finding the ingredients for a magic candy that allows one to talk to animals, which you ultimately give to an item merchant who wants to be able to talk to his horse. (Absurd! [[MisterEd No one can talk to a horse, of course!]]) Also, there's a woman in Baroque you can help out whose husband has disappeared into the Sharp Mountains. Viola is somehow able to understand a dog whose barking "tells" her that the husband is in danger and needs help.
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* SpeaksFluentAnimal: Part of the second trading sidequest involves finding the ingredients for a magic candy that allows one to talk to animals, which you ultimately give to an item merchant who wants to be able to talk to his horse. (Absurd! [[MisterEd No one can talk to a horse, of course!]]) Also, there's a woman in Baroque you can help out whose husband has disappeared into the Sharp Mountains. Viola is somehow able to understand a dog whose barking "tells" her that the husband is in danger and needs help.
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* SoLongAndThanksForAllTheGear: There are numerous instances where you switch between different groups of party members. Whenever you do, the party members that are left behind keep whatever equipment they have for the time being and you don't get it back until they rejoin. Not a problem with weapons, since each character has their own unique type, but definitely potentially troublesome with accessories and armor. Particularly egregious if you choose to Crescendo and Serenade for the final boss battle of Lament Mirror in the PS3 version, since you don't get them back for two chapters. [[spoiler:And don't even think about equipping anything good to Claves, who ''dies'' at the end of Chapter 3, though she can rejoin, and eventually fully resurrected, if you visit Mysterious Unison in Chapter 7, at which point you can finally get back anything that was equipped.]]
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http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/204711-chopin_large.jpg
[[caption-width:300:This guy is Chopin! No, really!]]
It's a Japanese RPG. Cel-shaded, manga-style graphics. Heroes who [[HeroesPreferSwords prefer swords]], TheEmpire trying to create an army of super-soldiers with PsychoSerum. A young girl, shunned by society, who just wants to [[LoveFreak help people]]. A young, handsome thief who wants to make the world a better place, so that no one has to steal to survive. A prince, a princess, and LaResistance round out the cast. A {{Bishonen}} with a {{BFS}}, and two girls with [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair impossible hair-colors]] and {{Stripperiffic}} outfits. Battle between light and darkness, yadda yadda yadda...
Sound straightforward, even a bit cliché? Perhaps. If you're looking for a traditional JRPG with a battle system that will bring an immediate sense of nostalgia, this is your game. If you're looking for groundbreaking special effects and an original story, you might be less satisfied.
Oh, I forgot to mention that the main character is [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chopin Frédéric François Chopin]], famous pianist and composer, known as 'The Poet of the Piano', a legend in his own time. He died in 1849, at the age of 39, in his sister's apartment in Paris... and the game takes the form of his dying dreams, as the major events of his life are spun into a fantastic tale, and as the life slowly seeps from him, [[UpTheRealRabbitHole the border between dream and reality grow thinner...]]
The battle system reflects recent influences in RPG design. Your character is given a set interval of time with which to move or attack, and the special moves available to your character depend on whether they're standing in light or shadow. Some environments have moving clouds and the like, making it a challenge to keep in a location where your heals can go off. It is possible to block, counter, and build up a chain called the Harmony Gauge in order to boost the power of your special attacks.
The straightforward RPG gameplay is accompanied by both original and arranged pieces by the virtuoso composer, and the action is occasionally interspersed with sequences that relates the events to the very real drama of the historic Chopin. An encounter with an [[HopelessBossFight unbeatable swordsman]] in a rain-soaked jungle reflects Chopin's near-fatal bout of tuberculosis on Mallorca during the rainy season. Escaping from the castle dungeons with the aid of LaResistance parallels Chopin leaving his native Poland mere days before the November Uprising throws the country into chaos, and so forth...
Eternal Sonata has been praised for its strictly traditional story and gameplay, [[LoveItOrHateIt and criticized for the same.]] The game was first released for the {{Xbox 360}} in 2007, then for the {{PS3}} [[UpdatedRerelease (with added features and a somewhat altered plot)]] in 2008.
There is also a manga adaptation of the game. However, it is only 10 chapters long and changes many aspects of the story drastically.
[[{{Characters/Eternal Sonata}} Character sheet under construction.]] [[NeedsMoreLove Please feel free to contribute.]]
----
'''Provides examples of:'''
* AbsoluteCleavage: Viola. Captain Dolce counts too.
* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: and quite pretty, as sewers go.
* {{Acrofatic}}: Tuba is surprisingly quick for such a big guy.
* ActionGirl: Viola, Falsetto, Claves to an extent.
* AlanSmithee: Listed as a voice actor under "Additional Voices" in the english version. Apparently this game was polarizing even for the VA's.
* AmericanKirbyIsHardcore: A weird example. While the [[http://www.creativeuncut.com/gallery-08/art/es-illust-box-art-jp.jpg Japanese]] and [[http://www.creativeuncut.com/gallery-08/art/es-illust-box-art-us.jpg US]] XBox360 covers are both pretty cutesy, the [[http://www.psu.com/media/eternal-sonata/133500e.jpg original US PS3 boxart]] is almost misleading.
* AndYourRewardIsClothes: The PS3 version added alternate outfits for Polka, Beat and Allegretto, the three characters that you can navigate in the field at various points. While most of these were easy to find, at least one of them was in an obscure area of a dungeon that was added for the PS3 version.
* AnIcePerson: Falsetto, so very much.
* ApologeticAttacker: Polka frequently says "I'm sorry!" after hitting a monster with her parasol. Yes, her ''parasol''. Additionally, Chopin would sometimes state "You've done nothing wrong." after defeating an enemy.
* ArbitraryHeadcountLimit: The party size climbs to ten in the 360 version, and a rather large twelve in the PS3 version, possibly a record for any RPG not named ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'', ''ChronoCross'', ''VideoGame/RadiataStories'', [[RunningGag or]] ''{{Suikoden}}'', but you'll only ever have three characters in the active battling party.
* TheArtifact: The whole Chopin storyline is almost entirely forgotten after the first chapter or two.
* ArtisticAge: If you didn't know any better, you'd think Chopin was a teenager.
** It is jarring to walk up to girls the same height as Polka (who is 14) who talk about cooking for their husbands.
* AxCrazy: Fugue.
** Count Waltz also.
* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:Claves]]. And depending on your interpretation, [[spoiler:Chopin]].
* BackgroundMagicField: The battles take place on open plains that all the characters / creatures can move around in, with different magical attacks (and for the creatures, sometimes different physical forms) available when attacking from areas of light or shade.
* BadassAdorable: Beat, March, and Salsa.
* BareFistedMonk: Falsetto, though she can equip brass knuckles and similar weapons. Of course, since equipping different weapons doesn't change the character's appearance, this isn't really shown.
* BattleInTheRain: All encounters in the Agogo Forest while it's raining, naturally, but particularly the battle with Fugue.
* BecauseISaidSo: A mother's stated reason when a boy asks why he shouldn't go near Polka, or anyone who glows (from using magic) like she did.
* BecomingTheMask: [[spoiler:Claves]]. And possibly [[spoiler:Princess Serenade]], who seems to genuinely have fallen in love with [[spoiler: her fianceé Prince Crescendo]].
* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: ''One of the main characters is Frédéric François Chopin.'' Who knew [[{{Badass}} he could kick so much ass with a conductor's baton?]]
* BettyAndVeronica: Falsetto and Claves are both after Jazz, although which is the Betty and which the Veronica is less obvious than in many cases. Later, [[spoiler:Viola falls for him as well, making it a sort of UnwantedHarem]] except that Jazz is totally oblivious.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Just because they're wearing frilly dresses doesn't mean you should underestimate them. Polka is sweet and kind, but is prone to shouting "Stay out of my way!" as she casts her area effect [[LastDiscMagic Nuke Spells]]. March is even sweeter and kinder, and can at higher levels effortlessly cut through enemies like a hot knife through butter.
* {{BFS}}: As wielded by Jazz. It's bigger than ''[[FinalFantasyVII Cloud's]]''!
* BittersweetEnding[=/=]DownerEnding: Chopin [[spoiler:finally chooses to believe that his dreamworld is real, which breaks the StableTimeLoop it's trapped in and allows Polka and the rest to live in a new future. However, this also is apparently what causes him to 'die' in our reality, leaving behind the people in the real world who still care about him.]] The start of the final credits where [[spoiler:Chopin's spirit leaves his body, walks over to his piano, and accompanies the ending theme can be seen a symbol of how he lives on in the real world through his music. Whether the ending is the former or the latter is dependent on the individual and how "real" they see the dream world in comparison to Chopin's conclusion.]]
* BoobsOfSteel: Viola and Captain Dolce are the top competitors in this area.
* BonusBoss: Deep Lurker, Unison Rondo, and Annihilator in the [[BonusDungeon Mysterious Unison]]. Unison Rondo's incredibly high stats and speed would be perfect ThatOneBoss material if she wasn't optional.
** The Church of Ezi's boss in the PS3 version also.
** Not to mention the two (three on Encore) optional rematches with Captain Dolce.
* BonusDungeon: Mysterious Unison. And The Church of Ezi in the PS3 version.
* BreakingTheFourthWall: The protagonists speak directly to the player during [[spoiler:the first half of the ending credits in the X-Box 360 version. This is replaced by a soliloquy by Chopin in the first ending of the [=PS3=] version. The Encore mode ending simply has the protagonists repeating quotes without addressing the player]].
* CallingYourAttacks: Every single playable character, as well as all of the human bosses, especially when they use charged up Echoes. Ranges from quick, to-the-point shouts, to near-filibusters that quite possibly required the voice actor to take a breath during the read.
-->'''Chopin''': Triumphant victory! The hoofbeats of the brutal horde approach! ''Legion Fulminante!''
* CareerKillers: Rondo
* ChargedAttack: Echoes and Harmony Chains
* CheerfulChild: Beat, who tends to stay [[StealthPun upbeat]] throughout events that would probably traumatize many eight-year-olds.
** March also qualifies for this.
* ChickMagnet: Jazz so very much. He attracts Claves, Falsetto, and Viola.
* ChirpingCrickets: Done using the blowing wind variant. The party is trying to decide whether or not to use a secret passage, so they turn to Allegretto to make the decision. He decides to go for it, commenting "You know what they say - 'If you don't go into the lion's den, you can't count you chickens.'" There is a sound of wind blowing from the tunnel and after a pause, Viola comments "That doesn't make any sense."
* ComesGreatResponsibility: In Lament Mirror in the PlayStation3 UpdatedRerelease, Salsa is alone with Frederic and hankering for some food. She asks Frederic why he doesn't use his magic powers to magic up a steak for them. He replies that "Magic is not a tool of convenience," and continues that even if such a thing were possible, their first thought should be of the children starving in the cities. Salsa is not persuaded by this logical argument, and breaks down in a tantrum, causing Frederic to FacePalm.
* CoolBigSis: Viola to a certain degree.
* CrapsackWorld: Allegretto believes that any world where good people needlessly suffer, including his own and the player's, is a lousy place to live.
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: a number of characters, most notably Claves.
* CuteBruiser- Salsa and March. [[MoeMoe Perhaps too cute]].
* DeadLittleSister: Chopin had one in real life who was the inspiration for Polka.
* DefrostingIceQueen: Falsetto, appropriately falls under this.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu?: [[spoiler: On Encore mode on the PS3 version, you can face The Great EZI as an optional boss, who is implied to be some sort of deity.]]
* DifferentAsNightAndDay: The twins, Salsa and March, are not only opposite in personality but use solar- and lunar-themed attacks, respectively. Additionally, when you find a weapon for one that does greater damage to light creatures, there's a complimentary one nearby that does greater damage to dark creatures.
* TheDoctorDolittle: Part of the second trading sidequest involves finding the ingredients for a magic candy that allows one to talk to animals, which you ultimately give to an item merchant who wants to be able to talk to his horse. (Absurd! [[MisterEd No one can talk to a horse, of course!]]) Also, there's a woman in Baroque you can help out whose husband has disappeared into the Sharp Mountains. Viola is somehow able to understand a dog whose barking "tells" her that the husband is in danger and needs help.
* DubNameChange: From Japanese to English, Jitterbug's name is changed to Jazz, but the other names are kept the change (although in Japanese they call him Chopin, while in English they call him Frederick). However, if you play the game using the French on-screen text, a number of other characters change names. For your side, Beat becomes Piccolo, Viola is Harpe, Claves is Mazurka. (A mazurka is a type of Polish folk dance and Chopin composed several of them, one of which can be listened to on a piano in the tavern in Forte.) Serenade's poodle puppy changes from Minuet to Menuet. Oh, and Frederic and Serenade both gain accent marks over the "e"s in their names. For the baddies, Fugue becomes Staccato, Guitar is Banjo, Rondo is Rumba, and Count Waltz, of course, becomes Comte Valse. Incidentally, Jazz is still Jazz.
** A number of the attack names change, e.g. Orange Cure and Earth Growth to Orange Glow and Earth Heal for Polka. For Princess Serenade they decided to change her "[[GratuitousEnglish Word:]]" skills to "[[AltumVidetur Verbum:]]".
* DyingDream: The premise of the story.
* ElegantGothicLolita: Informs much of the character design, but especially Falsetto.
* EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses: Princess Serenade is [[spoiler: from Forte]], but they're apparently ruled by a Count, who in traditional kingdoms is much lower in rank than a prince or princess. Then again, it's possible that she was given the title of princess when she got engaged to Crescendo. In one scene, [[spoiler:Waltz]] refers to her verbatim as "a princess of [[spoiler:Forte]]." Apparently they just wanted a princess in the game. Their Nobility Is Different From Our Nobility?
* ExpositionBreak: The game is a bit lengthy on the cutscenes in general, but special mention goes to the slow-paced Chopin history lessons.
* FacePalm: Done by Chopin in the [[UpdatedRerelease PS3 version]] when listening to [[spoiler:Salsa whine about being trapped in Lament]]
* FakeDifficulty: Start the BonusDungeon and you will unlock Party Level 6 which allows you to chain up to 6 special attacks. The catch? Every time you use one, the [[InterfaceScrew button's mapping changes randomly]], meaning that you should un-memorize the controller's mapping. It's even worse on the first playthrough since you cannot revert to party level 5.
** Not as bad as it sounds, actually. The random remapping only happens whenever one uses a skill, not at every button press like a number of descriptions set it up to be. In fact, even then, it only changes with skill usage when executing Harmony Chains - if one doesn't use those, then it doesn't change at all. Furthermore, the item button always remains the same, so it's only the three other command buttons that change. It also resets to the default after each battle. As long as one remains calm (and remembers to use that map at the bottom of the screen that shows what button does what), they can reasonably keep up with a changing button layout. Plus, the benefits outweigh the detriments (carrying Echoes over between battles and an increase in Harmony Chain size from 3 to 6 at the cost of one less second of action time and DamnYouMuscleMemory seems like a good deal to me), even if one occasionally makes a mistake. It may take a bit of practice, but one can get used to it.
* FashionableAsymmetry: half the cast.
* FauxAffablyEvil: Count Waltz, all the way.
* FetchQuest: Retrieving specific water which just happens to be behind a graveyard to feed a dying plant for a child living with LaResistance.
* FinalSpeech: [[spoiler:Claves]]. It takes so long that you might end up dying before [[spoiler:she does.]]
* FieryRedhead: Salsa, to the extreme.
* FirstGirlWins: If you [[spoiler: defeat the extra Mysterious Union dungeon on the PS3 version, you can resurrect Claves]] making Jazz happy, and Falsetto less than thrilled.
* FiveBadBand: Waltz and his associates make up one:
** BigBad: Waltz
** TheDragon: Legato
** TheBrute: Tuba
** TheEvilGenius: Fugue by process of elimination, Rondo also qualifies in the PS3 version.
** TheDarkChick: Rondo
* FiveManBand: The first five people to join your party form a classic one:
** TheHero: Allegretto
** TheLancer: Beat
** TheBigGuy: Viola
** TheSmartGuy: Frédéric
** TheChick: Polka
** Then your party balloons to a total of nine to twelve people (depending on which version you're playing and if you bother to get [[spoiler:Claves]] back), and it gets a little more complex.
* FriendToAllChildren: Allegretto, to a certain degree.
* ForegoneConclusion: Chopin dies; [[spoiler: [[MindScrew at least in our world.]]]]
** Well, that all depends on [[spoiler: if you defeat him in the final battle, or if he defeats you.]]
* FragileSpeedster: Falsetto, March, Salsa, and Claves [[spoiler: at least once she's revived.]]
** Especially true for Salsa. At high levels, it is not at all unusual for her to take two turns in a row.
* GainaxEnding: But then, did you really expect the fever dream of a dying man to make sense?
* GameplayAndStorySegregation: It's said that nobody is buying floral powder from Tenuto anymore because of the cheapness of the mineral powder. Yet just about every store in the game that sells items to your party carries healing powers that are described as powders made from flowers from Tenuto.
* GetOnWithItAlready: The game has a lethargic pace that may turn off some players, and plenty of ContemplateOurNavels with long panning shots of SceneryPorn when something exciting could be happening.
* GratuitousForeignLanguage: The attack names are in English in the Japanese version, and some of Chopin's are in French, Italian, and Polish. Additionally, for the PlayStation3 UpdatedRerelease with Serenade as a playable character, two of hers are in Latin and one is in French.
* GreenAesop: A little bit in the game, with light pollution and humans being "masters of destruction" (Thank you, Falsetto), and a lot more in the credits, with the characters breaking the fourth wall and talking to the player about such issues as "Can you think of any other things that are helpful at the time but dangerous in the long run?" and "Minor inconveniences with huge long-term effects."
* GroundhogDayLoop: [[spoiler:The ending - clarified in the PS3 version - explains that the events of the game have repeated over and over again. This is why the game [[HowWeGotHere starts with the last scene]] and how Polka got hold of Allegretto's charm before he gave it to her. Chopin's presence in the most recent cycle, however, breaks the loop and happy endings occur]].
* GuideDangIt: For anyone without an ear for music, and even some that do have an ear for music, the third test in Xylophone tower. But that's only if you're not persistent. Fail it a few times and it relaxes the difficulty, making it so that the notes light up, as with the previous two trials.
** Unless you realize that [[spoiler:the notes that don't light up are exactly the same ones that did during the previous trial- so, if you wrote them out, you only need to actually memorize the last four ones, which do get shown.]]
** There's a grandmother lady in the hotel in Baroque in Chapter 4 whom you must speak with to hear a poem in order to obtain a Score Piece later in the game. It's the only thing in the game that can be LostForever if you don't remember to talk to her. (Well, that, and the reward you get for using the Score Piece later on.) Oh, and this only applies in Encore Mode - in your first playthrough, you cannot return to most locations after visiting them the first time, so if you miss something, it's most likely gone until your second playthrough.
* HartmanHips: Most females to a certain degree, but Claves and Falsetto really stand out here.
* HaveANiceDeath: When you lose to certain bosses.
* HeadsIWinTailsYouLose: If you lose against Tuba it's Game Over. If you win against Tuba, he orders a couple of mooks to throw you in jail.
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Polka attempts]] one of these at the end of the game.
* HistoricalBeautyUpdate: Chopin was a gorgeous hunk in RealLife, but he's outright {{Bishonen}} in this game.
* HopelessBossFight: Against Fugue the first time Frederick and Polka meet him.
* HyperspaceArsenal: A bit of an odd case in that the game allows you carry up to 99 of any item at all that can be purchased or dropped by monsters, including weapons and armor. This is despite the fact that every character has their own unique type of weapon that only they can equip and most armor can only be equipped by a few different characters, or in some cases, only one.
* HypocriticalHumor: When Fugue tells Count Waltz that he couldn't find any glowing agogos in Agogo Forest, Waltz orders him straight back there and warns him "I won't listen to another report of failure." Fugue leaves and Legato comes in to inform Waltz about the good progress they're making with their mining operations at Mt. Rock, only for Waltz to tell him "There's no need to report when things are going well."
* IllGirl: Polka, although she fights surprisingly well considering she has a terminal disease. Subverted later in [[spoiler: the magic researcher's claim that not all people who can use magic necessarily have the disease; Polka might be fine]]. Actually, it's the other way around: the magic researcher says that [[spoiler: not everyone who has the disease can use magic, and not vice versa. That's how he started thinking that perhaps Astras could have something to do with magical powers, which leads to the party going to Agogo Forest in order to ask the Agogo Queen Mother for help: by making the Agogos "absorb" part of the light that emanates from Polka's Astra they hope to wake her up after she faints in Baroque.]]
* ImprobableWeaponUser: Whilst many of the weapons are somewhat improbable, combining as they do design elements of musical instruments with more traditional weapons, Beat's combination clarinet/gun/nadziak (a spiked hammer that was used in the Polish rebellion), and Chopin himself hitting enemies with a conductor's baton take the cake.
** It's a very big baton.
*** Made out of fine wood.
* InMediasRes: [[spoiler: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] as the player is lead to believe they will see the first scene in the game again later, as it appears to be set in the future. However, due to the game's GroundhogDayLoop this is actually before the game chronologically.]]
** Played straight with the Baroque sequence. You begin this portion of the game with Beat and Polka in an outside courtyard area of Baroque Castle and then go into a FlashBack sequence involving how they got rescued by a Baroque ship and then fought off a ship full of pirates (at which point the items you collect on the ship suddenly appear in your inventory).
* InfinityPlusOneSword: And an [[InfinityPlusOneSword Infinity Plus One]] ''Umbrella''.
** Alegretto's final weapon, Silver Star, is a sword that critically hits 100% of the time.
* InnocentFlowerGirl: Polka.
* InstantMessengerPigeon: Claves sends a dove to Baroque to deliver the message to Prince Crescendo that [[spoiler:Princess Serenade is a Forte spy]]. Not only does the dove make it safely, but it survives the bitter cold to land neatly upon the prince's window.
* InstrumentOfMurder: A clarinet/gun/mallet, a {{BFS}} with trombone pipes, a fencing rapier shaped like a conductor's baton...
* InsurmountableWaistHeightFence: An early quest will force you to find some food for a bunch of goats blocking your path on a bridge. Said bridge is about four feet long and is built over little more than a trickling stream. Does your party think of going around and wading through ankle-deep water? Of course not.
* InvoluntaryGroupSplit: Tuba destroys the Cabasa Bridge the party is on at the end of Chapter Two, splitting them up. You play the following two chapters as one of the groups - Allegretto, Viola and the Andantino members in Chapter 3 and then Polka, Beat, Salsa and Frederic in Chapter 4.
* IrrelevantSidequest: There's a fairly extensive trading sidequest early in the game that ultimately results in nothing more than a key to a temple that can easily be obtained by simpler means. The only upshot is you get to keep a minor accessory that you would otherwise be forced to give up. What's worse, you ultimately end up ''not needing'' the key in question, but the plot demands that you obtain it anyway. Also, the Score Piece sidequest is entirely unconnected to the plot of the game.
* [=~It's The Same Now It Sucks~=]: The game is a [[{{Reconstruction}} strictly traditional]] EasternRPG; people who went in with other expectations shouted this.
* {{Jerkass}}: Allegretto's interactions with Beat can sometimes come off as less 'playful' and more 'just plain nasty', as well as the time he [[spoiler: ditched atoning for his crimes so he could spend time with his crush, leaving the rest of the party to do all the dirty work]]. Not to mention that time in Double Reed Tower when Beat [[spoiler:explains the emotional significance of his camera, it being a cherished possession left to him by his father...and Allegretto immediately teases him about it, makes him cry and run away, and acts like it was no big deal that he just dismissed an important part of Beat's life. When Polka explains what Beat was feeling, Allegretto pretty much dismisses her too, though marginally less blatantly, since he likes her.]] Interestingly, this scene does not occur in the PS3 version.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: what the creators seem to be going for with Allegretto, according to [[WordOfGod official descriptions]].
* JokeItem: Most of the [=EZI=] items are pretty much useless, or worse, do harm to your characters. If you're plyaing the XBox 360 version, then it's still worth collecting them all in order to gain an Achievement, if you like gaining Achievements for XBox Live. If you have the PS3 version, they are pretty much just something to collect for fun, as this version doesn't connect to the PlayStation Network.
* JustLikeRobinHood: Allegretto and Beat steal from a bakery to feed homeless people in the sewers. The taxes in the town are so high that, without Allegretto and Beat playing Robin Hood, they would likely starve to death.
* KillEmAll: [[spoiler:Chopin attempts to do this at the game's end]]. If you believe that the dreamworld [[AllJustADream wasn't real after all]], (despite the [[UpTheRealRabbitHole many hints that this is not so]]) this is arguably what happens when Chopin finally dies.
* LaughingMad: [[spoiler:One of Count Waltz's lines when he does a charged-up Apocalypse Fall.]]
* LargeHam: A lot of the voice actors chew the scenery quite a bit, but the crown is taken by [[LiamOBrien Liam O'Brien]], who is clearly having a ''hell'' of a time playing Count Waltz.
* LittlestCancerPatient: Polka, though she's older than she looks.
* LoveFreak: All Polka wants to do help other people, even if the same people that she heals treat her like a leper because they think her illness is contagious.
* TheLifestream: [[spoiler:TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon]].
* MessianicArchetype: [[spoiler:Polka.]]
* MightyGlacier: Jazz has the highest attack stats and hit points, but he's also one of the slowest characters.
* TheMessiah: It's never quite clear how or why, but it seems that [[spoiler:Polka is destined to heal the world]]. The PS3 version makes it clearer; [[spoiler:Polka's [[OurSoulsAreDifferent astra]] shines brighter than anyone else's in the world]].
* MsFanservice: Viola.
* MultipleEndings: [[spoiler:If you lose to Chopin in the final battle, he wakes up in the real world.]] The PS3 version of the game also bears some changes on the normal ending.
* NewGamePlus: Beating the game allows to play in Encore Mode. All enemies are about 1.5x stronger, but you are allowed to change your Party Level at any time (in a normal playthrough, the Party Level increases throughout the game and cannot be changed manually.) You also keep all Score Pieces you found in your first playthrough, and have access to all of the music you unlocked from the menu. A number of new sidequests open up as well.
* NiceHat: Chopin wears a stylish top hat, complete with plucked feathers in the brim.
** Salsa wears a fancy pirate's hat which is her pride and joy.
* NothingPersonal: Rondo after she [[spoiler:fatally attacks Claves.]]
-->'''Rondo''': You fool. The information you provided us was very valuable. But I was ordered to kill you if your identity was revealed. Don't take it personally.
* OlderThanTheyLook: Look at Chopin's picture and then realize that while he looks like he's in his early 20's, he's actually 39.
* OneSteveLimit: There are two characters that are called Bass - one of them is a member of Andantino and the other is a flunky of the pirate captain Dolce.
* OddNameOut: Baroque City, while still musically relevant, stands out among Forte, (sus)Tenuto, Ritardando, and Andantino as a style of music, rather than a musical direction.
** The Hanon Hills also count, as the locations are generally named after musical terms of some sort, but these are actually a tribute a person-- Charlie Louis Hanon, a famous French piano pedagogue, who is known for a series of training exercises for pianists.
* OneWingedAngel: The side effect of Mineral Powder, with a dose of BrainwashedAndCrazy.
* {{Padding}}: Why else would you need to get special water from the end of a graveyard to give to a child to feed a plant; defeat a ghost in the basement of a church; have to board a pirate ship to defend a military vessel that has its own guards and guns; or climb a temple/tower as requested to by a priest.
* PaletteSwap: Heinously used to turn a roster of about thirty types of monsters into seventy. As well, used to turn early game bosses into mini bosses in the FinalDungeon.
** Technically this applies to March and Salsa also, but it 's forgivable considering they're twins.
* PirateGirl: The pirate ship ''Dolce'' is named after its female captain, who you encounter in chapter 4.
* PsychopathicManChild: Count Waltz, considering he is only 16.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: [[spoiler:PS3 Waltz delivers a nice one in the final battle against him in the Double Reed Tower, with shots specially directed against Crescendo and Polka. Alegretto tries pulling off a ShutUpHannibal but Waltz just shrugs it off.]]
* RedOniBlueOni: Salsa {red} and March {blue}. Even their hair are the respective colors! March's Blue Oni tendencies are even more pronounced in the PlayStation3 UpdatedRerelease - there are several references to her being passionate about research that aren't present in the XBox360 version.
* ReversePsychology: Used by Salsa and March, with a brief addition by Viola, to goad Count Waltz into fighting the party in the PlayStation3 UpdatedRerelease. In the XBox360 version, he just decides to fight the party for "entertainment" once Polka surrenders to him. In the rerelease, howver, he much more sensibly orders his dragons to take out the party. Since trying to take on a group of dragons would be a very bad idea, Salsa and March goad him by telling him that the party is "under the protection of the glowing agogos," with Viola noting that they've already defeated all of his other "little henchmen." This is successful in convincing Count Waltz to decide "If those bumbling idiots couldn't manage it, then why don't we see what I can do!"
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Crescendo and Serenade, especially in the PS3 version (in which they are playable characters).
* SaveScumming: Poison status is extremely useful against bosses that are affected by it and can be inflicted by using an item. Not only does it cause them to lose HP at the beginning of each turn, but it also causes them to stagger, lessening the amount of time they have to attack your party. Bosses that are affected by it, however, are also generally resistant to it, meaning there's a fair chance that the item won't inflict it. Fortunately, however, there is always a save before a boss, meaning that you can just reset until you get the result you want.
* SceneryPorn: even the sewers are pretty.
* ScrewDestiny: Allegretto, but only in the PlayStation3 UpdatedRerelease.
-->'''Allegretto''': ''(regarding Polka)'' Sacrifice her life?! There's no way I'd let her do something like that!
-->'''Solfege''': I don't wish to lose her, either. But I don't think we can fight fate.
-->'''Allegretto''': ''(makes a slashing motion with his arm to indicate he doesn't hold with that)'' Who cares about fate anyway?!
* SiblingYinYang: March and Salsa.
* SoapOperaDisease: Polka has a bad case of this.
* SpikesOfVillainy: Rondo.
* StableTimeLoop: Also a bit of a {{Mind Screw}}. [[spoiler:The game gradually reveals that [[GroundhogDayLoop everyone has made this journey before]]. At the end, Polka casts herself off a cliff, only to emerge as a little girl falling from the sky into her mother's arms, where she repeats the past seven or so years of her life all over again. Only Chopin's death breaks the cycle. This also explains the extraordinarily high volume of fortunes on the tree near the end of the game in a place that would be implausible for average people to venture; they're all Polka's fortunes.]]
* TheStinger: The story of the snail and the caterpillar at the end of the game. Make sure to wait about a minute once you receive the screen that says "Fin," or you will miss it.
* {{Stripperiffic}}: Viola's outfit definitely qualifies.
* StuckItems: you can't unequip the Weapons or Armor slot, only swap.
* {{Subtext}}: Chopin and Polka.
* TagalongKid: Beat, March, and Salsa.
* [[TalkingToHimself Talking to Herself]]: The twins Salsa and March share a voice actress (in English; their Japanese voice actresses are different).
* TakingYouWithMe: Tuba tries this when you defeat him a second time at Cabasa Bridge at the end of Chapter Two. It doesn't work, see InvoluntaryGroupSplit above.
* TeamPet: Arco, Viola's squirrel... thing...
* ThatsAnOrder: Count Waltz to Legato in the PlayStation3 UpdatedRerelease after Legato is initially hestitant about drinking the enhanced mineral powder, though he phrases it as "This is not a request."
* ThatWasntARequest: Count Waltz to your party, but only in the PlayStation3 UpdatedRerelease. He demands that the party surrender Polka and in the original XBox360 version, Polka just surrenders herself right away. In the PS3 version, however, the party has realized that it's not really Polka that Waltz is after, but rather the glowing agogos, and Polka initally refuses Count Waltz's "request."
-->'''Polka''': There's no way I'll go with you. Besides, I already know what it is I have to do. I know what to do to really help everyone.
-->'''Count Waltz''': You people don't quite understand the situation. Do you honestly think you have any say in the matter? How unfortunate. And just as I was going to respond to Prince Crescendo's little bid for peaceful negotiations. You will hand the girl over to me immediately. Because I'm afraid that if you don't, you're dead.
* ThemeNaming: Appropriately enough, everything has a musical theme to it.
* TranslationCorrection: In the Japanese version, Chopin mispronounced the "grâce" (GRAHS) in his attack [[CoupDeGrace "Coup de Grâce"]] as the English word ''grace''. The English version had the correct pronunciation.
* {{Troperiffic}}
* TwoLinesNoWaiting: In the first chapter as well as [[spoiler:after the bridge collapses]] the main characters will be seperated and be played apart in different segments.
* UnluckyChildhoodFriend: Falsetto, to Jazz.
* UpdatedRerelease: The PS3 version adds several quests, Crescendo and Serenade as playable characters, and expands upon a lot of plot points of the original.
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: Count Waltz made the zombie cure the only one the general public could afford and ruined the Agogo Forest while making them, sure, but he did make a miracle cure.
** [[spoiler: He even invoked this in the PS3 version during his TheReasonYouSuckSpeech.]]
--> "Terrible? Why, whatever do you mean? It was entirely for the sake of my subjects that I developed the most effective medicine possible."
* TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon: Double Reed Tower, is beautiful and ethereal and you will know that it is the final dungeon before you even step foot in it, unfortunately it is also repetitive as one most climb up two seperate, yet identical towers and then back down both as well.
* VideogameHistoricalRevisionism: Averted. The makers tried to be as historically accurate as possible and worked with the Chopin Society in Warsaw in order to make sure they were.
* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome: Salsa getting the pirate hat, declaring it to be the "ultimate treasure". The fanfare and background make it a CrowningMomentOfFunny.
* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic: Though the events of the game are supposed to be representative of Chopin's life experiences, there are some events that just ''do not make sense'' in this context, yet are given the air of being symbolic of ''something''. Most noticeably, the final scene of the game is [[spoiler:a tête-a-tête between a snail and a caterpillar.]]
** Some of that is possibly reflecting what Chopin himself would have thought about. Particularly, conflict and good people needlessly suffering. His little sister died of tuberculosis at the age of fourteen and quite a lot of conflict occured in Poland during Chopin's lifetime.
* WhiteMagicianGirl: Princess Serenade seems like she's going to be this: she's a pretty princess with a heart-shaped staff, she's a love interest to another character, and she can heal. It turns out, though, that she deals massive amounts of damage and is [[spoiler:TheMole]].
* WideEyedIdealist: Polka, Beat to an extent.
* TheWisePrince: Prince Crescendo.
* [=~Wouldn't Hit a Girl~=]: Averted even outside of battle. In one particular cutscene, [[spoiler:Jazz]] slaps [[spoiler:Falsetto]]. You don't hate him for it. Maybe it helps that [[spoiler:he then hugs her.]]
* XMeetsY: Frédéric Chopin meets EasternRPG?
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Silver for Allegretto and Falsetto, pinkish for Claves and Salsa, lavender for March. The rest of the party and most [=NPCs=] have more "ordinary" hair colours. Then again, it ''is'' a dream world, after all.
----
<<|EasternRPG|>>
[[caption-width:300:This guy is Chopin! No, really!]]
It's a Japanese RPG. Cel-shaded, manga-style graphics. Heroes who [[HeroesPreferSwords prefer swords]], TheEmpire trying to create an army of super-soldiers with PsychoSerum. A young girl, shunned by society, who just wants to [[LoveFreak help people]]. A young, handsome thief who wants to make the world a better place, so that no one has to steal to survive. A prince, a princess, and LaResistance round out the cast. A {{Bishonen}} with a {{BFS}}, and two girls with [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair impossible hair-colors]] and {{Stripperiffic}} outfits. Battle between light and darkness, yadda yadda yadda...
Sound straightforward, even a bit cliché? Perhaps. If you're looking for a traditional JRPG with a battle system that will bring an immediate sense of nostalgia, this is your game. If you're looking for groundbreaking special effects and an original story, you might be less satisfied.
Oh, I forgot to mention that the main character is [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chopin Frédéric François Chopin]], famous pianist and composer, known as 'The Poet of the Piano', a legend in his own time. He died in 1849, at the age of 39, in his sister's apartment in Paris... and the game takes the form of his dying dreams, as the major events of his life are spun into a fantastic tale, and as the life slowly seeps from him, [[UpTheRealRabbitHole the border between dream and reality grow thinner...]]
The battle system reflects recent influences in RPG design. Your character is given a set interval of time with which to move or attack, and the special moves available to your character depend on whether they're standing in light or shadow. Some environments have moving clouds and the like, making it a challenge to keep in a location where your heals can go off. It is possible to block, counter, and build up a chain called the Harmony Gauge in order to boost the power of your special attacks.
The straightforward RPG gameplay is accompanied by both original and arranged pieces by the virtuoso composer, and the action is occasionally interspersed with sequences that relates the events to the very real drama of the historic Chopin. An encounter with an [[HopelessBossFight unbeatable swordsman]] in a rain-soaked jungle reflects Chopin's near-fatal bout of tuberculosis on Mallorca during the rainy season. Escaping from the castle dungeons with the aid of LaResistance parallels Chopin leaving his native Poland mere days before the November Uprising throws the country into chaos, and so forth...
Eternal Sonata has been praised for its strictly traditional story and gameplay, [[LoveItOrHateIt and criticized for the same.]] The game was first released for the {{Xbox 360}} in 2007, then for the {{PS3}} [[UpdatedRerelease (with added features and a somewhat altered plot)]] in 2008.
There is also a manga adaptation of the game. However, it is only 10 chapters long and changes many aspects of the story drastically.
[[{{Characters/Eternal Sonata}} Character sheet under construction.]] [[NeedsMoreLove Please feel free to contribute.]]
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'''Provides examples of:'''
* AbsoluteCleavage: Viola. Captain Dolce counts too.
* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: and quite pretty, as sewers go.
* {{Acrofatic}}: Tuba is surprisingly quick for such a big guy.
* ActionGirl: Viola, Falsetto, Claves to an extent.
* AlanSmithee: Listed as a voice actor under "Additional Voices" in the english version. Apparently this game was polarizing even for the VA's.
* AmericanKirbyIsHardcore: A weird example. While the [[http://www.creativeuncut.com/gallery-08/art/es-illust-box-art-jp.jpg Japanese]] and [[http://www.creativeuncut.com/gallery-08/art/es-illust-box-art-us.jpg US]] XBox360 covers are both pretty cutesy, the [[http://www.psu.com/media/eternal-sonata/133500e.jpg original US PS3 boxart]] is almost misleading.
* AndYourRewardIsClothes: The PS3 version added alternate outfits for Polka, Beat and Allegretto, the three characters that you can navigate in the field at various points. While most of these were easy to find, at least one of them was in an obscure area of a dungeon that was added for the PS3 version.
* AnIcePerson: Falsetto, so very much.
* ApologeticAttacker: Polka frequently says "I'm sorry!" after hitting a monster with her parasol. Yes, her ''parasol''. Additionally, Chopin would sometimes state "You've done nothing wrong." after defeating an enemy.
* ArbitraryHeadcountLimit: The party size climbs to ten in the 360 version, and a rather large twelve in the PS3 version, possibly a record for any RPG not named ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'', ''ChronoCross'', ''VideoGame/RadiataStories'', [[RunningGag or]] ''{{Suikoden}}'', but you'll only ever have three characters in the active battling party.
* TheArtifact: The whole Chopin storyline is almost entirely forgotten after the first chapter or two.
* ArtisticAge: If you didn't know any better, you'd think Chopin was a teenager.
** It is jarring to walk up to girls the same height as Polka (who is 14) who talk about cooking for their husbands.
* AxCrazy: Fugue.
** Count Waltz also.
* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:Claves]]. And depending on your interpretation, [[spoiler:Chopin]].
* BackgroundMagicField: The battles take place on open plains that all the characters / creatures can move around in, with different magical attacks (and for the creatures, sometimes different physical forms) available when attacking from areas of light or shade.
* BadassAdorable: Beat, March, and Salsa.
* BareFistedMonk: Falsetto, though she can equip brass knuckles and similar weapons. Of course, since equipping different weapons doesn't change the character's appearance, this isn't really shown.
* BattleInTheRain: All encounters in the Agogo Forest while it's raining, naturally, but particularly the battle with Fugue.
* BecauseISaidSo: A mother's stated reason when a boy asks why he shouldn't go near Polka, or anyone who glows (from using magic) like she did.
* BecomingTheMask: [[spoiler:Claves]]. And possibly [[spoiler:Princess Serenade]], who seems to genuinely have fallen in love with [[spoiler: her fianceé Prince Crescendo]].
* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: ''One of the main characters is Frédéric François Chopin.'' Who knew [[{{Badass}} he could kick so much ass with a conductor's baton?]]
* BettyAndVeronica: Falsetto and Claves are both after Jazz, although which is the Betty and which the Veronica is less obvious than in many cases. Later, [[spoiler:Viola falls for him as well, making it a sort of UnwantedHarem]] except that Jazz is totally oblivious.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Just because they're wearing frilly dresses doesn't mean you should underestimate them. Polka is sweet and kind, but is prone to shouting "Stay out of my way!" as she casts her area effect [[LastDiscMagic Nuke Spells]]. March is even sweeter and kinder, and can at higher levels effortlessly cut through enemies like a hot knife through butter.
* {{BFS}}: As wielded by Jazz. It's bigger than ''[[FinalFantasyVII Cloud's]]''!
* BittersweetEnding[=/=]DownerEnding: Chopin [[spoiler:finally chooses to believe that his dreamworld is real, which breaks the StableTimeLoop it's trapped in and allows Polka and the rest to live in a new future. However, this also is apparently what causes him to 'die' in our reality, leaving behind the people in the real world who still care about him.]] The start of the final credits where [[spoiler:Chopin's spirit leaves his body, walks over to his piano, and accompanies the ending theme can be seen a symbol of how he lives on in the real world through his music. Whether the ending is the former or the latter is dependent on the individual and how "real" they see the dream world in comparison to Chopin's conclusion.]]
* BoobsOfSteel: Viola and Captain Dolce are the top competitors in this area.
* BonusBoss: Deep Lurker, Unison Rondo, and Annihilator in the [[BonusDungeon Mysterious Unison]]. Unison Rondo's incredibly high stats and speed would be perfect ThatOneBoss material if she wasn't optional.
** The Church of Ezi's boss in the PS3 version also.
** Not to mention the two (three on Encore) optional rematches with Captain Dolce.
* BonusDungeon: Mysterious Unison. And The Church of Ezi in the PS3 version.
* BreakingTheFourthWall: The protagonists speak directly to the player during [[spoiler:the first half of the ending credits in the X-Box 360 version. This is replaced by a soliloquy by Chopin in the first ending of the [=PS3=] version. The Encore mode ending simply has the protagonists repeating quotes without addressing the player]].
* CallingYourAttacks: Every single playable character, as well as all of the human bosses, especially when they use charged up Echoes. Ranges from quick, to-the-point shouts, to near-filibusters that quite possibly required the voice actor to take a breath during the read.
-->'''Chopin''': Triumphant victory! The hoofbeats of the brutal horde approach! ''Legion Fulminante!''
* CareerKillers: Rondo
* ChargedAttack: Echoes and Harmony Chains
* CheerfulChild: Beat, who tends to stay [[StealthPun upbeat]] throughout events that would probably traumatize many eight-year-olds.
** March also qualifies for this.
* ChickMagnet: Jazz so very much. He attracts Claves, Falsetto, and Viola.
* ChirpingCrickets: Done using the blowing wind variant. The party is trying to decide whether or not to use a secret passage, so they turn to Allegretto to make the decision. He decides to go for it, commenting "You know what they say - 'If you don't go into the lion's den, you can't count you chickens.'" There is a sound of wind blowing from the tunnel and after a pause, Viola comments "That doesn't make any sense."
* ComesGreatResponsibility: In Lament Mirror in the PlayStation3 UpdatedRerelease, Salsa is alone with Frederic and hankering for some food. She asks Frederic why he doesn't use his magic powers to magic up a steak for them. He replies that "Magic is not a tool of convenience," and continues that even if such a thing were possible, their first thought should be of the children starving in the cities. Salsa is not persuaded by this logical argument, and breaks down in a tantrum, causing Frederic to FacePalm.
* CoolBigSis: Viola to a certain degree.
* CrapsackWorld: Allegretto believes that any world where good people needlessly suffer, including his own and the player's, is a lousy place to live.
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: a number of characters, most notably Claves.
* CuteBruiser- Salsa and March. [[MoeMoe Perhaps too cute]].
* DeadLittleSister: Chopin had one in real life who was the inspiration for Polka.
* DefrostingIceQueen: Falsetto, appropriately falls under this.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu?: [[spoiler: On Encore mode on the PS3 version, you can face The Great EZI as an optional boss, who is implied to be some sort of deity.]]
* DifferentAsNightAndDay: The twins, Salsa and March, are not only opposite in personality but use solar- and lunar-themed attacks, respectively. Additionally, when you find a weapon for one that does greater damage to light creatures, there's a complimentary one nearby that does greater damage to dark creatures.
* TheDoctorDolittle: Part of the second trading sidequest involves finding the ingredients for a magic candy that allows one to talk to animals, which you ultimately give to an item merchant who wants to be able to talk to his horse. (Absurd! [[MisterEd No one can talk to a horse, of course!]]) Also, there's a woman in Baroque you can help out whose husband has disappeared into the Sharp Mountains. Viola is somehow able to understand a dog whose barking "tells" her that the husband is in danger and needs help.
* DubNameChange: From Japanese to English, Jitterbug's name is changed to Jazz, but the other names are kept the change (although in Japanese they call him Chopin, while in English they call him Frederick). However, if you play the game using the French on-screen text, a number of other characters change names. For your side, Beat becomes Piccolo, Viola is Harpe, Claves is Mazurka. (A mazurka is a type of Polish folk dance and Chopin composed several of them, one of which can be listened to on a piano in the tavern in Forte.) Serenade's poodle puppy changes from Minuet to Menuet. Oh, and Frederic and Serenade both gain accent marks over the "e"s in their names. For the baddies, Fugue becomes Staccato, Guitar is Banjo, Rondo is Rumba, and Count Waltz, of course, becomes Comte Valse. Incidentally, Jazz is still Jazz.
** A number of the attack names change, e.g. Orange Cure and Earth Growth to Orange Glow and Earth Heal for Polka. For Princess Serenade they decided to change her "[[GratuitousEnglish Word:]]" skills to "[[AltumVidetur Verbum:]]".
* DyingDream: The premise of the story.
* ElegantGothicLolita: Informs much of the character design, but especially Falsetto.
* EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses: Princess Serenade is [[spoiler: from Forte]], but they're apparently ruled by a Count, who in traditional kingdoms is much lower in rank than a prince or princess. Then again, it's possible that she was given the title of princess when she got engaged to Crescendo. In one scene, [[spoiler:Waltz]] refers to her verbatim as "a princess of [[spoiler:Forte]]." Apparently they just wanted a princess in the game. Their Nobility Is Different From Our Nobility?
* ExpositionBreak: The game is a bit lengthy on the cutscenes in general, but special mention goes to the slow-paced Chopin history lessons.
* FacePalm: Done by Chopin in the [[UpdatedRerelease PS3 version]] when listening to [[spoiler:Salsa whine about being trapped in Lament]]
* FakeDifficulty: Start the BonusDungeon and you will unlock Party Level 6 which allows you to chain up to 6 special attacks. The catch? Every time you use one, the [[InterfaceScrew button's mapping changes randomly]], meaning that you should un-memorize the controller's mapping. It's even worse on the first playthrough since you cannot revert to party level 5.
** Not as bad as it sounds, actually. The random remapping only happens whenever one uses a skill, not at every button press like a number of descriptions set it up to be. In fact, even then, it only changes with skill usage when executing Harmony Chains - if one doesn't use those, then it doesn't change at all. Furthermore, the item button always remains the same, so it's only the three other command buttons that change. It also resets to the default after each battle. As long as one remains calm (and remembers to use that map at the bottom of the screen that shows what button does what), they can reasonably keep up with a changing button layout. Plus, the benefits outweigh the detriments (carrying Echoes over between battles and an increase in Harmony Chain size from 3 to 6 at the cost of one less second of action time and DamnYouMuscleMemory seems like a good deal to me), even if one occasionally makes a mistake. It may take a bit of practice, but one can get used to it.
* FashionableAsymmetry: half the cast.
* FauxAffablyEvil: Count Waltz, all the way.
* FetchQuest: Retrieving specific water which just happens to be behind a graveyard to feed a dying plant for a child living with LaResistance.
* FinalSpeech: [[spoiler:Claves]]. It takes so long that you might end up dying before [[spoiler:she does.]]
* FieryRedhead: Salsa, to the extreme.
* FirstGirlWins: If you [[spoiler: defeat the extra Mysterious Union dungeon on the PS3 version, you can resurrect Claves]] making Jazz happy, and Falsetto less than thrilled.
* FiveBadBand: Waltz and his associates make up one:
** BigBad: Waltz
** TheDragon: Legato
** TheBrute: Tuba
** TheEvilGenius: Fugue by process of elimination, Rondo also qualifies in the PS3 version.
** TheDarkChick: Rondo
* FiveManBand: The first five people to join your party form a classic one:
** TheHero: Allegretto
** TheLancer: Beat
** TheBigGuy: Viola
** TheSmartGuy: Frédéric
** TheChick: Polka
** Then your party balloons to a total of nine to twelve people (depending on which version you're playing and if you bother to get [[spoiler:Claves]] back), and it gets a little more complex.
* FriendToAllChildren: Allegretto, to a certain degree.
* ForegoneConclusion: Chopin dies; [[spoiler: [[MindScrew at least in our world.]]]]
** Well, that all depends on [[spoiler: if you defeat him in the final battle, or if he defeats you.]]
* FragileSpeedster: Falsetto, March, Salsa, and Claves [[spoiler: at least once she's revived.]]
** Especially true for Salsa. At high levels, it is not at all unusual for her to take two turns in a row.
* GainaxEnding: But then, did you really expect the fever dream of a dying man to make sense?
* GameplayAndStorySegregation: It's said that nobody is buying floral powder from Tenuto anymore because of the cheapness of the mineral powder. Yet just about every store in the game that sells items to your party carries healing powers that are described as powders made from flowers from Tenuto.
* GetOnWithItAlready: The game has a lethargic pace that may turn off some players, and plenty of ContemplateOurNavels with long panning shots of SceneryPorn when something exciting could be happening.
* GratuitousForeignLanguage: The attack names are in English in the Japanese version, and some of Chopin's are in French, Italian, and Polish. Additionally, for the PlayStation3 UpdatedRerelease with Serenade as a playable character, two of hers are in Latin and one is in French.
* GreenAesop: A little bit in the game, with light pollution and humans being "masters of destruction" (Thank you, Falsetto), and a lot more in the credits, with the characters breaking the fourth wall and talking to the player about such issues as "Can you think of any other things that are helpful at the time but dangerous in the long run?" and "Minor inconveniences with huge long-term effects."
* GroundhogDayLoop: [[spoiler:The ending - clarified in the PS3 version - explains that the events of the game have repeated over and over again. This is why the game [[HowWeGotHere starts with the last scene]] and how Polka got hold of Allegretto's charm before he gave it to her. Chopin's presence in the most recent cycle, however, breaks the loop and happy endings occur]].
* GuideDangIt: For anyone without an ear for music, and even some that do have an ear for music, the third test in Xylophone tower. But that's only if you're not persistent. Fail it a few times and it relaxes the difficulty, making it so that the notes light up, as with the previous two trials.
** Unless you realize that [[spoiler:the notes that don't light up are exactly the same ones that did during the previous trial- so, if you wrote them out, you only need to actually memorize the last four ones, which do get shown.]]
** There's a grandmother lady in the hotel in Baroque in Chapter 4 whom you must speak with to hear a poem in order to obtain a Score Piece later in the game. It's the only thing in the game that can be LostForever if you don't remember to talk to her. (Well, that, and the reward you get for using the Score Piece later on.) Oh, and this only applies in Encore Mode - in your first playthrough, you cannot return to most locations after visiting them the first time, so if you miss something, it's most likely gone until your second playthrough.
* HartmanHips: Most females to a certain degree, but Claves and Falsetto really stand out here.
* HaveANiceDeath: When you lose to certain bosses.
* HeadsIWinTailsYouLose: If you lose against Tuba it's Game Over. If you win against Tuba, he orders a couple of mooks to throw you in jail.
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Polka attempts]] one of these at the end of the game.
* HistoricalBeautyUpdate: Chopin was a gorgeous hunk in RealLife, but he's outright {{Bishonen}} in this game.
* HopelessBossFight: Against Fugue the first time Frederick and Polka meet him.
* HyperspaceArsenal: A bit of an odd case in that the game allows you carry up to 99 of any item at all that can be purchased or dropped by monsters, including weapons and armor. This is despite the fact that every character has their own unique type of weapon that only they can equip and most armor can only be equipped by a few different characters, or in some cases, only one.
* HypocriticalHumor: When Fugue tells Count Waltz that he couldn't find any glowing agogos in Agogo Forest, Waltz orders him straight back there and warns him "I won't listen to another report of failure." Fugue leaves and Legato comes in to inform Waltz about the good progress they're making with their mining operations at Mt. Rock, only for Waltz to tell him "There's no need to report when things are going well."
* IllGirl: Polka, although she fights surprisingly well considering she has a terminal disease. Subverted later in [[spoiler: the magic researcher's claim that not all people who can use magic necessarily have the disease; Polka might be fine]]. Actually, it's the other way around: the magic researcher says that [[spoiler: not everyone who has the disease can use magic, and not vice versa. That's how he started thinking that perhaps Astras could have something to do with magical powers, which leads to the party going to Agogo Forest in order to ask the Agogo Queen Mother for help: by making the Agogos "absorb" part of the light that emanates from Polka's Astra they hope to wake her up after she faints in Baroque.]]
* ImprobableWeaponUser: Whilst many of the weapons are somewhat improbable, combining as they do design elements of musical instruments with more traditional weapons, Beat's combination clarinet/gun/nadziak (a spiked hammer that was used in the Polish rebellion), and Chopin himself hitting enemies with a conductor's baton take the cake.
** It's a very big baton.
*** Made out of fine wood.
* InMediasRes: [[spoiler: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] as the player is lead to believe they will see the first scene in the game again later, as it appears to be set in the future. However, due to the game's GroundhogDayLoop this is actually before the game chronologically.]]
** Played straight with the Baroque sequence. You begin this portion of the game with Beat and Polka in an outside courtyard area of Baroque Castle and then go into a FlashBack sequence involving how they got rescued by a Baroque ship and then fought off a ship full of pirates (at which point the items you collect on the ship suddenly appear in your inventory).
* InfinityPlusOneSword: And an [[InfinityPlusOneSword Infinity Plus One]] ''Umbrella''.
** Alegretto's final weapon, Silver Star, is a sword that critically hits 100% of the time.
* InnocentFlowerGirl: Polka.
* InstantMessengerPigeon: Claves sends a dove to Baroque to deliver the message to Prince Crescendo that [[spoiler:Princess Serenade is a Forte spy]]. Not only does the dove make it safely, but it survives the bitter cold to land neatly upon the prince's window.
* InstrumentOfMurder: A clarinet/gun/mallet, a {{BFS}} with trombone pipes, a fencing rapier shaped like a conductor's baton...
* InsurmountableWaistHeightFence: An early quest will force you to find some food for a bunch of goats blocking your path on a bridge. Said bridge is about four feet long and is built over little more than a trickling stream. Does your party think of going around and wading through ankle-deep water? Of course not.
* InvoluntaryGroupSplit: Tuba destroys the Cabasa Bridge the party is on at the end of Chapter Two, splitting them up. You play the following two chapters as one of the groups - Allegretto, Viola and the Andantino members in Chapter 3 and then Polka, Beat, Salsa and Frederic in Chapter 4.
* IrrelevantSidequest: There's a fairly extensive trading sidequest early in the game that ultimately results in nothing more than a key to a temple that can easily be obtained by simpler means. The only upshot is you get to keep a minor accessory that you would otherwise be forced to give up. What's worse, you ultimately end up ''not needing'' the key in question, but the plot demands that you obtain it anyway. Also, the Score Piece sidequest is entirely unconnected to the plot of the game.
* [=~It's The Same Now It Sucks~=]: The game is a [[{{Reconstruction}} strictly traditional]] EasternRPG; people who went in with other expectations shouted this.
* {{Jerkass}}: Allegretto's interactions with Beat can sometimes come off as less 'playful' and more 'just plain nasty', as well as the time he [[spoiler: ditched atoning for his crimes so he could spend time with his crush, leaving the rest of the party to do all the dirty work]]. Not to mention that time in Double Reed Tower when Beat [[spoiler:explains the emotional significance of his camera, it being a cherished possession left to him by his father...and Allegretto immediately teases him about it, makes him cry and run away, and acts like it was no big deal that he just dismissed an important part of Beat's life. When Polka explains what Beat was feeling, Allegretto pretty much dismisses her too, though marginally less blatantly, since he likes her.]] Interestingly, this scene does not occur in the PS3 version.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: what the creators seem to be going for with Allegretto, according to [[WordOfGod official descriptions]].
* JokeItem: Most of the [=EZI=] items are pretty much useless, or worse, do harm to your characters. If you're plyaing the XBox 360 version, then it's still worth collecting them all in order to gain an Achievement, if you like gaining Achievements for XBox Live. If you have the PS3 version, they are pretty much just something to collect for fun, as this version doesn't connect to the PlayStation Network.
* JustLikeRobinHood: Allegretto and Beat steal from a bakery to feed homeless people in the sewers. The taxes in the town are so high that, without Allegretto and Beat playing Robin Hood, they would likely starve to death.
* KillEmAll: [[spoiler:Chopin attempts to do this at the game's end]]. If you believe that the dreamworld [[AllJustADream wasn't real after all]], (despite the [[UpTheRealRabbitHole many hints that this is not so]]) this is arguably what happens when Chopin finally dies.
* LaughingMad: [[spoiler:One of Count Waltz's lines when he does a charged-up Apocalypse Fall.]]
* LargeHam: A lot of the voice actors chew the scenery quite a bit, but the crown is taken by [[LiamOBrien Liam O'Brien]], who is clearly having a ''hell'' of a time playing Count Waltz.
* LittlestCancerPatient: Polka, though she's older than she looks.
* LoveFreak: All Polka wants to do help other people, even if the same people that she heals treat her like a leper because they think her illness is contagious.
* TheLifestream: [[spoiler:TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon]].
* MessianicArchetype: [[spoiler:Polka.]]
* MightyGlacier: Jazz has the highest attack stats and hit points, but he's also one of the slowest characters.
* TheMessiah: It's never quite clear how or why, but it seems that [[spoiler:Polka is destined to heal the world]]. The PS3 version makes it clearer; [[spoiler:Polka's [[OurSoulsAreDifferent astra]] shines brighter than anyone else's in the world]].
* MsFanservice: Viola.
* MultipleEndings: [[spoiler:If you lose to Chopin in the final battle, he wakes up in the real world.]] The PS3 version of the game also bears some changes on the normal ending.
* NewGamePlus: Beating the game allows to play in Encore Mode. All enemies are about 1.5x stronger, but you are allowed to change your Party Level at any time (in a normal playthrough, the Party Level increases throughout the game and cannot be changed manually.) You also keep all Score Pieces you found in your first playthrough, and have access to all of the music you unlocked from the menu. A number of new sidequests open up as well.
* NiceHat: Chopin wears a stylish top hat, complete with plucked feathers in the brim.
** Salsa wears a fancy pirate's hat which is her pride and joy.
* NothingPersonal: Rondo after she [[spoiler:fatally attacks Claves.]]
-->'''Rondo''': You fool. The information you provided us was very valuable. But I was ordered to kill you if your identity was revealed. Don't take it personally.
* OlderThanTheyLook: Look at Chopin's picture and then realize that while he looks like he's in his early 20's, he's actually 39.
* OneSteveLimit: There are two characters that are called Bass - one of them is a member of Andantino and the other is a flunky of the pirate captain Dolce.
* OddNameOut: Baroque City, while still musically relevant, stands out among Forte, (sus)Tenuto, Ritardando, and Andantino as a style of music, rather than a musical direction.
** The Hanon Hills also count, as the locations are generally named after musical terms of some sort, but these are actually a tribute a person-- Charlie Louis Hanon, a famous French piano pedagogue, who is known for a series of training exercises for pianists.
* OneWingedAngel: The side effect of Mineral Powder, with a dose of BrainwashedAndCrazy.
* {{Padding}}: Why else would you need to get special water from the end of a graveyard to give to a child to feed a plant; defeat a ghost in the basement of a church; have to board a pirate ship to defend a military vessel that has its own guards and guns; or climb a temple/tower as requested to by a priest.
* PaletteSwap: Heinously used to turn a roster of about thirty types of monsters into seventy. As well, used to turn early game bosses into mini bosses in the FinalDungeon.
** Technically this applies to March and Salsa also, but it 's forgivable considering they're twins.
* PirateGirl: The pirate ship ''Dolce'' is named after its female captain, who you encounter in chapter 4.
* PsychopathicManChild: Count Waltz, considering he is only 16.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: [[spoiler:PS3 Waltz delivers a nice one in the final battle against him in the Double Reed Tower, with shots specially directed against Crescendo and Polka. Alegretto tries pulling off a ShutUpHannibal but Waltz just shrugs it off.]]
* RedOniBlueOni: Salsa {red} and March {blue}. Even their hair are the respective colors! March's Blue Oni tendencies are even more pronounced in the PlayStation3 UpdatedRerelease - there are several references to her being passionate about research that aren't present in the XBox360 version.
* ReversePsychology: Used by Salsa and March, with a brief addition by Viola, to goad Count Waltz into fighting the party in the PlayStation3 UpdatedRerelease. In the XBox360 version, he just decides to fight the party for "entertainment" once Polka surrenders to him. In the rerelease, howver, he much more sensibly orders his dragons to take out the party. Since trying to take on a group of dragons would be a very bad idea, Salsa and March goad him by telling him that the party is "under the protection of the glowing agogos," with Viola noting that they've already defeated all of his other "little henchmen." This is successful in convincing Count Waltz to decide "If those bumbling idiots couldn't manage it, then why don't we see what I can do!"
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Crescendo and Serenade, especially in the PS3 version (in which they are playable characters).
* SaveScumming: Poison status is extremely useful against bosses that are affected by it and can be inflicted by using an item. Not only does it cause them to lose HP at the beginning of each turn, but it also causes them to stagger, lessening the amount of time they have to attack your party. Bosses that are affected by it, however, are also generally resistant to it, meaning there's a fair chance that the item won't inflict it. Fortunately, however, there is always a save before a boss, meaning that you can just reset until you get the result you want.
* SceneryPorn: even the sewers are pretty.
* ScrewDestiny: Allegretto, but only in the PlayStation3 UpdatedRerelease.
-->'''Allegretto''': ''(regarding Polka)'' Sacrifice her life?! There's no way I'd let her do something like that!
-->'''Solfege''': I don't wish to lose her, either. But I don't think we can fight fate.
-->'''Allegretto''': ''(makes a slashing motion with his arm to indicate he doesn't hold with that)'' Who cares about fate anyway?!
* SiblingYinYang: March and Salsa.
* SoapOperaDisease: Polka has a bad case of this.
* SpikesOfVillainy: Rondo.
* StableTimeLoop: Also a bit of a {{Mind Screw}}. [[spoiler:The game gradually reveals that [[GroundhogDayLoop everyone has made this journey before]]. At the end, Polka casts herself off a cliff, only to emerge as a little girl falling from the sky into her mother's arms, where she repeats the past seven or so years of her life all over again. Only Chopin's death breaks the cycle. This also explains the extraordinarily high volume of fortunes on the tree near the end of the game in a place that would be implausible for average people to venture; they're all Polka's fortunes.]]
* TheStinger: The story of the snail and the caterpillar at the end of the game. Make sure to wait about a minute once you receive the screen that says "Fin," or you will miss it.
* {{Stripperiffic}}: Viola's outfit definitely qualifies.
* StuckItems: you can't unequip the Weapons or Armor slot, only swap.
* {{Subtext}}: Chopin and Polka.
* TagalongKid: Beat, March, and Salsa.
* [[TalkingToHimself Talking to Herself]]: The twins Salsa and March share a voice actress (in English; their Japanese voice actresses are different).
* TakingYouWithMe: Tuba tries this when you defeat him a second time at Cabasa Bridge at the end of Chapter Two. It doesn't work, see InvoluntaryGroupSplit above.
* TeamPet: Arco, Viola's squirrel... thing...
* ThatsAnOrder: Count Waltz to Legato in the PlayStation3 UpdatedRerelease after Legato is initially hestitant about drinking the enhanced mineral powder, though he phrases it as "This is not a request."
* ThatWasntARequest: Count Waltz to your party, but only in the PlayStation3 UpdatedRerelease. He demands that the party surrender Polka and in the original XBox360 version, Polka just surrenders herself right away. In the PS3 version, however, the party has realized that it's not really Polka that Waltz is after, but rather the glowing agogos, and Polka initally refuses Count Waltz's "request."
-->'''Polka''': There's no way I'll go with you. Besides, I already know what it is I have to do. I know what to do to really help everyone.
-->'''Count Waltz''': You people don't quite understand the situation. Do you honestly think you have any say in the matter? How unfortunate. And just as I was going to respond to Prince Crescendo's little bid for peaceful negotiations. You will hand the girl over to me immediately. Because I'm afraid that if you don't, you're dead.
* ThemeNaming: Appropriately enough, everything has a musical theme to it.
* TranslationCorrection: In the Japanese version, Chopin mispronounced the "grâce" (GRAHS) in his attack [[CoupDeGrace "Coup de Grâce"]] as the English word ''grace''. The English version had the correct pronunciation.
* {{Troperiffic}}
* TwoLinesNoWaiting: In the first chapter as well as [[spoiler:after the bridge collapses]] the main characters will be seperated and be played apart in different segments.
* UnluckyChildhoodFriend: Falsetto, to Jazz.
* UpdatedRerelease: The PS3 version adds several quests, Crescendo and Serenade as playable characters, and expands upon a lot of plot points of the original.
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: Count Waltz made the zombie cure the only one the general public could afford and ruined the Agogo Forest while making them, sure, but he did make a miracle cure.
** [[spoiler: He even invoked this in the PS3 version during his TheReasonYouSuckSpeech.]]
--> "Terrible? Why, whatever do you mean? It was entirely for the sake of my subjects that I developed the most effective medicine possible."
* TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon: Double Reed Tower, is beautiful and ethereal and you will know that it is the final dungeon before you even step foot in it, unfortunately it is also repetitive as one most climb up two seperate, yet identical towers and then back down both as well.
* VideogameHistoricalRevisionism: Averted. The makers tried to be as historically accurate as possible and worked with the Chopin Society in Warsaw in order to make sure they were.
* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome: Salsa getting the pirate hat, declaring it to be the "ultimate treasure". The fanfare and background make it a CrowningMomentOfFunny.
* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic: Though the events of the game are supposed to be representative of Chopin's life experiences, there are some events that just ''do not make sense'' in this context, yet are given the air of being symbolic of ''something''. Most noticeably, the final scene of the game is [[spoiler:a tête-a-tête between a snail and a caterpillar.]]
** Some of that is possibly reflecting what Chopin himself would have thought about. Particularly, conflict and good people needlessly suffering. His little sister died of tuberculosis at the age of fourteen and quite a lot of conflict occured in Poland during Chopin's lifetime.
* WhiteMagicianGirl: Princess Serenade seems like she's going to be this: she's a pretty princess with a heart-shaped staff, she's a love interest to another character, and she can heal. It turns out, though, that she deals massive amounts of damage and is [[spoiler:TheMole]].
* WideEyedIdealist: Polka, Beat to an extent.
* TheWisePrince: Prince Crescendo.
* [=~Wouldn't Hit a Girl~=]: Averted even outside of battle. In one particular cutscene, [[spoiler:Jazz]] slaps [[spoiler:Falsetto]]. You don't hate him for it. Maybe it helps that [[spoiler:he then hugs her.]]
* XMeetsY: Frédéric Chopin meets EasternRPG?
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Silver for Allegretto and Falsetto, pinkish for Claves and Salsa, lavender for March. The rest of the party and most [=NPCs=] have more "ordinary" hair colours. Then again, it ''is'' a dream world, after all.
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