Eternal Sonata FAQ

Q: Why are you playing on 360 as opposed to PS3?
A: The 360 version is far superior from a speedrunning perspective for many reasons. On PS3, photos sell for about 10% as much, enemies yield far less EXP (roughly half or less depending on the enemy), and enemies start with the same stats they have on the 360's Encore Mode (NG+). The PS3 version also contains extra bosses and dungeons as part of the main story that add time. The one combat-related glitch is also fixed on PS3. Nobody has done halfway serious routing/runs for PS3 but I estimate it to be about 45 minutes or more slower than 360. For more information on version differences, a complete set of version differences is being compiled over at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QHdCrGblFEc1xEYAXTf9CyjEFzTfNX9x2A2R5aiMa4w/edit?usp=sharing.

Q: Are there any glitches/skips in the run?
A: At the moment there are no sequence breaks or skips, however there is one glitch related to combat and one small trick that saves time later on in the game. The combat glitch we call Reverse Chains and they involve beginning a chain with a move with 3 or fewer hits to it, which allows the bonus damage from your Echoes to be carried over to the second move in the chain as well, allowing for absurd damage. The small skip involves overwriting an enemy encounter with the chest opening animation, allowing for a small roughly 15 second time save.

Q: Who are the party members you'll be using and why?
A: For the large majority of the beginning of the game, I'm forced to use whoever the game forces me to use. Viola, Falsetto, and Beat (in the sections that we have nobody better to use) are our main damage dealers throughout. The final party composition will consist of Salsa (for her Shadow Silhouette skill which buffs damage from Y button attacks), Viola (once she stops being our best damage dealer, she is most useful for her Hawk Eye skill which further buffs damage from Y button attacks), and Falsetto, the true star of the show in the later portions of the game.

Q: What is World Record?
A: 3:10:18 by sc2valor