Polka/Special Attack Descriptions

Detailed descriptions of Special Attacks for the playable character Polka

Light[]

Orange Glow[]

"Here we go! Orange Glow!"

This move is Polka's initial Light Special Attack skill. Orange Glow was originally called Orange Cure in the Japanese version.

Description: Polka raises her umbrella up, opens it and heals an ally's HP with a warm light. For a good part of the beginning, Polka will use this to keep the party on their feet during standard battles and help to save their item supply for more difficult opponents. Once she acquires Earth Heal, she may not need to use this ever again, but Orange Glow can target Polka as well if she needs the healing. It is limited by its low healing value and limited range. This Special Move is a healing spell, therefore it relies on her Magic rating for power.

Analysis: An efficient way of healing in the beginning without using items. Its overall healing power is a bit low, so you may opt to use something more powerful as options become available. Polka also needs to be within a fair range of another ally if she is trying to heal them.

Earth Heal[]

"Here, let me help you! Earth Heal!"

Polka learns Earth Heal at Level 16 in the Xbox 360 version and at Level 15 in the PS3 version. Earth Heal was originally called Earth Growth in the Japanese version.

Description: Polka raises her umbrella up, opens it and heals her two allies using the power of plant life. This spell becomes a main staple once she learns it. As the story reaches its quarter point, you'll find enemies like to spread their attacks among your trio rather than concentrate on one person. It can get tricky trying to weigh your healing options with the single target Orange Glow, so Earth Heal is necessary as it can heal two people at once for a lot of lost HP. This makes Polka's spot in the party even more important than before. However, while this does make her a more effective healer, the problem lies in that this cannot heal her own HP, which sets it apart from a typical group healing spell. This can be troublesome if you need to restore Polka's HP as well, forcing you to alternate between Earth Heal and Orange Glow. However, Polka can restore her own health if she uses it during an Echo (since with Echoes, the Special Move needs to be executed on someone regardless of any limitations), so it's not a flaw that completely derails your healing options. Since Polka generally assumes a position far away from the enemy, her own HP shouldn't get so low that you would need to swap for Orange Glow.

Analysis: Earth Heal further rounds out Polka's ability to heal her friends, allowing for multiple allies to receive restoration in greater amounts. This makes it essential for boss fights. If you can overcome the flaw of it not healing Polka, it can be a real lifesaver (and the flaw is generally a moot point). Like with Orange Glow, she needs to be within fair range of her allies to actually heal them.

Shooting Star[]

"Even I get angry sometimes! Shooting Star!"

Polka learns Shooting Star at Level 20 in both versions of Eternal Sonata.

Description: The Light version of Shade Comet, Polka hurls a bright and colorful star at the target, unleashing an impact effect that can hit other enemies. By the time Polka acquires this, you may be opting to keep Polka out of range of close combat, so it's a welcome addition to her battle repertoire. This is also her first Light attack, so it will allow her some flexibility rather than before when she relied on standing in the shadows to be an attacker. Its attack power is about the same as its Dark counterpart. There are a couple of flaws to this move, however. The first is that its gets easily outclassed in power by her next Special Attack. The second is that, unlike Shade Comet, Shooting Star doesn't create much of an impact when it hits the primary target, so adjacent enemies have to be in closer proximity than usual to get hit by the effect.

Analysis: Provides Polka with her first Light attack, increasing her battle versatility. Despite that, the next move she learns tends to negate what use you may have had for it. It also has much less of an area of effect in comparison to Shade Comet, so it's not nearly as reliable in striking multiple enemies.

Roundel []

"Stop it! Roundel!"

Polka learns Roundel at Level 28 in both versions of Eternal Sonata. This is a magic attack.

Description: Polka spins around into the air briefly, lands, and summons eight powerful comets to fall from the sky around her. Though it sacrifices the infinite range of Shooting Star, it far outclasses the former with a greater level of power. The damage Roundel can cause is staggering and it can definitely save Polka if she or the others get surrounded. It serves an effective function as crowd control. Though it hits around Polka's position in a fairly small to medium area, the idea is for the move to save her when enemies start getting too close for comfort. It can really give enemies a big surprise as they approach her.

Analysis: Though it lacks the ability to hit from anywhere like Shooting Star, it makes up for it with its higher power and crowd control capabilities. Definitely a decent spell to have in battles with three enemies.

Pure Geyser[]

"Don't blame me for this! Pure Geyser!"

Polka learns Pure Geyser at Level 32 in both versions of Eternal Sonata. This is a magic attack. Pure Geyser was originally called Pure Cataract in the Japanese version.

Description: Polka opens her umbrella up and summons a column of water to pour into the ground behind each enemy on the field; the columns then burst up under each of them. The first all-target attack you'll acquire, Pure Geyser is a spell that hits all enemies regardless of their position. This can be a sneaky way for Polka to add to the damage total as she can cast Pure Geyser from far away while melee characters keep the enemy busy. This, in turn, also allows her to keep up her healing duties when necessary. Once Polka learns this spell, it is advised to keep it on her main Light slot so she can assist the fighters whenever the situation calls for it. Pure Geyser's one flaw is that due to its rather long animation, she may not be able to pull off more than two during her turn.

Analysis: Pure Geyser definitely gives Polka more range than ever as well as the ability to hit all enemies regardless of their positions. Though its animation may hinder you from doing more than two at a time, it doesn't detract from its overall use. It works great in Echo chains.

Disruption Wave[]

"This'll really hurt! Disruption Wave!"

Polka learns Disruption Wave at Level 36 in both versions of Eternal Sonata. Disruption Wave was originally called Legen Disruptor in the Japanese version.

Description: The Light version of Nether Wave, Polka executes a five hit dance with her umbrella and ends it with a finishing wave of golden energy that can hit any enemies behind the main target. By the time you acquire this, you may have decided to permanently make Polka a full-time long range attacker, considering every Special Move she's learned up to this point. While it's every bit as devastating as Nether Wave, you might simply want to skip this move all together, other than to see how it looks. It just comes up at a time where it might not see much use. One distinct difference which further puts it lower on the utility list is that Disruption Wave's final hit does not spread out in a fan-shaped wave like Nether Wave; the golden energy wave only hits in a straight line.

Analysis: Disruption Wave comes too late into the story to be much good as you will likely have better characters who can handle melee combat. It's only good if you choose to keep Polka fighting at close range, which may not be the best option considering the level she learns it.

Blossom Shower[]

"Do your best, everyone! Blossom Shower!"

This move is Polka's best healing skill. She learns it at Level 48 in the Xbox 360 version of Eternal Sonata and Level 40 in the PlayStation 3 release. Blossom Shower was originally called Blooming Shower in the Japanese version.

Description: Polka raises her umbrella and opens it, summoning an extravagant shower of sunlight and flower petals to heal all party members including herself in an infinite range. Once Polka obtains this, the player will likely have no further use for Orange Glow or Earth Heal. Due to the spell's infinite range, Polka can keep her distance and continuously heal the others as often as needed to keep tougher battles going in their favor. This is a great advantage over her earlier healing magic, which has only a limited range. As expected, the spell's base healing power is quite high and combined with Polka's high Magic stat, even a small number of Echoes makes this a guaranteed full heal. This is very useful during the game's later boss battles, who are quite capable of ripping off large chunks of the party's health each round. Despite all its perks, the animation time is horrendously long at four seconds, so Polka won't be able to do much of anything else after using it. An effective alternative is to use it every round during an Echo chain so Polka can top off everyone's health and still contribute some damage via one of her Light attacks.

Analyis: Polka's ultimate healing spell, it heals everyone heavily and its power greatly increases as Polka's MAG power climbs. A staple move stronger than any other healer's, other than possibly Serenade's L'energie du Vent. This can make battles otherwise unwinnable at low levels manageable and saves item slots for more useful items other than HP healing items, such as reviving or attack items. In the PlayStation 3 version, it becomes even more helpful, as she learns it at an earlier level. The only caveat lies with battles in which she is forced out of the party and is unavailable. Its long animation time prevents her from doing much of anything else, but it is a small price to pay for powerful healing.

Dark[]

Shade Comet[]

"Stay away from me! Shade Comet!"

This move is Polka's initial Dark Special Attack skill.

Description: Polka throws her umbrella above her, letting it float in the air, and creates a small dark meteorite. On her cue, the umbrella opens up and she sends the projectile at the target. The impact of the meteorite causes a wide circular area of effect, potentially hitting other targets. This attack is valuable for Polka early on as it serves to keep her out of harm's way and still allows her to do damage from anywhere on the field. It is important to note where the target is positioned because the meteorite can be nullified if it hits an object (such as a tall rock) on the way there.

Analysis: A fairly effective move that lets Polka provide attack support early on when she does not need to heal anyone. As long as one is careful about the projectile's trajectory, it serves its purpose and can act as a great way to clean up leftover enemies. Its execution time of 2.4 seconds and infinite range means that early in the game, Polka can simply remain where she is (or retreat to the dark edges of a field, if needed) and hit an opponent three times in a single turn, finishing with a blow that has a good chance of causing a knockdown effect.

Nether Wave[]

"Isn't that enough!? Nether Wave!"

Polka learns Nether Wave at Level 8 in both versions of Eternal Sonata. Nether Wave was originally called Nether Slater in the Japanese version.

Description: Polka strikes the enemy with her umbrella five times and unleashes a powerful dark wave on the sixth hit. Polka's first high-powered move, Nether Wave is quite destructive when she first acquires it. It can decimate enemies rather easily due to its multiple hit property and its powerful finishing strike. The finishing strike is the move's bonus, as it creates a wave that spreads out behind the target which can strike other enemies in range. Polka can also hit any other opponents when she is executing the five-hit dance segment, particularly with the fifth hit as Polka spins around in a 360, giving her a bit of an adjacent hitbox. The problem with Nether Wave is that it forces Polka into close combat, which she does not particularly excel at despite her weapon. The other flaw is that the finishing wave does not spread out that far, so one should not expect it to hit an enemy standing on the other side of the field.

Analysis: A powerful attack dance that gives Polka a great advantage over tough opponents; it lets her inflict a lot of damage due to its high power rating. However, the flaws mentioned need to be taken into account before dedicating Polka to using this Special Attack as it does require the heroine to stand close to the enemy and the final wave cannot be relied on to hit everything else. It is probably best used if Polka is at a higher level and her healing skills are not needed, or if she is already in the dark anyway. A powered-up Nether Wave can also be quite useful in finishing off stronger opponents if Polka is under the special status provided by Salsa's Shadow Silhouette.

Zodiac[]

"Time to go for a spin! Zodiac!"

Polka learns Zodiac at Level 40 in the Xbox 360 version and 44 in the PS3 version. This is a magic attack.

Description: The Dark version of Roundel, Polka spins around in the air briefly, lands and summons eight blue crystals to fall from the sky around her in a fairly small circle. Though it only inflicts one hit, it can cause a substantial amount of damage when powered up with Echoes. However, at the point Polka receives this move, it may not see much use since it is learned some time after Pure Geyser in both versions. Roundel is likely to see more utility due to being learned earlier. Much like its Light counterpart, Zodiac is useful when enemies decide to gather near Polka's position as it can set them up for a big surprise.

Analysis: Unless Polka finds herself getting surrounded or swarmed too often, this move may not get much use considering what level she learns it. However, it can still be used strategically, as the player can intentionally position Polka between enemies and cast it.

Terra Externa[]

"Now this'll be over! Terra Externa!"

Polka learns Terra Externa at Level 48 in both versions of Eternal Sonata. This is a magic attack. This is also the final Special Move she learns.

Description: The Dark version of Pure Geyser, Polka summons a small glyph in the sky, which disappears into the ground and ruptures the earth beneath all targets. Terra Externa allows Polka to hit any enemy regardless of position. With Pure Geyser, learned at prior levels, this spell completes her versatility in long range spellcasting. It should definitely occupy a slot in her Dark list as it allows her to do tremendous damage from shadowed areas. The move's only drawback is its long animation time; at nearly three seconds, Polka is able to cast it twice at best.

Analysis: Terra Externa complements her Pure Geyser, rounding out her ability to damage from afar. It definitely warrants a spot on her list. The longer animation time has to be taken into consideration with this spell, but it does provide her with a strong attack from shadowed areas. It can effectively replace Shade Comet.