Fullmetal Alchemist and the Broken Angel

I first saw Fullmetal Alchemist (the animated TV series) well before its release in the United States. I have seen the entire run of the series and can say without hesitation that it ranks among my favorite Japanese imports to date. I own merchandise such as figures and have ordered a charming wall scroll to add to my collection. One might think that such a passion for all things Fullmetal Alchemist would bias me towards giving this game a good review -- but not even I could find any redeeming qualities in this game. The game wisely avoids tampering with the plot of the series by centering around a chain of events placed somewhere between episodes. Anyone familiar with the show will note that it seems to be set very early in the timeline, which is fine for the integration of the game into the story as a whole. That much works -- the game stands as a single episode which is never important to the overall story that the show weaves. Anyone not familiar with the story need not worry because the setup will be handed to them by way of a brief introduction. This is where the silver-lining to the "plot" ends because from that point forward the story will make little if any sense at all. It seems in many places to violate the fiction of the show though you're never quite certain given how difficult the story is to follow. Critical facts and explanations are completely overlooked and the game never tries to look back and explain the why and how of various significant events in the game. Depending on how you define "gameplay" it is either weak or absent from the game all together. Broken Angel is classified as an action-RPG due to its use of character levels, stat advancement, and equipment -- however you will quickly find that these things have little if any relevance in the game. Both Edward (the primary character which you control) and Alphonse (Edward's little brother, the large hulky suit of armor that follows you around throughout the game) have two slots for equipable items. I set these items once during the first 1/3 of the game and then never change them again (save for swapping out one item on Al near the end, which proved to be entirely pointless). The same holds true for the various possible "combos" in the game, which are limited and pointless since simply mashing the attack button will suffice even against most bosses. Control over Al is difficult and you will often find yourself merely letting him go off and do his thing with the exception of cases when you wish to use a special. The specials are actually effective but very simple and only the two are available. The one thing about the game that could have been interesting is the "transmutation" system available to Ed. This allows you to use alchemy to turn certain items in the environment into a variety of useful tools / weapons. This is also one of the areas of the game that violates the fiction of the show, as you can often create elaborate machines and various different materials from a single, simple item. Still this is an aspect of the game that might have been fun if used in a game that weren't a simple, boring hack-and-slash. Ultimately you will simply mash the attack button all the way through the game (if you even bother to fight, you can also simply run from one end of the level to the other), frequently repeating the same levels over and over and over. In an effort to lengthen the game they have you revisit many of the levels repeatedly. There is little to be said about the technical merits of this game. The graphics and sound are inexcusably bad, and the use of the English voice dub actors from the version of the show airing on the Cartoon Network makes the cinematic portions painful to listen to. The inclusion of an option to leave the game in Japanese would have been simple and pleased many fans in the U.S. that had already seen the show before it came stateside. The controls are sufficient and while the camera may have been a skosh awkward at times, it is rarely if ever a problem due to the absurd simplicity of the game. Fullmetal Alchemist and the Broken Angel is ultimately a boring, uninspired game that is not only a disappointment to fans but a waste of time for just about everyone. I purchased this game as an act of what I'd like to call "ritual merchandising" and I don't regret that. If you're looking for an enjoyable game however, stay away from this one. If you insist upon considering it, at least take the time to rent it first rather than finding yourself stuck with this dud. -X