FullMetal Alchemist is the story of Edward and Alphonse Elric, two alchemists who were both devastated as they tried to do the unthinkable by resurrection their department mother. The event lead to Ed losing his leg and Al losing everything but his soul Ed sacrificed his arm to bond Al;s soul to a suit of armor, and now the duo work as state alchemists. The game follows closely to the story presented in the anime series and even has cut scenes from the show used to tie plot pieces together. You play through the game as Ed, with Al tagging along and providing a minimal amount of support. The voice acting in the game is done by the same cast as the English dub of the anime. For this reason, the voice acting is generally well done, albeit slightly over the top (but as is with much anime). This is a major plus since the remaining sounds in the game and the graphics in the game are both fairly bland. The 3D models used are very low polygon and low textured. The game would have faired much better as a cell-shaded adventure (which I believe the sequel is already set to use). The game is a fairly simplistic action game with RPG advancement elements thrown in. The combat feature a primitive combo system and interactivity with Al. The only variations come in with the use of alchemy. Scattered through each level are items that can be transformed through alchemy into various types of weapons. These weapons range anywhere from daggers for use in combat to large tanks that you can actually ride inside and use to pummel enemies. Weapons come in standard size, for Ed to use, large size, for Al to use, and stationary, large weapons like cannons or catapults that either character can use. Since the game is based off the anime series, the story it tells is quite good, and very familiar to those who have seem the show. The gameplay becomes very, very repetitive once you get a ways into the game though. You will consistently find yourself revisiting many of the same battlegrounds as in previous level, with little or no change to the level other than a new objective point to reach. You will even find yourself confronting the same bosses over again, with only minor differences. Overall, for the casual gamer I would suggest at least a rent. The game plays smoothly and some of the alchemy transformations are downright fun. Fans of the anime should add this to their purchase list, just maybe not on the top of the list. As both an anime and FullMetal Alchemist fan, I enjoyed the game and in no way regret adding it to my permanent collection. Can't wait for part 2.
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