"Alchemy at the touch of a DS"

I recieved Fullmetal Alchemist: Dual Sympathy for Christmas in 2007 and I really enjoyed playing it. The game is an enjoyable and fun game, a basic scrolling game similar to the games of the 1980s, and can remind gaming veterans of the days when videos games were not so controversial and wars were not being waged upon Nintendo, Sega, adult video games and who is currently voicing Sonic the Hedgehog! The game follows the plot of the anime adaptation of Fullmetal Alchemist, so I recommend newcomers to the fandom to watch the show first.

As I said, the gameplay is fairly basic and the game is a side-scroller where you play as familiar characters from the show, fighting generic enemies with typical karate moves or alchemy. You use the dual pointer to perform alchemy, however, you only have to draw transmutation circles (the required symbol needed to perform alchemy in the show, well, for most characters anyway) when accomplishing certain tasks (e.g. opening locked doors, discovering secret passageways). The disappointing side of using alchemy is that it can be annoying to try and complete transmutation circles due to the annoying time limit always present. Although it is good that the characters can use alchemy without having to forever use the circles, they have a limited alchemy attacks, having only two actual alchemy attacks, one of which is a stone wall for all characters. The starter characters are Edward and Alphonse Elric, but upon completing the game first time around, you unlock Colonel Roy Mustang, Major Armstrong, Scar, and Izumi Curtis. Mustang and Armstrong also gain Lieutenant Hawkeye and Lieutenant Colonel Hughes as secondary partners.

I actually forgot to mention that. Whichever character you are playing with, they come with a free sidekick (think Sonic and Tails). Unfortunately, like Tails in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, the second character has a tendency to not do anything, attack every several minutes and then do not follow the main character when they go into another chamber. Boss battles are also a little cheap and once you figure out the simple one-move trick to their defeats.

However, the music and graphics are very nice, a lot taken from the anime. There are a lot of bonus features, including several fun minigames including shopping logs and drawing on the front steps of Hughes' house. There are also a lot of unlockable sound files and character bios to unlock.

All in all, Dual Sympathy is a good game but the gameplay can be tricky and annoying. Average gamers may avoid it, but it is a must-have for fans of Fullmetal Alchemist to have.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 08/11/08

Game Release: Fullmetal Alchemist: Dual Sympathy (EU, 09/07/07)