Full Metal Alchemist Hands-on

Next week Destineer will be making its Nintendo DS debut with an action game based upon the popular anime Fullmetal Alchemist. We've put a bit of time in the near final build of the game, and if you're into the whole Double Dragon-style brawler design you might want to keep an eye out for this game when it ships on December 14th.

The first thing you'll notice about the Dual Sympathy is the attention to presenting the series -- it's definitely aimed at fans as the developer has worked the character voices from the series directly into the menu system and certain portions of the game. You can even customize the game selection menu with specific character themes and have those options spoken by the actual character actor. Edward, Alphonse, Mustang, Winry, and Armstrong are represented here, announcing which item you've selected in the menu. It's a nice touch.

The game itself follows a nice feel of the series, segmenting the levels into "episodes" that follows a specific story arc for the Dual Sympathy tale -- we're not huge followers of Fullmetal Alchemist so we can't say for sure if the game accurately follows specific events from certain episodes or if this is an all-new script that makes references to past episode events. The story is told through talking head text windows, with the occasional sound bite leaking through the speakers.

The gameplay is essentially a really tight Double Dragon or River City Ransom design where players wander from left to right, or right to left, kicking and punching their way through the near endless assault of enemies. The game follows the two main characters, Edward and Alphonse, with Edward playable and Alphonse computer controlled at certain points of the game. Control is extremely tight and responsive, and enables players to select and pull off certain attacks via the lower screen's touch screen function.

Outside of the brawler gameplay is a selection of minigames that utilize the touch screen of the Nintendo DS. You'll arm wrestle, whack a homunculis, doodle over Fullmetal Alchemist artwork, and outrun a gigantic rolling rock like Indiana Jones. These are unlockable through the main game, so you'll need to prove your worth in the brawler before you can take part in these extras.

Via IGN