The story behind the game involves a large festival that occurs once every four years. The main event for the upcoming incarnation of the festival is a fighting tournament that allows for any pair of fighters to participate. Equipment and alchemy skills can be used as much as contestants like. With the promise of a large prize sum, fighters from throughout the nation, including series regulars Ed, Al, Roy and Alex, gather for battle.
Fighting in this game is of the four-player variety previously seen in Eighting's Naruto 2 for GameCube. You and your partner have separate life meters but share a "star" meter which depletes each time one member of your team dies. If all stars disappear, the game ends.
You're free to create a team as you like. Teamwork is an important element of fighting, as you must decide on a strategy for your partner. One character in your team is called the "forward," with the other character referred to as "backup." The forward takes to the front and is a position best reserved for characters with multiple attacks. The backup supports the forward and is meant for characters who have superior combo abilities.
The series' trademark alchemy also plays a heavy role in gameplay. Alchemy is used for attacks and defense. You can create objects on the field to equip and use for attacking, one example being the creation of a wall for defense.
Stages come into play in two areas of this game. Gimmick stages have traps preset. Basic stages are created from multiple lines, allowing characters to move between different lines as they like. The stage in which you chose to fight affects your available alchemy skills, with typical elemental rules in full force.
All your expected fighting game modes seem to be included. A single player scenario mode has you select from a variety of pre-created teams and follow a story that leads them through the tournament. The remaining three fighting modes are playable by up to four players. Team battle mode and arcade mode use team-based fights, while battle royal mode is a free-for-all requiring players to defeat three other characters to win.
Fans of the series are sure to like the gallery mode which features artwork and movies from the show. To open up these features, you have to fulfill certain requirements in the other modes of play.
The Fullmetal Alchemist fighting debut is 50% done with a Japanese release currently unspecified. If the Square Enix action title does any good on these shores, we presume an American release for this entry could follow.
