is a

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

for the

Nintendo DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...

. The game was released in Japan on July 21, 2005, two days before the first ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' movie came out, and was accompanied by a

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...

release of '' Fullmetal Alchemist 3: The Girl Who Succeeded God''. ''Dual Sympathy'' was announced by

Destineer Destineer, Inc. was an American umbrella company covering a holding company, a video game publisher, and a video game developer that was based in Minnetonka, Minnesota. The company was founded by Peter Tamte, former executive vice-president of ...

on September 12, 2006, for release in North America during 2006. It had

gone gold A software release life cycle is the sum of the stages of development and maturity for a piece of computer software ranging from its initial development to its eventual release, and including updated versions of the released version to help impro ...

on November 27 and was released on December 12, 2006.

Gameplay

The video game spans through the entire 51 episodes of '' Fullmetal Alchemist'', and is a side-scrolling brawler in the vein of classic titles like '' Final Fight'' or '' Battletoads''. Players control Edward Elric, and his brother Al will often fight alongside him. The

touch screen A touchscreen or touch screen is the assembly of both an input ('touch panel') and output ('display') device. The touch panel is normally layered on the top of an electronic visual display of an information processing system. The display is often ...

feature of the Nintendo DS is used to draw transmutation circles for

alchemy Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in China, India, the Muslim world, ...

, as well as to trigger special moves, some of which are necessary to progress through the game. For example, the player may have to create stone walls to cross a bed of spikes, create weights to trap enemies inside hatches, or summon cannons to break down walls. Most boss battles also require use of alchemy in order to complete them. ''Dual Sympathy'' also features many bonuses such as a second gameplay mode called Character Mode, which allows the player to replay the story with other characters; and also play a variety of minigames, and an alarm clock mode using voices from the series.

Playable characters

Edward Elric is the only available character in the story mode. After the game is completed, the character mode is unlocked and

Alphonse Elric is a fictional character and one of the protagonists in the ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' manga series and its adaptations created by Hiromu Arakawa. Alphonse is a child who lost his body during an alchemical experiment to bring his deceased Trisha El ...

Roy Mustang is a fictional character from the ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' manga series and its adaptations created by Hiromu Arakawa. In the series, Mustang is a State Alchemist of Amestris' State Military, as well as the superior of the series' protagonist, Edw ...

Izumi Curtis The ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' manga and anime series feature an extensive cast of fictional characters created by Hiromu Arakawa. The story is set in a fictional universe within the 20th century in which alchemy is one of the most advanced scienti ...

Alex Louis Armstrong The ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' manga and anime series feature an extensive cast of fictional characters created by Hiromu Arakawa. The story is set in a fictional universe within the 20th century in which alchemy is one of the most advanced scie ...

, and

Scar A scar (or scar tissue) is an area of fibrous tissue that replaces normal skin after an injury. Scars result from the biological process of wound repair in the skin, as well as in other organs, and tissues of the body. Thus, scarring is a na ...

become playable. When playing as Mustang,

Riza Hawkeye The ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' manga and anime series feature an extensive cast of fictional characters created by Hiromu Arakawa. The story is set in a fictional universe within the 20th century in which alchemy is one of the most advanced scienti ...

accompanies the player. When playing as Armstrong, the companion is Lieutenant Colonel Hughes. When playing as Izumi Curtis or Alphonse Elric, Edward Elric accompanies the player. When playing as Scar, it is Alphonse who accompanies him.

Reception

The game received "mixed" reviews according to the

review aggregation A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

website

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

. In Japan, ''

Famitsu formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the fo ...

'' gave it a score of 27 out of 40.

References

* "Fullmetal Alchemist: Dual Sympathy". (November 2006) ''Newtype USA''. p. 25.

External links

* {{Fullmetal Alchemist 2005 video games Action video games Bandai games Empire Interactive games Dual Sympathy Nintendo DS games Nintendo DS-only games Video games developed in Japan