Fullmetal Alchemist's Weird PS2 Game: Is It Any Good?

(this video has that majority of the story cutscenes in full, so if you don't wanna see those, maybe skip out on this video)
Fullmetal Alchemist is probably the single best anime I've ever watched, and I FINALLY found a game in this world. Developed by Racjin and published by Square Enix, Fullmetal Alchemist and the Broken Angel is an action RPG based on the 2003 anime, featuring a completely original story written by Hiromu Arikawa.
But is it any good? That's what this video is for. It's a long one, so sit back, grab a snack and a drink, and watch as we dive into Fullmetal Alchemist and the Broken Angel.

[@ayarenn1477]

Edit 1) I have no idea why you can't watch this in 480p, sorry about that. Edit 2) Okay nevermind, now you CAN. Took 2 days to process 480p lmao. Hey, so, this is my first time making a video THIS long in this format, so any constructive criticism is appreciated. If there's anything I got wrong, let me know and I'll put it into this pinned comment just so there ends up being no confusion about things.

[@yolobathsalts]

480p works fine for me? May have just been yt taking forever to render or whatever it does.

[@ayarenn1477]

@@yolobathsalts Yep, that'd be it. I just figured I ballsed it up because I tried new render settings in my video editing software.

[@kendonl.taylor5111]

@ayarenn1477 About Fullmetal Alchemist, I would watch the 2003 edition.

[@weightingramsss]

“You can tell she’s evil because she’s hot” is the greatest sentence of 2024

[@ayarenn1477]

Sometimes the simplest sentences are the best sentences. Plus, like, am I wrong? She's totally evil.

[@53Spawn]

Game legit brought me to tears my first runthrough. And I honestly wasnt expecting the game to be as good as it was, and I believe it to be canon, given its apart of the Light Novel, let alone the story in general of the game was written made by Arakawa herself. I really wish this arc had a full blown animation or even a movie though

[@ayarenn1477]

Even without a movie/arc, it would be amazing to see this game redone with today with more fluid combat. It's an amazing game!

[@IsaacClodfelter]

Zatch bell mamodo fury is, in my opinion, a rather slept on anime game from the same era as this.

[@ayarenn1477]

I'll take a look at it! Thanks for watching!

[@Cruddyhorse]

I remember thinking it was pretty cool, but I was really little so I'd love to see how or if it holds up.

[@irishcream9004]

yeah it is

[@CoolChill]

Yes

[@IsaacClodfelter]

@@Cruddyhorse i play it on my PC and it is still good to me. It shows it's age and it hard to emulated so I am not getting the true experience but I still enjoy it.

[@church4001]

Fun fact at the end of volume 8 of the manga there is a prelude to the game. Also this game has one of my favorite unwinnable boss fights.

[@ayarenn1477]

Wait, seriously? I need to check out that prelude. I knew there was a light-novel, but never anything about a prelude. That's awesome.

[@dustgraystone9448]

​@@ayarenn1477 on redit someone posted a page of the Game Prologue chapter asking if it's Canon. So it exists in manga format at the very least.

[@houstonfob2FOREVER]

I was apart of an anime club in the early 2000's, and this game and the inuyasha ps2 game were constantly played

[@YTHandlesBlow]

I really like the ideas of the PS2 era FMA games cause they're side stories that are canon/non-canon to both of the timelines of OG or Brotherhood, I remember playing this before the OG even aired on TV. Still surprised that the 3rd instalment of the series on the PS2 never got even fan translated, FMA The Girl Who Succeeds God seems like a more polished storyline and game compared to the previous two from what I could dig up on it.

[@ayarenn1477]

From what I've read, the third game is apparently leagues harder to crack than the first two, which is why we haven't gotten a fan translation hack yet. There *is* a fan translation for the game, it's just a document that you have to read while playing the game.

[@djhowell5273]

Pretty sure the anime was on adult swim before this came out cuz the review came out when it was new on tech tv. Check the release dates homie

[@YTHandlesBlow]

@@djhowell5273 I don't live in the USA so no adult swim here, so naturally the air dates are different, Anyways even without context of the show this was a really fun game, had to go through it again after the OG anime finished airing in my country and it only made it better

[@keyblademasterify]

Curse Of The Crimson Elixir is...something? Definitely a sequel to this game.

[@jeremyhall2727]

Yeah that one was better. They was more combos and stuff

[@dmas7749]

in a long list of games with sequels with better gameplay but worse story. since i play games usually to...play them, i prefer it

[@aeroga2383]

Oh God. This game was my introduction to FMA. I played it all the time. I memorized every boss and figured out the perfect strategy to take each down effortlessly. It was the first game I ever mastered. It helps that it was short. My playthroughs averaged 7 hours. And then I watched the anime (2003) like 6 years later. As for the flower girl at the end, I think that's just a random girl. She just happens to look like Armony cause Edward is still thinking about her vividly.

[@ayarenn1477]

@@aeroga2383 It's such an interesting ending because when it comes to people that I've asked about it, it's always either "she's just a girl" or "it's Armony 2." Either way, an immaculate ending.

[@TheAzureEnd]

Great video. I never got to ever finish this game personally since the copy I got from a friend was bad. This makes me happy to know how it actually went. A beautiful bitter sweet story with fun combat. Thanks, man. And keep it up.

[@ayarenn1477]

This is exactly the kind of stuff I want to show people with videos like this. Games like these are massive parts of people's childhoods, but a lotta people never get to finish the games or just forget about em. Thanks for watching, and I'm glad you finally got to see how the game ended!

[@radimay]

Funny enough, it was my playthrough of the sequel that got me to tear up. Spoiler alert I suppose: if you beat this game and the sequel THEN play the sequel on new game + (all on the same memory card) you can see Armony in the main town. I didn't know this and did it on a whim only to see Armony still alive walking past Ed and Al in the opening in game cutscene.

[@ayarenn1477]

I heard about that! I'm gonna play it at some point here soon, and going to go the extra mile and do NG+ just to get footage of it.

[@LeftSideDown]

i'm so glad i'm not the only one who despises (a majority of) the bosses in this game. if you run out of reloads and elixirs, some of the bosses literally take over half an hour to defeat, making it basically impossible to get an A rank

[@ayarenn1477]

@@LeftSideDown Yeah, the bosses are the definite low point. It sucks, too, because there's such an opportunity for the bosses to be awesome with all these systems.

[@randymarshislorde]

Alright I had forgotten all about this game tbh. FMA (the original), Inuyasha, Cowboy Bebop, Big O, and one of the Gundams was my first experience with anime. I caught most of them on adult swim while staying up way too late lol. I first found this game a while after I had stopped watching FMA, and it was definitely a fun time. I never owned it, I rented it over and over again from a local Food City of all places. Did anyone else have a nearby Food City with a built in video store, I only ever saw that one so I really dont know if it was a common thing for their stores or something more unique. Funny thing was, I had to have my parents drive me 10 miles further than I would otherwise for our local video store, because it never carried this game or a couple of other specific titles I enjoyed.

[@ayarenn1477]

I *wish* I still had a proper video store somewhere around me. I grew up in the era where they really started phasing 'em out thanks to streaming services like Netflix getting big. Had 2 in the area, and one the few things I do remember is constantly renting out Warioland Shake It on the Wii. It's honestly a shame that the state of gaming and streaming as a whole means we'll probably never see stores like that again, at least in the capacity they used to be in.

[@waspywalker]

Ahh i LOVED this game back when it came out. I never finished it sadly. Got stuck at the final boss.

[@ayarenn1477]

Yeah, the giant goo chimera isn't the one you're supposed to be fighting (despite having...y'know... all the visible health lmao). You have to be attacking Camilla, even though she has no visible healthbar.

[@merickson-rg7gx]

your ability to narrate is incredible

[@ayarenn1477]

You can blame several hundred sessions of D&D for that lol.

[@sayuwu9690]

So glad I got this video reccomended, ps2 games are like so nostalgic to me and this videos was very well made so I enjoyed it a lot

[@ayarenn1477]

I'm glad you enjoyed it! The PS2 is my favorite console and era of gaming, so it's always super fun to find new stuff for it.

[@DubiousCrow]

Love the vid man. I didn't even know about this until it was recommended and thank god it was lol I hope you get more subs and support. You definitely deserve it!

[@ayarenn1477]

I'm glad you like it! The next video is almost done being edited, so stick around for that one!

[@WhoisThatGuy-]

Nice video, definitely hope you keep doing these long form videos

[@ayarenn1477]

@@WhoisThatGuy- Thanks for the comment! I definitely plan on it lol, just struggling with video ideas atm.

[@TheAfker]

Brilliant video, greatly paced. Only critiqe i have is when you're going through the chat dialog, either read it or keep the chat boxes up for a little longer, cos god damn 0.2 seconds to read 5lines isnt enough. i know you can pause but thats a lot of fucking around for people . Outside of that, you worded and paced it all in a way that made it super easy to follow the story of the game, but also get a good feel for how the game runs and plays which for me personally is somthing a lot of channels dont pull off very well and often left not really sure how well the game controls until i try it myself

[@ayarenn1477]

That's an incredibly valid criticism lol. I tend to read really fast, and especially with games like this forget that I'm recording in the first place. I'll try my best to slow down in the future. Thanks for watching!

[@dmas7749]

@@ayarenn1477 i honestly kinda miss this about games, now every game needs full VA

[@patriciopannucio2844]

The creepy music that popped up sometimes still haunts me to this day. Loved the video!

[@omarmateo3283]

That song when he’s showing her alchemy is amazing

[@NarakunoHana100]

I just recently downloaded this game to my ps2 emulator. It was my first FMA game and it was so fun

[@codyscott999]

I absolutely loved this game as a kid.

[@crome2sniper]

Im so curious as to what made you review this game in 2024. New fma content is always welcome

[@ayarenn1477]

1) I love this franchise and want more of it, and 2) Sometimes, it's just cool to see older games under the lens of modern gaming. That and we're starting to hit an era where there are people who don't even know what the PS2 was, so it's best to upload stuff like this for archival purposes.

[@crome2sniper]

@@ayarenn1477 totally agreed , great video

[@ultraspinalki11]

0:34 Why not recommend BOTH the 2003 and Brotherhood anime adaptations instead of just the latter?

[@ayarenn1477]

Mostly just because Brotherhood follows the manga storyline far closer, which I feel is the better viewing experience for a first-timer to the series. Not to try dissuade people from watching the original, of course. They're different adaptations of a story that I think people should form their own opinions on.

[@ultraspinalki11]

@@ayarenn1477 _They're different adaptations of a story that I think people should form their own opinions on_ That's pretty much why both adaptations should be recommended, in order for first-timers to make their own opinion. Certain aspects are handled better in 2003 (ex: the homunculi) and vice versa, but both are fantastic. Considering 2003 is darker in tone than Brotherhood though, I think the former should be watched first in order to finish the franchise with the happier, more lighthearted second anime.

[@ayarenn1477]

@@ultraspinalki11 That's valid. Whichever version of the series is viewed, it's still amazing through and though.

[@thedothackerkeyblademaster]

Honestly, the PS2 FMA games are probably my favorite anime licensed games to this day. I got really invested in the story and the gameplay was pretty fun. I loved alchemy mechanic so much that I'd transmute everything I could, even if I didn't need to. P.S. The gameplay is more KH than DMC. No joke, developer Racjin looked to KH for inspiration when developing this game and it shows. I played this game and the sequel before I ever got into KH, and going back to them afterwards made it all the more noticeable.

[@ayarenn1477]

I've never actually played a Kingdom Hearts game, so I compared it to the closest thing I could think of. Very cool that they took inspiration from such an interesting series!

[@thedothackerkeyblademaster]

@@ayarenn1477 I get it. It's a decent comparison overall. I just wanted to point out the stronger one. Funnily enough though, KH2 and KH3 feel closer to DMC in several ways. I remember a post on a DMC forum I use to frequent, asking what a DMC RPG would be like and every response pretty much said that it would probably be something like KH2.

[@gabrielmanari4454]

You deserve more viewers and likes. Your content is very good, man!

[@ayarenn1477]

I appreciate it! Thanks for watching!

[@noiselesspain]

Cool video about a heartbreaking story. Thanks for the great commentary

[@ayarenn1477]

I appreciate the comment, thanks for watching!

[@theelike4302]

Not only do I still have my copy of both FMA games but I still have the strategy guides too.

[@RootVegetabIe]

New sub here. I'm now a member of the Ayaren Brotherhood.

[@ayarenn1477]

Thank you! Today we gain subscribers, tomorrow we conquer the world!

[@madestmadhatter]

Me playing this in Walmart as a kid "I'll go buy this from albino rhino when I'm older they'll be sure to have it for cheap when it's used" now there's no rhino, and it's more expensive than it was then.

[@InpactedBlaze]

I have never seen anyone talk about this hidden gem and I am extremely happy this was recommended to me ❤❤❤

[@irishcream9004]

do they ever explain why the soldiers are wearing purple uniforms

[@ayarenn1477]

No, I'm pretty sure it's just to break up enemy color pallets.

[@lumberjack31]

Your voice and observations are great. Looking forward to more content.

[@ayarenn1477]

Thanks for watching, this comment means a ton to hear!

[@knightsurda]

it wasnt just one. they made 2 ps2 games. The 2nd came with the first 2 episodes of season 2.

[@ayarenn1477]

I heard about them. Fun fact, there'a actually 3! We had a prequel story, and then another unconnected Japam exclusive game.

[@knightsurda]

@@ayarenn1477 I never knew about the third one until now!

[@PharaohOfTheDamned]

46:13 somebody's allergies went crazy~ that day

[@InternetTAB]

That's why my eyes are teary. Yup...

[@InpactedBlaze]

And on another note, great video my friend absolutely enjoyed it one of the best videos I've seen in awhile man. Love this game even if its not perfect it has some great moments thats worth the playthough ❤❤❤

[@reaperofthegrey7294]

the second game is so much better. on the fly transmuting of 4 different weapon types. with mid combo transmutions to seconary limited time weapon types. its a must play game

[@ayarenn1477]

That sounds sick as hell, damn. Definitely gonna check it out!

[@reaperofthegrey7294]

@ayarenn1477 theres also a 3rd PAL only game. which ive never played. but it looks incredibly fun. it looks like they improved a lot.. too bad the us never got it

[@itstowersss443]

Such a cool niche game, even if some of the bosses were super obnoxious lol I’ll always go to bat for anime games because they don’t have to be arena fighters. On the PS2 we got action RPGs like FMA, 2D fighters like Naruto Ultimate Ninja, Smash clones like Evangelion Battle Orchestra, Mario Party clones like One Piece… you should check those out if you haven’t already! Bring back GOOD animanga games!

[@itstowersss443]

Also, from what I read this came out even before the anime, pretty interesting

[@MrDarksol]

I have some family memories with this game mainly because I grew up with it because I found it at a random WalMart. I played a bit for bit when I was a kid and didn't really go that super hard on it until I got to the final boss and I just dropped the game down by the time I reached the second phase. It was a good unique experience for the full metal alchemist series at this point in time and I do appreciate that it wasn't just another basic arena fighter or another fighting game but man was it a dull action R PG. Great job with looking at this very very forgotten action R PG though..... That attractive blonde woman over there with the glasses gee she looks very familiar it's almost as if I've seen a whole bunch of fan art of her over the years lol. Still great job!

[@forcelightningcable9639]

Man if only the vipers could know about the crazy strong shit we’ve got now… imagine how they might blow after a few big dabs

[@ayarenn1477]

@@forcelightningcable9639 I have no idea what this comment is referring to.

[@forcelightningcable9639]

@@ayarenn1477 ugh, I had a playlist running and i meant to post this to an old jazz song I was listening to and it posted my comment to the next video in queue instead, this one 😂😅

[@ayarenn1477]

@@forcelightningcable9639 lmao that makes sense. even if it wasn't intentional, thanks for commenting lol

[@iroxudont]

Great production value. Audio levels are balanced, diction is clear. But yeah, maybe not adding all cutscenes would be a good idea. 1h long videos are a tough sell.

[@ayarenn1477]

Yeah, I can understand that. My main reasoning behind it was mostly 1) My narration can't do some of these cutscenes justice, and 2) I really, REALLY want people to see em. Next time, I'll either go find them online or record em myself and then link them as a seperate video in the description. Thanks for watching!

[@stinkbanana2522]

Showed up on my home page. ALGO seems to like it 👍

[@mellohysteria8454]

Definitely a game that could use some next gen love. Honestly this game remade, with additional functions it could be a really good one. First anime to make me cry 😂😂😂 I feel like this game could have done muchhhh better

[@ayarenn1477]

Oh, for sure! Might be one of those games that needs a fan remake since the chances of us getting an official new version are slim to none lol.

[@fingazization]

This was an amazing video. Thank you for this.

[@shamluis2125]

Super robot wars series is mecha cross over but you have to like tatics rpg to enjoy them most of the games now are look at the pretty animations vs how hard they are. Most games are japan only but have fan translations, although they are text heavy. Play the fan translations because well they are free I suggest J and if don’t like the game it was just a fan translations

[@ayarenn1477]

Fan translations are an absolute godsend when it comes to games like this, so it's cool to see so many.

[@zindayn]

i saw this in my recommended and was brain blasted back to my childhood on a nostalgia rocket. I had so much fun playing this game as a kid, recognizing now that it's probably fairly mediocre lol.

[@jeremyhall2727]

22:00 you really needed to level up. Yeah it's boring because the combat ok.. it's not as good as part 2. Right when I fought the first enemy in part 2; my God it was a big upgrade. There's more combos & it just feels smoother. What accessories did you have. Because this game was that hard at all. What was your character's status bro?

[@jeremyhall2727]

You played it the hard way. I tip my hat too you. I got used too going out my way to level in RPGs. Since I first played a RPG from the SNES games. I rented final fantasy 4 & I was so small. I had to write down the words I didn't know. So my sister or mom can read it. My dad was already died 😅 heart problems. My sister said you keep losing because you're not fighting enough people. Just go fight some monsters for 30 mins or 1 hour. Heal up & repeat that everytime it feels like everyone is hard as an boss.

[@ayarenn1477]

My biggest problem in that fight wasn't my damage or the amount of damage I was taking. It was mainly the way the fight itself goes. A tiny room with a ton of enemies that spend 86% of the time knocking you away from your main source of damage is just... it rubs me the wrong way. I'm glad you had an easier time with this game, though! Plus, grinding is never fun and I play JRPGs every day lol.

[@jeremyhall2727]

@@ayarenn1477 The knock back would e hell on you. Jesus, I forgot all about that. I actually like the grind 😅 hunting monsters for the fun of it. Finding rare loot & looking for rare enemies to add to my beast..a-near-me 🤣 (monster I beat log). If I don't like a games combat system; i wouldn't play the game regardless of how good the story is. I keep some low level equipment just in case I over level too much. I only burst out the main gear if I really needs it. I have a problem ☹️ have you played Shadow hearts for the PS2. I think you will like

[@bozzy7946]

It looks really good for the era

[@ayarenn1477]

I enjoyed it far more than I had expected to, honestly. Highly recommend it.

[@xaviermcnemar6874]

wow this is a very good video

[@ayarenn1477]

Thanks for watching, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@jacks5369]

God damn that's a good ending

[@sapphireglaceon]

ok the last part has a MAJOR PLOT HOLE this guy opens the gate but he has everything??? WTF

[@ayarenn1477]

I seem to be a bit confused here, what specific section are you referring to?

[@sapphireglaceon]

@@ayarenn1477 the guy doing the hand clap

[@eduardobonnet2254]

@@ayarenn1477 I think his talking about the last scene with the Father that was able to use alchemy just by clapping his hands, just like Edward is able to do it without a transmutation circle. This can only be done if you sacrifice something from you so the door of truth can be open and you gain knowledge of alchemy.

[@ayarenn1477]

@@eduardobonnet2254Ah, yeah, that'd make sense. I believe the paper is the transmutation circle in that moment, or that's at the least what they're getting at. It's the same thing Armony tries to learn earlier on in the game. Or hey, maybe it's not and I'm just a moron lol.

[@eduardobonnet2254]

@@ayarenn1477 It's weird cause I vaguely remember that if you are using a circle you don't need to clap your hands. You are making me rewatch FullMetal just to see a scene of it hahaha.

[@brandonloaiza8595]

I love this game i have no idea what happened to my copy and im pissed lol

[@ayarenn1477]

It's a really good game, I'm surprised to see so many people here who played it.

[@quinkelly1441]

Do 1 damaged to Roy mustang and Alex Armstrong in the final battle of the game took me an hour to be them.

[@ayarenn1477]

I've tried to beat em 3 times since I beat the game and failed every time. They hit like a truck lmao.

[@jacobmacdonald9503]

Underrated

[@rickster008]

I liked both versions of the fma Anime. I had this game way back i didn't like it

[@lunareclipse1882]

I did enjoy playing the demo

[@effherdecebey2372]

I like the name of the serie O.o

[@3L_B4R7O]

Nice

[@jordanlynch8085]

Bro great video! You keep up this level of quality and keep getting better I see this channel growing and blowing up big! Great job man seriously! I wish you the best and much luck on this channel growth 📈 but I know it will next year I bet your over 100k

[@ayarenn1477]

This means so much to hear, thanks!