A clear improvement make it worth playing, despite being very short.
- Impressive cel-shaded visuals
- Entertaining gameplay
- Good anime cutscenes
- Explains everything well
Negative
- Still with some AI flaws
- A bit on the easy and short sides
If you played the previously released Fullmetal Alchemist game, you might have been a bit disappointed. But this follow-up, which doesn't build up upon the previous game, Curse of the Crimson Elixir is a much better game and it's exactly how an anime based game should be.
Unlike Fullmetal Alchemist and the Broken Angel, this one tells the story on which the series is based one. Starting 3 months after Ed and AI tried bringing their mother to life and failing, they embark on a journey to find the Philosopher's stone. The game doesn't follow the series close since there are arc not found in the anime. But the basic are those found in the series. There are many missing pieces of the story as it's told in the series.
While the previous game was a bit frustrating and slow when it comes to combat, Curse of the Crimson Elixir is a moves at a faster pace, the combat system has a beat-'em-up style by using combos. Using alchemy is easier and faster. Just by pressing O, Ed can summon a rock barrier. You can perform combos by using the square button and then press the triangle, circle or again the square button. Ed's movements have become faster since last time. The artificial intelligent isn't brilliant, but better than before. Enemy movements are realistic, by the game's challenge is still a bit low. A new added feature is the counter. By pressing the R2 button when an enemy strikes, you not only hit the enemy by also earn a little EXP. Enemies consist of mostly men and chimeras. Men are usually armed with guns and knives and chimeras can spit fire and do other things. Over time, the combat can get monotonous.
Throughout most of the review I will be comparing this one with its predecessor to show the improvements. This time around you can see both Ed's and AI's health, unlike before where you could see only Ed's health bar. You only control Edward Elric like before, and you can give orders to Al like attack or call him near you. Now Al can help Ed jump higher than before by standing close to him. Ed can still resurrect Al, but he can take care of himself.
Throughout the game you'll find treasure which contain items, like many others games. Sometimes the enemy drops items which most likely will be elixirs for healing. There are some rather annoying bosses in this game and some which can be fun. After you defeat the boss, you will get awarded depending on your performance, like how much combo or damage received. If it's good, you get an item and bonus points which you earn when leveling up. With them you can increase Ed's and Al's attributes.
Edward can still transmute object around. This time around you don't have to hold the 'O' button to get one or the other, all object have one option meaning that you don't have a choice at what you can do with that object. New weapons have been added such as bombs you can throw and other such things. There are weapons that Ed can summon like the lance and the sword. This can be done by pressing and holding the L2 and when a circle appears you can choose between the 4 buttons.
Inside areas where enemies don't appear, there might be something shiny. If you examine it by pressing the square or the circle button, you can get an item or something to read. That aside, Ed and Al can perform a special attack once the gauge under Ed's health bar is full. You simple go or call Al, and he will send you sky high and then by pressing the circle button a powerful attack can be unleashed. Don't know if it always works.
The presentation of this game is certainly attractive. Curse of the Crimson Elixir is fulfilled with dialogues, but unlike FMA and the broken angel these are all with voices. You could say the game is fully voiced, except you can't talk to people in towns. There are some interesting anime cutscenes which have been spiced up from last time. These really capture the feel of the anime.
The graphics receive an unexpected change making it feel more anime like. The environments are nice to look at, though they can come a little repetitive. The character models look a bit better than they where. The camera can still cause some minor problems, but nothing out of the ordinary. You can slightly zoom by pressing the R3 button.
Since the game is fully voiced, thankfully the voice acting is remarkably good. The voices are from the anime series of course. The music doesn't stand out much and can get rather repetitive over time, but at least it's good. The sound effects are same as good. It's also a game that is easy to get into. You get an explanation of all the basics of how you fight, use transmutated weapons and many other things. You can view them anytime by pausing the game. For difficulty the game is a bit too easy.
Fullmetal Alchemist 2: Curse of the Crimson Elixir is a great game based on this popular anime. Despite its soft difficulty and it's criminally short length, without much doubt that it's an improvement on its predecessor in many ways. After a while gets repetitive, but if you're a fan of this series this is a much play. A rental passes for RPG fans.
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Graphics = 8.4
An overhaul from broken angel. Sort of cel-shaded graphics, beautiful models, nice but repetitive background environments. Good animations.
Sound = 8.0
The game is fully voiced with dialogues and anything. The music can be pleasant or sometimes might get plain annoying. Sound effects have been slightly improved.
Presentation = 8.2
There is practically no motion in normal cutscenes which sucks. The load times are good and the anime cutscenes really capture the look of the anime. The camera is ok.
Gameplay = 8.2
It's faster, better and more enjoyable than ever before. You can do combos, summon weapons, transmute objects, kill enemies and etc. Doesn't get shallow after around 3 or 4 hours. AI still a bit dumb. Bosses aren't horrific this time around.
Story = 7.0
Starts out good but then looses a lot of momentum. The most important characters appear here of course. There are arcs not seen in the anime but that is to be expected, but there are missing arcs that can confuse some people who've seen the anime.
OVERALL = 8.0 / 10
A clear improvement gives this series a bit of flavor. Its short length diminishes the value, but if you can get this game as a rental or for a discount, and you are a fan, you'll find a lot to enjoy in this one.