[IDEA][FANGAME]Fullmetal Alchemist: Truth's Door

[ThePortalGuru]

I'm not sure this game will be completed. I just want to get that out of the way, first of all. Fullmetal Alchemist has always seemed like a premise that would make a great game, but it's never really been done all that well. I think that can be attributed, in part, to the fact that the games are pretty hastily and crappily thrown together as tie-ins to the series.

I felt like it was an obligation of mine to come up with some overly-ambitious fangame, so I did just that. So I'm going to put down some of my rough ideas right here.

Story

The game begins in a part of the series that never actually existed. In the second to last episode of FMA: Brotherhood, Ed *SPOILER ALERT* sacrifices his ability to perform alchemy to save his brother, Al. "Truth's Door" is between the time Ed transmutes himself and the time he confronts Truth. The story begins when Ed wakes up in a strange, white, misty area completely devoid of any sort of clothing. He finds a white robe lying on a pillar in front of him, and sets off on his journey.

The game world is going to be extremely diverse, spanning from a seaside city to lush mountains and valleys to ruins of a civilization lost to the ages. The world represents a sort of "Alchemical limbo," if you will; the area between Truth and the real world. And it's there that Truth informs you of your purpose.

There are seven alchemists in this limbo, each one there for a reason. As Truth explains, there are things worse than human transmutation. The "Seven Unforgivables," as he calls them, are forms of alchemy that have been forbidden by the Laws of Alchemy. Each of these seven alchemists had lost someone - or something - and resorted to practicing one of the Unforgivables in desperation to bring them back.

Lupin Lark - The Flesh Alchemist
Nathan Shennal - The Illusion Alchemist
Jason Horowitz - The "Romance" Alchemist
Tsen Hi - The Sky Alchemist
Aria Albins - The Soul Alchemist
Marshall Hostika - The Light Alchemist
Lin - The Creation Alchemist

I'll post some more details about these guys later, but for now, I just want you to get a general idea of each of their styles.

Gameplay

For the most part, this is going to be a very atmospheric exploration-platformer-brawler. Ed is a very agile character, so the movement will probably be a little like Knytt Stories - which is to say, high friction, quick turns, and a low terminal velocity. You'll be able to climb, grip ledges, shimmy, long jump, run, slide, swing, and all of that typical stuff.

On the fighting side, you'll be able to to the standard punching and kicking, but the highlight, of course, will be on the alchemy. Here's a list of the different types of alchemy that will be able to be performed:

Flame - Sets enemies ablaze, turns water into steam, melts ice and can spread in vegetated areas

Earth - Can raise certain areas of land, creates bridges, doors, pits, and steel weapons, among other things

Water - Freezes water into ice, can manipulate bodies of water into waves to take out enemies, puts out fire

Deconstruction - Breaks down certain materials; can break down seemingly impassible walls

In addition, you will be able to use a large variety of collected arrays and symbols to customize and create your own forms of alchemy. For instance, you could combine fire and air to create a firestorm, or lightning, wind and water to create thunderclouds.

I'm far from done working out every little kink, and still have some ways to go in terms of programming, but I hope this project reaches completion at some point or another.

If anyone has any opinions, constructive or not, please tell me.

[Kosheh]

So...it's like Castlevania, with more puzzle elements

and based on an anime?

I like this idea a lot

[ThePortalGuru]

So...it's like Castlevania, with more puzzle elements

and based on an anime?

I like this idea a lot

Essentially, yeah. And there'll be a lot of allusions to some famous philosophers, I assure you. Plus, I intend on spending unreasonable amounts of time designing the bosses. Not saying they'll be Konjak level or anything, as that's pretty much impossible, but I have some ideas.

Oh, and here's some backstory on Lupin Lark: The Flesh Alchemist.

In a bloody battle during a war from many years past, Lupin's childhood friend Raj had his legs torn apart by a land mine. Lupin tried to stop the bleeding, but there was no use. Raj was dead before he could get him medical attention. Despite being told repeated by the field medics that Raj's heart had ceased beating, and despite being under heavy fire from the opposing side, Lupin pulled out his notebook, flipped frantically, and found the footnote he had been looking for. Years ago, he had figured out how to do something seemingly impossible. Inside his notebook was a method for bypassing human transmutation entirely. He had never tried it on anything before, but needed to now more than ever. Shocked medics watches as Raj's muscles, veins and skin began to grow back before their very eyes. Lupin reached down to feel his pulse, and felt a gentle beating starting. His heart raced. And slowly, his partner's head began to rise. The medics rushed over to help him up. Raj's head turned to one of the medics. It snapped forward, and Raj took a massive bite out of the poor healer's arm. Lupin sat and watched in horror as his former comrade devoured the man. This beast was not Raj. This thing was not his friend.

[ThePortalGuru]

Apologies for the double post, but I've just been taking a look at the soundtrack lately, and holy FFFFFFFUCK, this series has some incredible material to work with. If the game is even half as grand as the music, it will be grand indeed.