Fullmetal Alchemist 3: The Girl Who Succeeds God

Fullmetal Alchemist 3: Kami o Tsugu Shōjo (鋼の錬金術師3 神を継ぐ少女) is the third Fullmetal Alchemist video game for the PlayStation 2 and an RPG continuation of the series of Square Enix games. The first two games in the series are Fullmetal Alchemist and the Broken Angel and Fullmetal Alchemist 2: Curse of the Crimson Elixir. Unlike the first two games in the series, this game is not released outside Japan.

Characters

 * Edward Elric: The Fullmetal Alchemist, his nickname is given because the term "Fullmetal" is used to describe a person who is stubborn. In the series, it is often mistakenly attributed by minor characters to Ed's automail arm and leg, or Al's armor body. He and Alphonse are the protagonists.
 * Alphonse Elric: Al is Edward's younger brother, though is often mistaken to be older than Ed because his soul is trapped in a suit of armor twice as large as he is. He is also a skilled alchemist.
 * Winry Rockbell: A childhood friend of the Elric brothers, Winry has traveled with the two to the city known as Valdolla. You can speak with her at the Vacant Church.
 * Roy Mustang: The Flame Alchemist, who is known for his mastery of fire alchemy. He is Edward's immediate superior in the military and is quite the ladies' man.
 * Riza Hawkeye: A first lieutenant in the military under Colonel Mustang's command. She has accompanied the group to Valdolla.
 * Alex Louis Armstrong: The Strong-Arm Alchemist and a Major in the military. He is part of Mustang's group who assisted in the battle of Valdolla.
 * Sophie Bergmann: A mysterious young girl with a strange transmutation circle-like symbol resembling a flower embedded in her left hand. Edward and Alphonse attempt to save her when she is about to be attacked by Leoneed at the beginning of the story, but Sophie ends up saving them instead when she emits a strange and powerful light that radiates throughout the metropolis. Like Alphonse, she has a fondness for stray cats. She is fourteen years old.
 * Victor Bergmann: Sophie's father and an alchemist who was murdered by Zelgiuce. Sophie constantly thinks about her father.
 * First Lieutenant Romeo Craigin: He is an officer in the Valdolla Military. He is famous as for his excellence as a soldier and weapons he made.
 * Lieutenant Colonel Venus Rosemaria: She is the captain of an independent Valdolla Military organization, an attractive woman who dresses very provocatively. She's often referred to as the 'Red Rose' for her customized crimson attire.
 * Second Lieutenant Izzy Trigger: A member of the military, who wears glasses and an olive version of the State Military's uniform. He is one of Rosemaria's subordinates. He goes insane after his friends are killed by flying beasts.
 * Second Lieutenant Boris Hammer: Another member of the military, a distinctly fat and short man. He is also one of Rosemaria's subordinates.
 * Velza the Legendary Witch': A mysterious woman with white hair and white clothing. Once a kind and benevolent being, she has suffered a great deal because the people around her abused her for her strange nature. She is the final boss in the game. The church that Winry and Sophie stay at appears to have a giant statue of Velza with her hands together as if she's praying.
 * Zelgiuce of Purgatory: The Fire Priest and leader of the priests who control the city Sophie lives in. In the past, Zelgiuce worked together with Sophie's father on experiments which likely are the source behind Sophie's mysterious powers. He wears a fierce demonic mask and bears the symbol of a lion.
 * Janice of the Hurricane: A young woman with blonde hair and suggestive attire. She bears the symbol of an eagle on her upper left thigh. She is the Wind Priest of the group led by Zelgiuce. She has the ability to levitate in midair and fly.
 * Leoneed of Diamond Dust: An effeminate young man, who is associated with shadows and a member of Zelgiuce's group. His symbol is a shark emerging from the water, which appears on his abdomen. He has the ability to create ice and is known as the Ice Priest.
 * Gode of the Fissure: A masked brute bearing the symbol of a buffalo on his shoulder. He is a member of Zelgiuce's group known the Earth Priest. He never speaks, merely grunts and moans.
 * Führer King Bradley: The Führer of the Amestrian Military, and a boss in the end of the game that you do not necessarily have to win. Defeating him will only change the ending.

Plot
The setting is Valdolla, a large city completely surrounded by snow-capped mountains.Edward, Alphonse, and Winry meet Sophie Belkman, a fourteen-year-old girl with silver hair and light blue eyes who has been cornered by Leonid, the guardian of ice. When Edward's attempt to save her from him fails, she uses a strange power causing a blinding golden light to light up the entire sky.

Afterward, Leonid retreats, and Sophie passes out. The trio run to her aid. Soon after they've learned each other's names, Sophie takes Edward and Alphonse and presses her seal, (A transmutation circle shaped like a flower) onto Edward's right hand, and Alphonse's shoulder, increasing their alchemic abilities.

They sought out the Guardians of Ice, Wind, Earth, and Fire to get closer to solving the mystery of Velza. During this time, they progress through an ancient castle, where on the balcony, Sophie experiences strange pulsations accompanied with voices that make her scream. A strange transmutation circle is inscribed in the ground right by a rock-like platform that has handcuffs hanging down from chains to suspend someone.

Ahead, the balcony overlooks the mountains. Sophie and the Elric brothers are surprised by Romeo Craigin, who are then taken into Custody by Venus Rosemaria and her subordinates Izzy Trigger and Boris Hammer. Edward yells for Sophie to escape. Alphonse is strapped to an Electrical machine for testing, and Edward stripped and locked in a cold jail cell with nothing but his boxers to stay warm, but Edward finds a way out and they escape the military base together.

Upon fighting and defeating three of the four guardians twice, the brothers discover that they lose their power, and wither away into dust. Sophie saves Leonid who has been lifted from his curse, but is only shot and killed by Romeo Craigin moments after the trio leave the area. The brothers' journey finally comes to a close after reaching the highest level in the Shrine of Velza, where they find Sophie who has been possessed by Velza because of the red rock that Zelgius placed in her chest, and break her out of the trance.

They fight Velza as a disgustingly ugly and enormous monster with a skull for a face. Upon defeating Velza, she gets sucked into the ground but re-emerges again in a human form covered with blood and glowing eyes, creating a massive vortex of wind and red light in her rage. Sophie approaches her, and despite the fact that Velza attacks her twice, she still survives almost unharmed (except for some bleeding on her forehead). Sophie then wraps her arms around the angry Velza, crying, and her words cause Velza to calm down, and she hugs her in return. Her eyes are shadowed out, but a tear falls and lands on Sophie's face where she begins to wither to dust. Her gentle eyes are revealed for a split second, and her last word being a "thank you" before vanishing for good.

Afterwards, all of the monsters that were summoned when Zelgius initially placed the red stone in Sophie's chest, vanished as well, leaving citizens and military soldiers alike thankful and relieved that the terror was finally over. Zelgius, who is standing on the balcony with Roy Mustang notices that everything's vanished, and after saying his final farewell, he sets himself on fire and disappears into the air. They return to the Church to find Winry and Sophie's beautiful white cat, Norn, and decide to have a nice walk in town since they no longer had anything to worry about.

On the way through the empty streets, Edward is pushed back by Winry, as she is deeply immersed in a conversation with Sophie, which causes him to fall behind the other three. In a shadowed alley, Toriga stands covered with a blanket, muttering and holding a large dagger. He has gone insane from his friends death by the flying monsters. The moment Edward reaches the alley, with his friends far ahead, Toriga lunges out and stabs Ed in the chest, then walks away, causing death on impact.

Alphonse, Sophie, and Winry turn around after hearing a thump from behind them and run to Ed's side, crying in shock. After seeing Ed lying motionless, Sophie decides to use her power to bring him back to life. She places her hands over the wound in his chest and a light starts glowing. She meets Edward (who is floating upside down) in a beautiful looking place with a sunset on one side and the daylight on the other and talks with him. Edward screams her name out before she vanishes, and realizes that he's alive again (reaching out for Sophie).

When he turns, he sees Sophie sitting with a blank and vacant expression, and Winry sobbing uncontrollably by her side. He then suddenly realizes that something is wrong, and moves to her, screaming and touching foreheads together. Edward and Alphonse meet Führer Bradley at the Headquarters which turns into a fight, where winning or losing will change the ending.

Upon losing the battle, Edward is struck unconscious by Major Alex Louis Armstrong where he and Mustang speak with the Führer, who then enters the HQ and kills Romeo Craigin. Winry and the Elric brothers try to speak to Sophie who is vacantly staring out the window not even aware of their existence. They leave Valdolla in grief and sorrow.

Mustang and Hawkeye are treated for injuries at the Hospital. At the very end, Norn continually meows trying to get Sophie to come back to reality, and just when hope seems lost, Sophie stresses out the words "Norn" and "Ed" with a smile.

If you win the battle the scene with Norn still plays out but she runs from the hospital to the train station, recovered. Although she first believes her friends have already left, she succeeds in reuniting with the gang.

Other Info
This game features Tag Battle Mode, you can unlock characters Roy Mustang, Riza Hawkeye, and Alex Louis Armstrong. In this mode, you can play alone, or with a partner and defeat all of the opponents to gain a record.

Gallery has about 96 unlockable images, and 10 movie clips. Three of which are the opening, a music video of Nana Kitade's song "Kanashimi no Kizu" （悲しみの傷）, and a commercial for the game. To unlock, give items to Sophie when she is standing in the vacant church. To further experience, upon completing a game, save, and it will be listed as cleared one time. The 10th movie clip is only achievable upon defeating Führer King Bradley.

Unlike the previous two installations, Fullmetal Alchemist 3 is a two player game. You can switch between Edward and Alphonse and play either one of them at any point in the game. In tag battle mode, the same applies to all characters.

Giving Sophie Items will sometimes unlock pictures with small cutscene like dialogue, as well as characters available for tag battle mode, along with the fact that she will sometimes give an item back in return.

Trivia

 * Valora and its inhabitants are largely Russian-inspired, with most of the Valdollan characters having Russian first names and/or second names (surnames), like Craigin, Belkman, Boris, Leonid.

Reception
The game sold 46,954 copies by the end of July 2005.&#91;1&#93;

Sites

 * Official Japanese Website
 * IGN.COM