Lunar Month

Taking place between episodes 17 and 18 of the anime, the game begins with the Elric brothers (somewhat unwillingly being escorted by Major Alex Louis Armstrong) heading to Central City via train. As Ed moans, Al consoles, and Armstrong flexes, the train is suddenly attacked by terrorists. The skirmish eventually ends with one destroyed train and the brothers in the town of New Heissgart, looking for a ride to Central. There, they meet a girl named Armony and learn more of the Philosopher's Catalyst, an item nearly as powerful as the Philosopher's Stone itself, but used to increase the efficiency of alchemy. The Philosopher's Catalyst seems to be directly linked with the berserk chimeras running about, the rogue military force, and the gathering of alchemists in the town. The Elrics soon find that their simple mission for a train turns into much more as they learn about the Catalyst and the dark mysteries surrounding it.

Loosely based around the events of the first few episodes of the anime (with some plot elements borrowed from the manga), Edward and Alphonse learn of a frightening phenomenon sweeping Amestris; people in many regions are vanishing without a trace, supposedly spirited away by "monsters". In Resembool, Edward and Alphonse meet an enigmatic alchemist named Jack Crowley and an entity called the Phantom. It seems that they have some connection with both the disappearances and the strange creatures (known as Golems) appearing around the countryside. When Colonel Mustang sends the brothers and Riza Hawkeye to investigate a village plagued by these monsters, they meet Arlen Glostner, an archaeologist who is studying the ancient civilization of Lebis. Edward and Alphonse soon find themselves headed for the ruins of Siam-Sid, the capital city of Lebis, to discover the truth behind the Golems and the puzzling disappearances...

The game's story involves a fighting tournament during a large festival that allows for any pair of fighters to participate. The participants are allowed to use weapons and alchemical skills. The game's main characters are Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric, and Roy Mustang. The fighting involves the two versus two style of game playing. Each team shares a "star" meter which decreases each time one member of the team dies. If all the stars disappear, the battle ends.

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