Fullmetal Alchemist: Bluebird's Illusion Remake Demo

Few anime series gained as much popularity as Full Metal Alchemist did, especially outside Japan. This is a bit more impressive when you consider the fact that at first, the underlying concept sounds pretty silly, given the fact that characters use alchemy to fight. However, the great storytelling and the memorable characters made FMA a must-watch for every anime fan out there.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Bluebird's Illusion Remake is a visual novel that tackles the question of what would have happened if everything went well for Edward and Alphonse. The story starts after Ed manages to retrieve Al’s body back after the failed transmutation, so there’s no more chase after the philosopher’s stone. Whether this makes the story more enjoyable or not is entirely up to you.

The plot begins five years after the attempted transmutation of their mother, and Edward is already living a pretty happy life as a member of the military. Not only that, but he actually managed to be promoted to colonel, while other important characters have higher functions as well, such as Roy, who is the new general in this storyline.

Naturally, things cannot go well for too long, and soon enough something happens to Al, which in turns spawns another adventure for the two brothers. Since this is fan fiction, expect a few interesting choices in terms of character relationships, but the demo is not long enough for such problems to become apparent. Granted, things should get easier to swallow the more you continue to play.

The one thing Fullmetal Alchemist: Bluebird's Illusion Remake really gets right is the artwork, because everything looks almost exactly like in the original anime. Every character features the same look, except of course for a few different outfits here and there. The backdrops are very enjoyable and detailed as well, which really helps with immersion.

Although the story is pretty vague in the demo at hand, Fullmetal Alchemist: Bluebird's Illusion Remake has the potential to turn into something pretty special. It might be hard to work around the copyright issues, but there’s definitely potential here.