STRANGER OF PARADISE FINAL FANTASY ORIGIN is coming to the Epic Games Store on March 18! To celebrate, we have two treats for you; a new launch video, and an exclusive interview with Daisuke Inoue, one of the game’s co-directors.  

STRANGER OF PARADISE FINAL FANTASY ORIGIN is a bold new take on the FINAL FANTASY series. The game is a reimagining of the iconic first FINAL FANTASY game where players will discover the dark beginnings of one of the series’ most iconic villains - Garland. Square Enix have teamed up with Team Ninja, creators of the acclaimed “Nioh” series of games, to craft an action-packed, three player co-op adventure inspired by the original FINAL FANTASY.  

The traditional turn-based battles of FINAL FANTASY are now huge, real-time brawls, with dozens of jobs (classes) to suit any type of player, and more to come after launch. Your party of three, led by our hero Jack, are out to destroy Chaos, a ravenous force bringing destruction and corruption to the land and all that live within it. 

You can view the STRANGER OF PARADISE FINAL FANTASY ORIGIN trailer below, and then read our Q&A with Daisuke Inoue, where we delve into this exciting new version of the game that kicked off a legendary series. A brutal and intense FINAL FANTASY world awaits, bring light to a world being consumed by darkness…

Though it's based on the first game, your game isn’t a remake, it’s more of an interpretation. How have you used the first game’s setting and themes to create Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin?

STRANGER OF PARADISE FINAL FANTASY ORIGIN is not a remake of FINAL FANTASY I.

I think the story of  FINAL FANTASY made you feel as though the world was in a constant loop. We have reinterpreted one hypothetical scenario within the story of FINAL FANTASY by thinking about the sort of world that may have existed as part of the loop and then linked that idea to the origins of Garland.

It can also be said that the world of STRANGER OF PARADISE FINAL FANTASY ORIGIN was created to intentionally foster a sense of unease as you progress through the story, with the setting and feel of the world from FF1 gradually morphing into a different world. 

What were the ‘must have’ elements for a Final Fantasy game in this instance?

Whenever I’m asked about what makes a FINAL FANTASY game, I remember those who have worked on the series up until now saying that FINAL FANTASY is something that “challenges itself,” “incorporates more and more elements you want to try out,” “has blue text boxes,” and that “something made with all of this in mind can be called an FF game.”

In that sense, I believe that the fact that STRANGER OF PARADISE FINAL FANTASY ORIGIN  has a villain as the main character, gameplay which is faster and more action-focused than other FF games, and visuals that show you brutally pulverizing your enemies whilst being splattered by their blood, all contribute to the elements needed to be able to call this a FINAL FANTASY game since these are new challenges which have not been done so far in the FF series. 

Aside from the original game, are there other FINAL FANTASY games and events from which you’ve taken inspiration?

STRANGER OF PARADISE FINAL FANTASY ORIGIN is a game which follows the feel of the original FINAL FANTASY I whilst also challenging itself to do something new. However, there is also a different side to it – the fact that it has an all-star roster of locations from the FINAL FANTASY series.

As a result, it takes a lot of inspiration from other FINAL FANTASY titles. In terms of the game system, I think there was a lot of influence from the FINAL FANTASY games which feature job and class systems, as personally, I quite like the sort of job systems in FINAL FANTASY games.

The job system looks very powerful, allowing players to drastically change how they approach a battle. Have you made the system so that players can specialize, or do you expect players to experiment?

I’d like the player to try things out and find out which style of action they prefer. There are lots of different types of actions to enjoy, such as with all the weapon types and the job characteristics.  

We have made it so that the game can be completed with any job, although how easy it will be to beat certain enemies or bosses might differ. You can play the game by focusing on the jobs you find easy to fight with or the ones you think look cool. Or alternatively, you can fight whilst switching between weapons and jobs to match the strategy which is needed for the fight. 

Do you have a favored approach?

Actually, I like the initial jobs as they’re easy to use. The game lets you switch between two jobs whilst you fight, so I like to have one set to be an initial job, with the other being an expert job with a quirky ability. In terms of weapon type, I like weapons that have a pause in between the actions but can also cause a lot of damage, like swords or axes. Therefore, I use a combo of an initial job, the Swordsman, which equips swords, and Dark Knight, an expert job that wields axes.

Normally, I play by using the Swordsman to get stuck into battle, and then when I run low on HP, I can use the command ability Blood Weapon to replenish my health whilst I swing around the Dark Knight’s axe, as this job gets stronger when it is low on HP. This is a fun combat style!

Are the jobs all drawn from the FINAL FANTASY series, or have you introduced some to the setting?

We started off by just discussing with the dev team which jobs from the FINAL FANTASY series we wanted to include, so we essentially went about it by thinking about the jobs which make the FINAL FANTASY series, and deciding what form the action gameplay for them should take as we put them in.

However, we had suggestions from the development team for jobs which aren’t part of the FINAL FANTASY series, like, “I want a job where you can summon the sword zantetsuken and cut down enemies in one fell swoop!” So, there were a few which we made to go along with this game. 
 

Could you talk a little about the ‘brutal’ approach you’re bringing to Final Fantasy? What do you feel it brings to the series that’s often full of action but doesn’t often feel bloody?

This protagonist of this story is a villain and combined with the dark atmosphere, it is a game which sets itself apart from the other FINAL FANTASY games up until now.

The battles also comprise of hardcore action, making it a daring game which expands on the FINAL FANTASY brand, so we needed something to give it a powerful impact as a new FINAL FANTASY. Therefore, we decided to incorporate something which hadn’t been done yet – brutality.

STRANGER OF PARADISE FINAL FANTASY ORIGIN’s challenge is perhaps to create a new series within FINAL FANTASY, whilst also taking the opportunity to depict the dark side of FINAL FANTASY, which is a story that hasn’t been told until now.

Do you have anything you’d like to add for the fans and players of your new game?

Many people may view STRANGER OF PARADISE FINAL FANTASY ORIGIN as a punishing action game, but you can also change the difficulty level whilst playing the game. 

The most casual difficulty setting is STORY, which allows players who may not be particularly confident with action gameplay to experience the story, whilst still enjoying the action gameplay – which is STRANGER OF PARADISE FINAL FANTASY ORIGIN’s greatest appeal. Therefore, if you haven’t played the game yet because you’re not the best with action gameplay, even though you like FINAL FANTASY, then don’t be afraid to jump in!

I’m sure it’ll give you a feeling of exhilaration unlike anything you’ve felt before.

STRANGER OF PARADISE FINAL FANTASY ORIGIN will also continue to evolve further via downloadable content. Please keep your eyes peeled for new information.

Finally, thank you for reading this far. I’m looking forward to the day when we can play together in multiplayer!

Thanks to Daisuke Inoue for taking the time to answer our questions. His latest game, STRANGER OF PARADISE FINAL FANTASY ORIGIN, is out March 18 on the Epic Games Store.