Square Enix have shared more information about upcoming action RPG Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin.
As previously reported; Jack, Ash, and Jed attempt to find the Chaos Shrine; and defeat Chaos itself. As the trio’s memories are muddled and hidden, are they the prophesied Warriors of Light? Players will fight iconic monsters from the Final Fantasy series (turning into crystals when they die), and use powerful spells, abilities, and classic jobs (such as warrior, dragoon, and black mage).
The game seems to be a retelling of the original Final Fantasy, based on prior trailers and characters. New information released by Square Enix all but confirms it, as many familiar faces and locations appear.
The story is explained as Jack trying to return light to the crystals across Cornelia, as darkness has overrun the land and corrupted it. The King of Cornelia reveals to Jack and his friends the Prophecy of Lukahn, hoping that they are the Warriors of Light destined to banish the darkness infecting the crystals.
The king is joined with Queen Jayne, putting her daughters (Sarah and Mia) and her people first. Mia shares her mother’s conviction, even confronting ministers such as Lagone; a shrewed man desperate to find the Warriors of Light. He will be recording the journey made by Jack and his comrades for posterity. As an aside, it is also mentioned that Sarah’s lute playing is the Final Fantasy prelude theme.
After crossing the northern bridge into Pravoka, Jack and company meet their first major foe; Captain Bikke. While the town’s people are looking for crystals with the aid of the king, Bikke effectively runs the town in place of the governor, while his pirate crew are moored in Pravoka Seagrot.
The darkness as affected the oceans, meaning no ships venture out, and Bikke’s line of work has effectively dried up. It seems he’ll be taking out his frustration on players with a two-handed axe he’ll swing with wild abandon.
While Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin has had several limited time demos, combat was also discussed. Foes have a break gauge, and player’s combos and abilities will reduce it. Once depleted, players can use a Soul Burst to crystallize the foe, and take them out in one blow.
However Jack also has a break gauge, depleted when he guards or uses Soul Shield. It will recover over time, but Jack will stagger if it is reduced to zero. The aforementioned Soul Shield can block foe’s abilities with purple names; indicating they can be “captured.” This attack can then be used as an instant ability, launched right back at them.
This can lead to interesting combinations. For example, capturing Fire from a Bomb and then launching it back at them three times will cause the Bomb to self-destruct.
Should Jack and the rest of the party become injured, they can recover their HP and MP at special cubes, along with restocking potions. However, this resurrects all the monsters in a dungeon. Players will also respawn at their last touched cube when they die.
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin launches March 18th, 2022 for Windows PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.