Stranger Of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is a new action RPG, developed by Team Ninja in collaboration with Tetsuya Nomura (Final Fantasy VII, Kingdom Hearts), brings a bold, new vision to the Final Fantasy series that will appeal to existing Final Fantasy fans and new players alike.

Join Jack and his allies as they throw open the gates to the Chaos Shrine and step into a world of dark fantasy and exhilarating battles to discover if they are truly the Warriors of Light the prophecy foretold. In this hard-core action RPG, Jack must hazard numerous gauntlets to bring the light of the crystals back to a kingdom conquered by darkness.

Fight your way through excruciating battles with a variety of means to pulverize your enemies. With multiple difficulty options and a wide selection of jobs and weapons available to customize your party, you can choose exactly how you want to play.

Will restoring the crystals' light usher in peace or a new form of darkness?

..or perhaps something else entirely?

Stranger Of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin's story is painted by layers of challenging action gameplay. Use various abilities to crush your enemies! Each boss has its own unique movements. Identifying the enemy’s swift moves and effectively utilizing soul shield and various abilities will carry you through deadly battles. Various weapons such as greatswords, daggers, and spears determine a character’s job when equipped. Acquire new abilities and jobs through a character enhancement system called the Job Tree. Choose among a variety of jobs to select two which you can switch between during battle. Using magic spells is also another effective strategy. Prepare for battle by acquiring and equipping more powerful gear. Collect various weapons from treasure chests or by defeating enemies.

Last month we showed you some new screenshots and information about Stranger Of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin . Today, we have even more to reveal, including new characters, locations, and jobs.

The new action RPG from Team NINJA offers a dark and brutal take on the FINAL FANTASY series, particularly the game that started it all, FINAL FANTASY I. When you look through the shots below, you may notice more than one reference to that classic game…

We’ll start by introducing you to a few as-yet unrevealed characters…

Characters

The story of STRANGER OF PARADISE FINAL FANTASY ORIGIN sees protagonist Jark Garland embark on a dangerous journey to bring the light of the crystals back to Cornelia, a kingdom conquered by darkness.

Along the way, he’ll meet many fascinating figures - some helpful, some dangerous, and a few somewhere in-between…

Sophia: This warrior holds the same unwavering conviction as Jack and his friends - that they must defeat Chaos. She joins the group on their journey.

Astos: The king of the dark elves, Astos lives in the Western Keep. It is said that he knows the location of the crystals. Although possessing a certain beauty, he carries an air of pestilence. He seems to know about Jack and the others.

Tiamat: This multi-headed monstrosity is the Fiend of Wind. It attacks directly using its long necks and tail and can also use wind-element attacks, Whirlwind and Tempest. One attack in particular you’ll have to watch out for is Macro Burst, where Tiamat’s breath radiates out from its multiple mouths.

Locations

You’ll meet these characters and more in the expansive, varied and brutally dangerous locations in STRANGER OF PARADISE FINAL FANTASY ORIGIN. Let’s take a look at three newly revealed areas:

The Western Keep: An ancient castle bearing the stark scars of war. This place shares a deep connection with a certain sovereign; a despot skilled in cunning and artifice, who took tyranny to its extremes. Watch out because as you explore the Western Keep, giant arrows will come flying towards you! You’ll need to be alert and avoid these as you make your way through.

Crystal Mirage: A beautiful, translucent tower that rises above the trees deep in the forest. There are many devices that react to magic, and it’s no small feat to reach the highest levels.

The Flying Fortress: As the name suggests, it’s a castle that towers high into the sky. Inside the fortress, there are lots of remnants of an advanced civilization, including mechanical contraptions. Apparently, the wind crystal can be found in the innermost area.

Event scenes

This next set of screenshots are captured from some of the event scenes in the game.

Astos, the king of the dark elves, awaits the group in the Western Keep. He shows them a futuristic-looking map, appearing to be giving some kind of advice.

The party follows the directions, but at the destination lies the Fiend of Wind: Tiamat. Things are about to get very dangerous…

Look closely and you can see that Sophia possesses a dark crystal - just like Jack and the others. What could it mean?

Job System

You can assign Jack and his companions with different roles in combat, known as ‘jobs’. There are many different combat styles available, from steel-swinging swordsman to the spell-slinging mage.

You’re encouraged to experiment with the different options available by changing which jobs are active on which member of the party. Jack himself is able to seamlessly switch between two options during combat.

There are basic jobs like swordsman and mage, as well as advanced jobs that are unlocked as you level up basic jobs. There may be even higher-ranking jobs waiting for you if you continue to level Advance Jobs.

By defeating enemies and levelling up, you will obtain Job Points, which can be used to learn new abilities and unlock new jobs in the Skill Tree.

Here’s a look at three of the Basic Jobs you’ll have access to in the game:

Swordsman: Swordsman, Jack’s initial job, can equip a greatsword and excels at both guarding and attacking. Use the job’s unique action spinning slash to rotate your greatsword and perform a sweeping attack on enemies in a wide area.

Mage: A job that employs basic elemental attacks, using a mace as a weapon. Magic can be powered up depending on the length of the casting time; for example, from Fire ⇒ Fira ⇒ Firaga.

Pugilist: A job that specialises in using melee-range weapons, like claws and knuckles. The Pugilist action Explosive Fist can chain together hits on enemies and provide and increase in damage.

Characters/Voice Actors:

• Jack (voiced byMocean Melvin) Feels a strong sense of duty to defeat Chaos. With no hesitation to kill monsters that stand in his way, he pulverizes them with no mercy.
• Ash (voiced byMark Neely) The rock of the team, supporting the members with his calm and collected nature. He recognizes Jack’s high combat abilities and puts his trust in him.
• Jed (voiced byAlejandro Saab) Has a kind and happy-go-lucky personality but is just as capable as Ash. Looks up to Jack and admires his powers.
• Neon (voiced by Alejandra Reynoso) Though the youngest, she has the same level of ability as her comrades to fight through severe battles. Insisting that Chaos doesn’t exist, there are times when she and Jack clash.
• Princess Sarah (voiced by Cherami Leigh) The crown princess of Cornelia. An amicable figure who is popular among the citizens of Cornelia, she also interacts with them incognito, such as when playing her lute.

The Digital Deluxe Edition of Stranger Of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin includes a digital artbook, digital mini soundtrack and a DLC Season Pass, which will include the additional missions; ‘Trials of the Dragon King, ‘Wanderer of the Rift’ and ‘Different Future’. Those who purchase the PS5 or PS4 physical or digital Standard Edition owners can purchase a Digital Deluxe Edition upgrade at launch, which will provide the above Digital Deluxe Edition bonuses.

Players who purchase Stranger Of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin for the PS4 can download a free PS5 console enhancement update that includes all the next-gen visual and gameplay enhancements at no extra cost when playing on a PS5 console. Xbox customers who purchase the physical or digital editions of the game will be eligible to leverage Smart Delivery, meaning they can play their editions across any Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S consoles. The system will automatically select the optimal version of the game for the console being used.

Customers who pre-order the Digital Standard and Digital Deluxe Editions of Stranger Of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin will receive 72-hour early access to the full game, as well as in-game items—the “Braveheart” weapon and the Lustrous Shield—and an original PS4 theme for PlayStation store purchasers. These customers will also receive the early purchase incentive: the “Rebellion” weapon.

Stranger Of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin will be available as a physical and digital edition on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC (digital only on the Epic Games Store) on March 18, 2022.