Stranger Of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin has really been the talk among Final Fantasy fans. The strange concept of a Team Ninja-developed action RPG with Final Fantasy elements, but with these normal bros as the stars really has got people talking (about Chaos, in particular).
The folks from Weekly Famitsu have spoken to creative producer Tetsuya Nomura (from Square Enix, and the man behind many mainline Final Fantasy games) and game director Daisuke Inoue in an interview. They covered a lot of topics, including the origin and meaning behind the game’s name.
Unlike the last time when Nomura explained what Intergrade means in Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, this one has a rather straightforward explanation.
“The game uses Final Fantasy I as a motif, so the setting is also based on Final Fantasy I,” Nomura said. “In Final Fantasy I, at the end of the game you find out who the Warriors of Light, the protagonists, really are and where they came from.
Nomura also insisted that the protagonist Jack and his allies, in their very normal getups and looking like normal dudebros rather than Final Fantasy protagonists at the start, are supposed to look like they are out of place. Strangers, if you will. There is a job system that will see the crew getting different getups as the game progresses.
“Jack and his allies are also ‘strangers’,” Nomura continued. “Who are Jack and his allies? Are they the Warriors of Light?
“These questions lie at the heart of the story, and this idea of ‘strangers’ is central to the plot.”
Nomura also said how Paradise can be referred to as the setting, so the title can be referred to Jack and the bros now gathering at this Paradise.
Game director Daisuke Inoue agrees on the straightforward meaning of the title.
“Strangers of Paradise means exactly what it says that these strangers are in the land of Paradise,” Inoue said.
“At the same time, it could mean ‘people who shouldn’t be in Paradise’ – I think it is a title that represents the story of the game perfectly.”
Stranger Of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is a new story but is based on familiar motifs from the original Final Fantasy. Hence, the whole “Warrior Of Light” and “kill Chaos” that is present in the reveal teaser, as well as in the PS5-only limited-time demo.
On that note, the demo is set in a Chaos shrine, which is part of the beginning of the game, just like it was in Final Fantasy I.
The development team are well aware that the game is not what FF fans may have wanted or expected. Let’s hope that Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja can bring the same quality of their successful action-RPG soulslike Nioh series into Stranger Of Paradise.
Stranger Of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is coming to the PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S in 2022.