Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Interview: An in-depth look into the development of Square Enix’s latest title

Final Fantasy is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year and in anticipation of the big day Square Enix has lined up a host of projects.

Working with Team Ninja, Square Enix’s latest game Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin looks to put a unique spin on the series’ strong lore.

The Mirror spoke with Daisuke Inoue the director of Stranger of Paradise, Jin Fujiwara- the game’s producer and Fumihiko Yasuda- head of Team Ninja, who have us who gave us further insight into the development of the game

How much of an impact will this story have on the Final Fantasy Lore?

Jin Fujiwara: “The story of Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy takes the world of Final Fantasy 1 as a motif and adds a new interpretation, from a perspective that differs from that of the “Warriors of Light”.

If this kind of approach resonates with fans, then perhaps we’ll see more stories in the future that look at things through the eyes of the villain. I’m hoping that SOPFFO will have that kind of impact.”

What were the inspirations that helped create the soundtrack and art style?

Daisuke Inoue: “Initially, we had the instructions from Tetsuya Nomura to guide us.

He told us that the world should be “a fantasy world, yet also a world that incorporates some incongruous elements”. From there, we expanded our interpretation of that concept, fleshing out the design.

This means we have a mix of modern and fantasy designs for the weapons and armour.

We had a similar approach for the soundtrack as well. Some parts of the soundtrack feature rearrangements of previous compositions from the series, but we didn’t stop there. I remember that we asked the composers to use the idea of mixing in elements from the world of SOPFFO itself as their starting point.”

How different will Stranger of Paradise be compared to other games in the franchise?

Jin Fujiwara: “The challenging action gameplay in and of itself makes Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Originsomewhat different to other games in the FINAL FANTASY (FF) franchise, but it further sets itself apart as a distinctive game by having a villain as the protagonist.
Having said that, it’s not a complete outlier in the FINAL FANTASY franchise. The game really feels like a FINAL FANTASY game throughout; from its rich, hopeful story, to the various FF-like elements scattered throughout the game, to the background music. After playing it for yourself, I’m sure you’ll come away with the impression that it’s unmistakably a FINAL FANTASY game.”

What new gameplay mechanics should we be excited for and how do they change the Final Fantasy experience we are used to?

Daisuke Inoue: “The true essence of games hasn’t changed that dramatically from the past.

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is built around action gameplay, but at its core, it’s a game where the player constantly has to think about how best to fight, whilst managing resources like the Break Gauge, HP and MP.

For Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, I think the challenging action gameplay, as well as the job system and its progression, are particularly interesting aspects. At first glance, it might seem like the action isn’t very typical of FINAL FANTASY, but rest assured that the core gameplay underpinning the game and the quintessentially FINAL FANTASY world and lore will let you experience that unique FINAL FANTASY flavour.

Can you explain a bit more about the Job system and other new mechanics in the game?

Daisuke Inoue:“You can’t talk about the action gameplay of Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin without mentioning the job actions and associated abilities.

As well as making combat more tactical, the job tree system is an element that adds greater variety to the action gameplay and makes growth and progression more engaging.

In terms of new mechanics for the action gameplay, there’s a special guard called the Soul Shield that allows you to deflect enemy attacks, or even to steal enemy abilities in certain situations, which really expands the tactics you have available during combat.

Even if your build is predominantly focused on melee range combat, you could use the Soul Shield to steal an enemy’s magic attack and use that to pin down enemies further away. Compared to previous action gameplay, the Soul Shield is an action that opens up new tactics and approaches.”

Are there any new Quality of life additions we should look forward to too?

Daisuke Inoue:

“Specifically new features are a little difficult to speak to, but players can adjust the settings, from key configuration and rumble settings, right down to in-depth settings like the subtitle display, whether sound effects are played, and settings related to the motion blur.

There are also settings to assist gameplay, such as the automatic acquisition of dropped items, or a setting to automatically equip the gear you collect (since it’s a game where you obtain a lot of equipment). In terms of display, there’s the option to use shortened versions of the Soul Burst animations, among other options.”

How has the game been developed so that it will attract new fans but also please core fans of the series?

Daisuke Inoue: “Since we’re calling it a job system, I can definitively say that it’s heavily influenced by FINAL FANTASY V.

In terms of influence from other works I’ve been involved with myself, we used the way in which Lightning can switch between different outfits in battle in LIGHTNING RETURNS: FINAL FANTASY XIII as a reference for the feature in Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin that allows players to switch between jobs during combat.

And I think it’s fair to say that the FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES series, which I worked on previously, had some influence on the chaotic fun of the multiplayer mode and the way the simple chat system works.”

What was the initial reasoning behind giving the series a massive overhaul?

Jin Fujiwara: “The initial spark was the desire to shine the spotlight on Garland and tell his story. Despite being an important character, his background hadn’t been explored at all.

As we moved forward with the project, we came to the conclusion that using our normal approach would lead to it feeling very similar to other games, even though the main character was a villain.

We needed to create an atmosphere that was more fitting for a villain, otherwise, it wouldn’t be particularly meaningful. This led us to the challenging action gameplay of Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin”

How much of the game is influenced by Team Ninja’s past games if at all?

Fumihiko Yasuda: “In terms of the action gameplay, I think Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin has a lot of influence from both the Nioh series and NINJA GAIDEN series.

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin has a lot of physical combat, so our experience from other Team NINJA titles informed us in terms of battle design and playability.

Although Team NINJA’s past games also had a degree of influence on the RPG elements of Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, these were most heavily influenced by the FINAL FANTASY series, and we used mainline FINAL FANTASY games when considering which jobs to include, predominantly FFV”.

How has the game been developed so that it will attract new fans but also please core fans of the series?

Fumihiko Yasuda: “We were careful to make an action game that newcomers could intuitively enjoy playing. Even though the mechanics and systems like jobs and builds give the game a lot of variety and depth, we took care to ensure that it was fun to play from the moment you pick it up.

As we moved forward with development, it was really important for us to respect the elements that brought the FF character to the game – like the actions and magic – at the same time as adding some unique flavour to Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin itself, such as with Soul Burst.

For core FINAL FANTASY fans, I think that we’ve given quite a heavy weighting to the parts that Square Enix reviewed on their side, but the game also adds a different twist to many mechanics from the series – first and foremost the job system, but also boss enemy actions, skills, and much more. So, I’d really love for core fans to play and enjoy the game.

Can you delve a bit more into how the multiplayer works and what fans should look forward to?

Daisuke Inoue: “Essentially, in the multiplayer mode, you can jump in at an appropriate point for your progress through the game.

Progression in multiplayer mode will be reflected in your own personal save data, even when joining as a guest player. Main story quests completed in multiplayer mode will count as having been completed in your own save file.

Additionally, any items that drop will be acquired by each player respectively, so please rest assured that there won’t be any competing for or sniping loot.

Even if there’s a part that you find tricky to make it past by yourself, I’m sure that playing with another person will open up new avenues to tackle it. Once you’ve completed the game, a harder difficulty level will be unlocked – so you can also use that mode to collect higher-level equipment.

I hope people will enjoy playing the multiplayer mode!

Is there anything you would like to add that you think I’ve missed or would like to let the fans know?

Fumihiko Yasuda: “Even beyond the imminent release, we’ll be hard at work on updates that incorporate player feedback and on some substantial DLC.”

Jin Fujiwara: “Since the action can be quite challenging, some players who aren’t particularly skilled at action games may tend to shy away from Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin- however, we have included a wide range of difficulty levels.

On the STORY difficulty mode, it’s not too tricky for players to progress through the story, even if they aren’t the best at action games.

Pay attention to your HP at all times, and work together with your party members to challenge mighty foes. I hope that you’ll find a new and special FINAL FANTASY experience in Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin!”

Daisuke Inoue: “There are side missions in Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, some of which won’t be unlocked until you discover certain orbs (objects known as memory mementos), so I hope players will explore every last nook and cranny of the dungeons.

Finally, as a message for the fans, I would be delighted if you enjoy playing Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin so much that it makes you feel like this kind of approach is valid for the FINAL FANTASY series – maybe even that you’d like to try playing other games from the series in a similar format.”

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is out now for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S and Microsoft Windows