New Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Interview Discusses Locations From Other Games, Going Against The Prophecy & More

Square Enix recently conducted an interview with the director of the upcoming Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin, Daisuke Inoue, and its producers, Jin Fujiwara and Fumihiko Yasuda (Team Ninja). The interview contents are rather extensive, with one of the most notable sections being why so many elements from previous Final Fantasy titles are being referenced and included.

Interviewer: It seems like you’ve taken inspiration from… certain other parts of the FINAL FANTASY series. How did you decide which environments to use as motifs?

Inoue-san: You’re right that there are some dungeons from other games in the FINAL FANTASY series that have been used as motifs. We paid a lot of attention to many different aspects when we incorporated them into the game.

For example, would we be able to fit them into the world of STRANGER OF PARADISE FINAL FANTASY ORIGIN? Would the content be similar to other dungeons? Would all of the dungeons have a similar design? Which dungeons would fans of the original games recognise if they were included?

Take the Sunken Shrine, for example. This location is underwater, and the motif used was a dungeon from the original FINAL FANTASY VII that’s in the sea.

When we were looking at all the elements we needed to design it, we thought about turning to document from back in the day, or even looking at how FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE had interpreted the original game in its level design.

However, given that FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE is a dedicated remake, as opposed to one environment, it’s only natural that it’s been made with an incredible amount of detail. The dev team apologised and said that it wouldn’t be possible to make it in the same style (laughs).

Regarding the number of party members contradicting the 4 Warriors of Light prophecy, Fujiwara stated the following:

Interviewer: In total, there are five party members including Jack. But Lukhan’s Prophecy – as alluded to in the original FINAL FANTASY – says there are four Warriors of Light. So… what gives?

Fujiwara-san: You are quite right in noting that it is different to Lukhan’s prophecy.

That is related to how the story will change – if there were just four Warriors of Light like in Lukhan’s prophecy, that would just be a remake of FINAL FANTASY I.

It’s these kinds of things that show that the story is moving in a different direction. People will say: “Five? There are supposed to be four!” That’s exactly the kind of thing we want them to notice, and it will come into play in the story.

Back on the subject of gameplay, the crafting elements were lightly touched upon:

Interviewer: Let’s talk about the crafting system next. Why is this in the game?

Inoue-san: One major factor was that there are limits to what you can achieve when the gameplay relies purely on finding loot.

If you collect a large amount of equipment, it’s inevitable that some of it will end up not being used. When thinking of a secondary purpose for that unused equipment, we thought it’d be good to a have a mechanic that lets you use them as materials.

Also, even if you look for good equipment by gathering loot that drops, you won’t always find a piece that has the effect you were looking for. By using the crafting system, the player will be able to control the effects of their equipment to a certain degree. This also allows more freedom in terms of creating a build which is tailor-made to you.

View the entirety of this interview on Square Enix Blog, which is sure to intrigue and excite fans before the game’s full release later this month.

• Check out our preview of the game’s most recent demo.
• If you missed it, view the game’s final trailer, which features “My Way” By Frank Sinatra.
• Square Enix has previously shared pre-order bonuses and the contents of the title’s Digital Deluxe Edition, containing notable additional missions.
• The game’s soundtrack is currently available for pre-order, spread across 4 CDs.
• View the most recently revealed character renders and screenshots.
• Jack Garland is receiving a Play Arts Kai figure, releasing November 2022.

Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin is releasing for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on March 18, 2022.