Out of everything that Square Enix had shown off at E3, no other game has held quite the reaction like Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. There were rumors of Final Fantasy Origin a few months up until its reveal, with many surprised at the direction the trailer showcased. In a recent interview with Famitsu that was translated by Square Enix, the developers go further into how the first game is used as a motif, and how it's not exactly a remake.
When fans think of Final Fantasy and the concept of Warriors of Light, many think of the high fantasy elements; magic, swords, fancy armor, the whole nine yards. Final Fantasy Origin goes a completely different route by playing with the familiarity of Final Fantasy 1. Tetsuya Nomura goes into this further, detailing that despite this familiarity, Final Fantasy Origin isn't a connected or an equivalent version to the original. "The game uses Final Fantasy 1 as a motif, so the setting is also based on Final Fantasy 1," says Nomura. "In Final Fantasy 1, at the end of the game you find out who the Warriors of Light, the protagonists, really are and where they came from."
The interviewer then brought attention to the detail that has been one of the most noticeable spots about it; Jack and his allies. When designing the characters for this game, Nomura wanted to have them stand out when comparing Jack to the iconic Warriors of Light. This included their mannerisms, their clothing, and other design cues. Encompassing this concept, Nomura wanted to make them strangers to the world of Final Fantasy. "One meaning of Paradise is 'the land of the saved,'" Nomura elaborates. "The title represents the strangers – Jack and his allies – gathering in this land of Paradise."
He further explains that with the initial equipment seen, these characters are to invoke the imagery that they are from an entirely different world. He also hinted that as the game progresses, their look may change and that they would become more in line with standard Final Fantasy attire. He also notes that more members may join the journey to kill Chaos, but they would be swappable by keeping the active party limited to three.
These connections to the original are elaborated at its final point, the premise music. The starting dungeon for both games involve the party going through the Chaos Shrine, capped off with a boss battle against Garland. Nomura emphasizes this point, that with this familiar progression, the team wished to create a completely different image of a fight against this classic villain. Many fans will recognize as Garland, but Nomura clarifies that despite this, the man's true identity would be revealed in the full game.
As for the music, many fans who have keen ears would be able to notice that the refrain of the original battle theme is used within the music when battling Chaos. Nomura says that he instructed the composers not to only use the refrain, but to "adjust the melody to suit the game." It's clear that even with a radically different vision of Final Fantasy, the team wish to showcase a game that respects its roots, while giving it a brand new flavor of action gameplay.
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin releases in 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
Source: Square Enix