Everything we know about Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin

Square Enix surprised Final Fantasy fans at E3 2021, announcing a new entry in the Final Fantasy series. And while the trailer showed alongside the announcement was certainly enough to grab people's attention, it chose to reveal very little about the next Final Fantasy game. Fans were left with many questions, few answers, and a title—Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origins.

In the time since the reveal, however, Square Enix has been teasing more and more information about this mysterious new entry. Its release is approaching fast, so we've gathered up all the information we have so far—just in case you've missed any of it. Here's everything we know about Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin.

Setting

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin takes place in a world similar to the one found in the first Final Fantasy. It hosts some locations that long-time fans of the series will recognize, such as Cornelia, The Western Keep, Crystal Mirage (known as the Mirage Tower in the original), and The Flying Fortress. The story is similar to the one found the original, too—crystal-bearing Warriors of Light are on a journey to prevent Chaos from consuming their world.

Don't assume this will be a copy-and-paste of the original, though. Developers have described Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin as more of a remix of the original Final Fantasy, similar to what's being done with Final Fantasy VII Remake. There will be new characters mixed in, along with locations from other entries in the Final Fantasy series and never-before-seen areas, which will all lead toward telling a unique and new story for fans.

Related: System Requirements for Final Fantasy 7 Remake

Characters

The main protagonists of Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin are:

• Jack Garland (pictured far left)
• Ash (pictured top middle)
• Jed (pictured top right)
• Neon (pictured bottom middle)
• Sophia (pictured bottom right)

Each of these characters carries with them a darkened crystal and the desire to purge Chaos from the world. Essentially acting as the Warriors of Light in this story, the rest of their backgrounds are still shrouded in mystery at the moment. Regardless of their motivations, these five have banded together in a mission to defend the world.

Some other familiar faces from the original Final Fantasy that have been confirmed to appear are the King of Cornelia, Princess Sarah, Astos, and Garland. Tiamat has also been revealed to be a boss fight in trailers, suggesting that all four of the infamous Four Fiends may reprise their roles from the original as well.

Gameplay

In terms of game mechanics, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin seems to be taking inspiration from the more recent entries in the Final Fantasy series. It features an action-heavy battle system and uses a free-movement style format, meaning players will be able to run around the field while fighting enemies, somewhat like Final Fantasy VII Remake or Final Fantasy XV.

The player controls Jack Garland and his companions in a party that consists of three characters at a time. Jack can select from eight different types of weapons to equip, such as lances and swords, and players can customize the parties' equipment or job assignments. There's even an option for multiplayer, with each character being controlled by a different player.

Job System

Players will be utilizing a Job System to grow their character's combat abilities, nodding back to the original Final Fantasy. These jobs will determine the gear characters can equip and the types of attacks they can use. Each job will have an associated Skill Tree with it, and players will be able to apply Job Points earned from defeating enemies to Skill Trees of their choice, unlocking more powerful abilities.

Players will be able to select two jobs that they can switch between freely during battle, providing some options for how you want to approach combat. The jobs that have been confirmed to appear so far are:

• Swordfighter
• Swordsman
• Pugilist
• Mage
• Lancer
• Warrior
• Knight
• Thief
• Monk
• White Mage
• Black Mage
• Red Mage
• Dragoon
• Ronin
• Marauder
• Duelist

Related: What is the Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin release date?

Break Gauge

Enemies in Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin have something called a Break Gauge that will deplete during battle, similar to the Stagger System of Final Fantasy XIII. Once players have depleted their enemies' Break Gauge, each enemy will crystallize, and players can deliver a devastating finishing move (called a Soul Burst) to shatter the enemy.

Release Date

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is set to release on March 18, 2021, for PS4, PS5, Xbox consoles, and PC.

Square Enix is sure to keep teasing players with more information leading up to its release, so make sure to check back in with us here at Pro Game Guides for future updates! Looking for more great Final Fantasy content? Check out How to get the Squirrel Emperor Minion in Final Fantasy XIV.