Square Enix shared an all-new look at upcoming action RPG Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin as it prepares to launch March 18, 2022. Following along with new screenshots, we’ve a look at the game’s story, new characters to encounter and locations to visit, as well as the battle system. Those familiar with Final Fantasy I may want to take a look.

Story

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Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin tells the story of Jack and his mission to return light to the crystals of Cornelia, a land ruled by darkness. The king of Cornelia reveals the Prophecy of Lukahn, which tells the tale of the Warriors of Light. Jack and his friends are believed to be the four fabled warriors and hope is placed on them to vanish the darkness that clouds the crystals. Sarah can be seen playing the lute to her sister Mia, she plays the Final Fantasy prelude.

After crossing the northern bridge to Pravoka, Jack and his companions encounter a mysterious man by the name of Captain Bikke.

Locations

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Pravoka is a new location in Final Fantasy Origin, found after crossing the northern bridge to the continent. The port town is filled with people looking for crystals with the aid of the king of Cornelia. After making your way through the caves, you’ll encounter a pirate ship moored in the Pravoka Seagrot.

Characters

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Several new characters enter the fray that Jack and friends will encounter on their journey. Captain Bikke is an axe-wielding pirate captain who rules the town of Pravoka in place of a governor. With the oceans now wreathed in darkness, the piracy business has all but dried up. The ships that he would normally target – and the treasures they carry – no longer venture out

The King of Cornelia sees something special in Jack and his burning desire to stop Chaos. Thus, he pins all his hopes on him.

Queen Jayne is the mother of princesses Sarah and Mia. She’s calm and grounded and always puts her daughters and the people of Cornelia first.

Mia is the younger sister of Sarah and has a strong concern for the citizens, similar to her sister. She’s even been known to confront ministers.

Minister Lagone is a shrewd man who endlessly seeks out those who match the prophecies of Lukahn. He endeavors to record Jack’s journey for posterity.

Combat

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One of the key features of combat in FFO is the break gauge – a yellow bar that appears above enemies that becomes a priority to wear down in combat. Combos and abilities will reduce the enemy’s break gauge, shown as a yellow bar above an enemy. Once the gauge is depleted, you can unleash a powerful Soul Burst to crystallize them and take them out in a single blow

Jack too has a break gauge, as seen on the bottom center of the screen. Jack’s break gauge depletes when he guards against attacks or uses Soul Shield. The gauge will recover over time, but Jack will be staggered if it ever reaches zero. If you use the Soul Shield to block an ability with a purple name, you can capture and store the enemy’s attack to use as an instant ability back at them. By using the Soul Shield, you can, for example, capture the Fire ability from a Bomb and cast it back three times so it self-destructs.

Cubes found in the world can heal your MP and HP as well as restock your potions. You’ll have to be careful though, as using them will resurrect all the monsters in a dungeon. If you end up knocked out, you’ll restart at the last cube you touched.

Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin launches March, 18 2022 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, and Microsoft Windows platforms.