Square Enix has provided more information and new screenshots covering Team Ninja’s action RPG Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin. Offering up a darker take on the series, FF Origin takes a lot of influence from the first game in the series, which can be seen in the following media including new characters, locations and information on the battle system.

Characters

Sophia – A warrior that holds the same unwavering conviction as Jack and friends, that they must defeat Chaos. She ends up joining the group on their journey.

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Astos – King of the dark elves who lives in the Western Keep. Rumor has it that he knows the location of the crystals. Although he possesses a certain beauty, he carries with him an air of pestilence. He seems to know about Jack and friends.

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Tiamat – A multi-headed monster known as the Fiend of Wind. It attacks using his long necks while its tail can use wind-element attacks called Whirlwind and Tempest. One attack to watch out for it called Macro Burst, where Tiamat’s breath blasts out from its multiple mouths.

Locations

The Western Keep – An ancient castle that bears the scars of war, this place shares a deep connection with a certain sovereign – a despot skilled in cunning and artifice, who took tyranny to its extremes. As you explore the Western Keep, giant arrows will come flying toward you so you’ll need to be careful making your way through.

Crystal Mirage – A translucent tower that rises above the trees deep in the forest. Many devices within react to magic and it’s difficult to reach the higher levels.

The Flying Fortress – A castle that reaches into the sky. Inside there are many remnants of an advanced civilization – including mechanical contraptions. The wind crystal can supposedly be found in the innermost area.

Event Scenes

Several new event scenes have been revealed.

• Astos awaits the group in the Western Keep. He shows them a futuristic-looking map, giving some kind of advice.
• At the destination lies the Fiend of Wind, Tiamat.
• Sophia possesses a dark crystal like Jack and the others, just what does it mean?

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Job System

Jack and friends can be assigned different job roles, which feature many combat styles from swordsman to mage. Players are encouraged to experiment with different options by changing the active jobs on party members. Jack can switch between two seamlessly during battle.

Basic jobs such as swordsman and mage lead to more advanced jobs that can be unlocked whilst leveling up. There may be even higher-ranking jobs if you continue to level Advanced Jobs.

By defeating enemies you earn Job Points, which can be used to learn new abilities and unlock new jobs in the Skill Tree system.

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Some of the basic jobs are as follows:

Swordsman – Jack’s initial job which can equip a greatsword and utilizes guarding at attacking. The job’s unique action is spinning slash, which rotates your sword to sweep enemies in a wide area.

Mage – Uses a mace as a weapon while employing elemental attacks. Magic can be powered up depending on the length of the casting time; for example, from Fire ⇒ Fira ⇒ Firaga.

Pugilist – Specializing in melee weapons such as claws and knuckles, the pugilist action Explosive Fist can chain together hits and increase damage.

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