Square Enix recently announcedStranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin,a collaborative effort with Team Ninja that puts a Soulslike spin on the world of the originalFinal Fantasy.AlthoughStranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origintakes place in a world inspired by the originalFinal Fantasy,it’s not a direct continuation or prequel but more of a new story.
There are plenty of interesting connections betweenStranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy OriginandFinal Fantasy 1but since the trailer didn’t make them explicit, they require an understanding of the originalFinal Fantasygame. While it’s hard to tell if the connections like the Warriors of Light, Garland, and Chaos will play the same role in the overall narrative, it’s important to understand the setting and plot ofFinal Fantasy 1ahead of the game’s release.
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Final Fantasy 1’s Setting and Plot
There’s no doubt thatStranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Originis tied directly to the originalFinal Fantasyin terms of setting and plot. However, producer Tetsuya Nomura noted that while the two games share a setting,Final Fantasy Originisn’t an equivalent or remake of the original. In the originalFinal Fantasy,the world has been left in a state of decay after the four crystals that govern the elements went dark. As a result, the world has been suffering from natural disasters and the only hope is a prophecy which states that four Warriors of Light will bring balance to the darkness.
Players will take on the role of the prophesized Warriors of Light who each carry one of the darkened crystals as theyattempt to restore order to the world ofFinal Fantasy 1. During the first section of the story, the Warriors of Light arrive in a kingdom called Cornelia where they witness a rogue knight named Garland capturing the princess. Pursuing Garland to the Chaos Shrine, the Warriors of Light defeat him and return the princess home as the grateful King builds them a bridge to continue their journey.
As they continue their journey, players will encounter the four elemental fiends that they must defeat in order to restore the crystals.At the very end ofFinal Fantasy 1,the Warriors of Light find that the power of the crystals are still being absorbed by something in Chaos Shrine. Transported through a time portal, the Warriors of Light find themselves facing off against Chaos, the final boss ofFinal Fantasy 1.It turns out that Chaos is actually Garland who absorbed the power of the fiends and created a time loop to live forever. Eventually, the Warriors of Light break the time loop and defeat Chaos which restores order and allows them to return to their own time.
Connections Between Final Fantasy Origin and Final Fantasy 1
Based on thepreview trailers and demo forFinal Fantasy Origin,it’s evident that bears a striking resemblance to the themes ofFinal Fantasy 1despite having a new storyline. During the trailer, the protagonists were revealed to be Jack, Ash, and Jed with the implication that they are Warriors of Light. Transported into a mysterious world, the trio are quite different from the original Warriors of Light in terms of clothing and mannerisms which enforces the idea that they are strangers to the world ofFinal Fantasy.They aren’t intended to look like heroes and the distinction between the protagonists inFinal Fantasy Originand the original Warriors of Light is purposeful.
Throughout the trailer forFinal Fantasy Origin,the word “Chaos” is mentioned frequently by Jack who appears to be consumed by a need to destroy it. Although the details remain a mystery, it seems that theconcept of Chaos is also a prominent part of the narrative inFinal Fantasy Origin.Similar toFinal Fantasy 1,the trailer forFinal Fantasy Originshows the protagonists being drawn into the mysterious world as part of the prophecy of the Warriors of Light. They soon end up at Chaos Shrine and find Garland, who seems to have taken on the role of Chaos. The crystals will also make an appearance as part of the story but they appear to be red to emphasize the darker tone of the game.
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Narrative Differences in Final Fantasy Origin
For the most part, the trailer forFinal Fantasy Origindidn’t seem to reveal anything substantially different fromFinal Fantasy 1.The core concept of Warriors of Light on a mission to defeat Chaos and restore balance is still there but there are a number of interesting mysteries to speculate on. Garland calls himself Chaos in the trailer but he remains in his knight form and not the demonic monster from the originalFinal Fantasy.The absence of the four elemental fiends is also mysterious given how integral they were to the plot ofFinal Fantasy 1.AsChaos Shrine appears at the beginning ofFinal Fantasy Origin,it’s safe to assume there’s much more to the narrative than the trailer lets on.
Furthermore, Nomura has stated that a central part of the narrative is discovering whether the main trio are actually the Warriors of Light from the prophecy. Garland’s appearance in the trailer is also shrouded in mystery as Nomura has stated that the man’s identity would only be revealed in the full game. As a result, it seems that while thesetting and basic premise ofFinal Fantasy Originremains the sameas the originalFinal Fantasy,the narrative seems to be slightly different and could potentially branch off to something entirely new.
While the trailer seemed to imply that the trio were the Warriors of Light and the boss was Garland,it’s clear thatFinal Fantasy Originhasn’t revealed its full storylinejust yet. Over the years, the story ofFinal Fantasy 1has been expanded upon through books likeFinal Fantasy: Memory of Heroesand it wouldn’t be surprising ifFinal Fantasy Originalso decided to deviate from the original storyline in favor of something unique. Nonetheless, the motifs inFinal Fantasy Originare clearly linked together withFinal Fantasy 1and given the new storyline, it’s important that fans are familiar with the themes in the original game.
Strangers of Paradise: Final Fantasy Originsis set to release in 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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