TheStranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origindemo finally got a patch and is out for real. Impressions are positive, even if the boss at the end is monstrously difficult, in the same way bosses in past Team Ninja demos have been. Still, it’s good that players have been able to seeStranger in Paradisefor what it truly is. Memes are still buzzing around about the constant repetition of the name “Chaos,” the dark visuals, and the main party’s generic and clashing look. That being said, the game is an extremely solid lite-Soulslike from what’s playable thus far, despite the tonal disparity.
Part of this is due to the firm foundationStranger in Paradisehas already built. The game makes good use of Team Ninja’s expertise with action games and designing Soulslikes, and has produced an experience that lies somewhere in betweenNinja GaidenandNioh.Final Fantasy Originis similar to a lot of things, but isn’t truly like any one game. Nowhere is this more obvious than inOrigin’s magic system. Despite borrowing terms and a general setup fromFinal Fantasy, and level structure from a Soulslike,Stranger in Paradise’ magic comes off as something totally new.
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Stranger of Paradise is Doing Soulslike Magic Differently
Normally, when one thinks of magic in a Soulslike, they think of a magic build. In thetypicalDark Soulsgame or clone, players need to invest experience in building up magical abilities over a period of time, gaining the ability to equip more spells along the way. They also need to find or purchase spells so they can attune them in the first place.
Stranger in Paradise, at least in its demo, throws that entire formula out the window. As soon as a spellcasting implement is acquired — which manifests here as a decorative knife instead of a more esoteric instrument — the player instantly has most of the spell list available to them. Selected from a radial menu, they can quickly and easily toss out elemental spells in the blink of an eye.
How spells work is also somewhat different. The assumption that a spell is a somewhat more damaging ranged attack that immobilizes the user is still true, but there’s also more to it here. Spells can be used to break enemy stamina, string together combos, and even affect some enemies in special ways if they’re extra weak or attuned to a given element. Basic spells can also be caught and thrown back, something that certainly isn’t common in action RPGs.Magic is of varying utility in other Soulslikes, but here it can permeate every inch of combat if the player chooses to invest in it.
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Stranger of Paradise is Doing Final Fantasy Magic Differently
Final Fantasyis no stranger to magic. Right from the first entry, whichStranger in Paradiseis based on, magic and spells have been a major part ofFinal Fantasy. The big appeal to bringing a Black, Red, or White Mage along on the player’s quest is watching them grow in power over the course of an adventure. Some games required wizards to purchase and set spells like inDungeons & DragonsandDark Souls, while others merely required levelling. With a spell list that’s been growing ever sinceFinal Fantasy 1, there are tons of iconic spells that fans have no doubt gotten to cast many times over the years.
That part isn’t changing inStranger of Paradise, but what is changing is how they’re selected. In the demo, spells from all major elemental families are immediately available to the mage. However, what makes this special is that it’s not just the basic spells, but their first three tiers of power as well. Every spell has base, -ra, and -ga versions that cause different elemental projectiles to appear with different effects.
All the player needs to do to access the higher tiers is hold the spellcasting button for a set period and pay the appropriate amount of MP, which regenerates to a set point while in a spellcasting stance. It’s a very imaginative way of implementingFinal Fantasy’s oldschool magic systeminto an action game format, and should be pleasing to use inFinal Fantasy Origin’s final release.
Stranger of Paradise Is A New Way of Using Magic For Team Ninja
Soulslikes andFinal Fantasyare two things, but Team Ninja has used magic systems in its games before. It is no stranger to balancing combat encounters and enemy design around a variety of ranged attacks, elemental weaknesses and modifiers, and resource management. In classic Team Ninja games, namely the 3DNinja Gaiden’s that just had a remastered release, Ninpo was a heavily limited but powerful tool.
Because they were often constrained by pips that could only be refilled by rare drops or items, players wanted to keep them in reserve until they were needed. That necessity tended to arrive very quickly, and their powerful projectiles and often invincibility frames could give Ryu the edge he needed. It was a lot different to the more available and encouraged spells ofFinal Fantasy Origin.
InNioh, “magic” generally refers to Onmyo magic skills, a specific path players can build towards apart from their usual weapon skills. This involves preparing a certain number of talismans and other items at checkpoints, which can do just about anything. From multiple tiers of elemental attacks, to raising defenses, to debuffing enemies, their versatility is unmatched and their strength can be quite impressive.
The most offensive talismans areclose toStranger in Paradise’ spells, but their limited nature and the presence of so many other options lead them to fulfill different functions. Team Ninja really did invent a whole new way of casting spells in an action game forStranger of Paradise, and the game is going to be much better for it.
Stranger in Paradise: Final Fantasy Originwill be released in 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
