Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin release date, trailer, and PS5 demo

Square Enix’s weirdest Final Fantasy game in years is almost here.

Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin takes the series in a surprising new direction as a Soulslike that follows the antagonist of the original Final Fantasy.

Following E3 2021 and Tokyo Game Show 2021, we have lots of new information on the game, including its release date. Here’s everything we know about the clunkily titled Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin

When is the Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin release date?

Final Fantasy Origin will be released on March 18, 2022. It will be available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.

It’s one of the most notable games next year, and a strong way for Square Enix to close out its fiscal year. March 2022 will be a busy time for games, as Final Fantasy Origin will launch around the same time as Square Enix’s Triangle Strategy, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, and Marvel’s Midnight Suns.

Is there a Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin trailer?

Yes, there are two of them. The latest trailer was released at Tokyo Game Show 2021. It revealed the release date, a new area called the Refrin Wetlands, the second demo, and the fact that the protagonist is Garland. Check it out below:

If you want to see more, you can also check out its reveal trailer from E3 2021. Keep in mind that the graphics have improved since this reveal and that they bring up Chaos to the point of it getting memed, though.

What is the Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin story?

Final Fantasy Origin follows Jack Garland on his journey to eventually become Chaos. Tetsuya Nomura delved into this more in an interview with Inverse:

“The narrative of this title doesn't completely connect to or continue from the first Final Fantasy — rather, we created a new story that uses the first title as its motif. On the outside, you'll notice that this game shares characters, names/terms, as well as world lore with the original game, but if you look closer, you'll see that the structure of the world (from a gameplay perspective) has taken inspiration from other mainline Final Fantasy titles.”

So far, we know the game will follow Jack, his friends Jed and Ash, and a girl named Neon who failed to beat Chaos prior to the events of the game. In the end, Nomura hopes that players of all ages are able to resonate with Jack.

“Unlike previous Final Fantasy titles, some younger players might find it difficult to empathize with Jack at first,” he said. “However, I believe the story is written in such a way that by the end, even these players will be able to look back at Jack's emotions and feel some resonance.”

Who is the Final Fantasy Origin developer?

The game is being made in collaboration between Team Ninja and Square Enix, with Final Fantasy VII Remake veterans Tetsuya Nomura and Kazushige Nojima working together on it. The upcoming release features action-heavy, hack-and-slash combat with the ability to cast a number of spells as well.

As Team Ninja worked on the Soulslike series NioH, it seems like a good fit. Square Enix Producer Jin Fujiwara tells Inverse it’s another game that got them the job, though.

“When looking at what kind of external parties we could wee with, we had already worked with Team Ninja on Dissidia Final Fantasy,” he says. “And with that, we were already aware that Team Ninja is very skilled at action games, so that’s how the collaboration came to be.”

Meanwhile, Team Ninja Producer Fumihiko Yasuda tells Inverse that the Final Fantasy Origin development team definitely shares DNA with the team that worked on Nioh, and its influence is palpable.

“Being an action game, we definitely incorporated a lot of the level design knowledge we had from Nioh and put that in place when we were developing Final Fantasy Origin. You will definitely notice some similarities between the two games. We also conducted demos and surveys for Nioh, so we do have the know-how of taking player feedback and incorporating it into a final release.”

When is the Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin demo end time?

The first Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin Trial Version came out following the E3 reveal, and a second is now available following Tokyo Game Show. The demo will be available on PS5 and Xbox Series X and will end at 10:59 a.m. on October 11, 2021. Players will also be able to complete another survey after playing this demo, and it will be open until 10:59 a.m. on October 18, 2021.

If you want to see how the game has improved since June and determine whether or not this gritty Final Fantasy experience is for you, definitely check the demo out!

Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin will be released on March 18, 2022.