Nomura: FF Origins is not a continuation of Final Fantasy I but a new story taking the motifs of FFI. In the demo, you enter Chaos' temple, which is similar to the events of FFI. [...] Although Jack & co. want to defeat Chaos, they're totally different from the Warrior of Light.
Director Inoue comfirms there is 8 different weapons
--In the demo version, Jack was able to equip a large sword, a one-handed club, and a spear, and there were corresponding jobs available, but how many other types of weapons are planned to appear?
Inoue: There are a total of eight weapon types. The weapons that are not in the demo version are one-handed swords, two-handed axes, fighting, daggers, and two-handed swords.
--Is the one-handed club the only one that can use magic?
Inoue: No, magic can be used with one-handed swords as well. It may be easier to understand if you think of jobs such as Knight or Red Mage.
Nomura also mentions to pay attention to info revealed at a later date as a character you might not expect may possibly show up that will make you question why.
Nomura: When you think about FF1, the image of the Warrior of Light is the first that comes to mind right? That's the kind of design you think of when it comes to FF1. So I think people who are familiar with FF1's setting will have realized by now that the reason the default outfits of the main characters being simple real world clothing is because we wanted to show that these characters do not belong in the world the game will be taking place in, they're "strangers" that found themselves there. The default outfits do not hold a special meaning beyond that and they weren't created with the intention to be used long term since this is the type of game that will have you constantly switching to new gear/outfits.
--As for the title of the game "Stranger of Paradise"
Nomura: The game will try to answer 'Where did the Warrior of Light came from? What kind of existence is the "Warior of Light" really?'. As well as 'Where did Jack and his 2 friends came from? Are they Warriors of Light or something entirely different?' and this is the kind of story this will be.
"Stranger" refers to Jack and his friends not being natives of the world they find themselves in and "Paradise" has the meaning of "A place of salvation" and so Jack and his friends as the Strangers arrive in this Paradise that refers to the world of FFO.
--So your intent in regards to the character's design was to not make them look like "heroes", is that it?
Nomura: Yes, as i explained there is a narrative intent regarding Jack's outfit. Also there is a deeper meaning in his name but it will be a spoiler if i reveal it now, so i'll leave that for another time.
--I too thought that for a FF game that Nomura-san is involved with, "Jack" is a very weird and common kind of name (laughs)
Nomura: Jack, Ash, Jed. All 3 names have the same meaning instilled in them which will be revealed later.
--By the way, the Warriors of Light were 4. Besides Jed and Ash are there more allies that will join?
Nomura: There are.
Inoue: However during battle you're limited to only 3 people. You will be able to swap them outside of battle.
--The key art that was released a few days ago shows a lot of blood and it has a darker feeling compared to most FF titles.
Nomura: Unlike the usual FF games in the series, the age rating this time will be 18+ so it will have a pretty heavy atmosphere. The color white represents FF so we added red in the form of blood and the red crystals (referring to how monsters turn into red crystals in game) and since this "A story of an angry man" we added black to represent his emotions/feelings.
--In the Shrine of Chaos, the person sitting on the throne at the end says "I am the one who will become Chaos". Is that... not Garland? (confused)
Nomura: That's a big spoiler so please play the full game to find out.
--From here on out let's talk a bit about the battle system. In this FF title which was created first, the story or the battle system?
Fujiwara: Nomura had given us a broad concept for a location and told us to create a prototype to test it out. Nomura also had a story concept about "A tale of an angry man" among other story concepts. I warmed up to that concept, i picked that one and so we decided to insert that story to the location we had created.
Inoue: In addition I also wanted to work with Team Ninja on a new project after we teamed up with them for Dissidia NT. Team Ninja's specialty is action games and i wanted to use their expertise in the ARPG genre.
Nomura: From there as far as i knew, the game we were making was going to be titled "Final Fantasy" but i looked away for a minute and next thing you know it has become a brand new title called "Stranger of Paradise" and it's an Action Dungeon Crawler (laughs). This was the work of Fujiwara and Inoue and their teams and from there they worked hard and its current state is what it ended up being. I am just thankful and happy that you can still find remnants of my original concept in there.
--This is Team Ninja so i feel it resembles Nioh a lot but there are also unique elements you can only find in Final Fantasy but how much exactly did you borrow from FF?
Inoue: This game has an interesting story with surprising developments in it and while i want players to play it as an action dungeon crawler without losing that tempo, i also want to tell that story. So we're trying to pay extra attention to find the right balance.
--The main scenario writer is Kazushige Nojima-san this time. The type of action games like Nioh aren't made with the intention of telling a deep story, but this work is also a Final Fantasy RPG title, so would you say that it this game has an FF-like story?
Inoue: Yes, i think it has become a deep story like that.
Inoue: There was a strong opinion among the development team members that we should have Jack fight alone without party members, but this is a FF title and FF is all about a party of friends grouping up and going on an adventure together so i wanted to keep that.
--Will your party members have growth/leveling systems and will you be able to give them orders during combat?
Inoue: We will consider these kind of things after we have received feedback from the trial version. For now we are planning to have a leveling and equipment system for them. Each of your party member will have a specialty they're good at, for example Ash is a thief, while Jed is a monk. With other party members that will be revealed later the image we have is to allow the player for a variety of strategies. For example have the other characters attack the monsters at close distance while you stay back casting magic, this kind of tactical play.
--How many types of equipment (talking about gear/outfits) are available?
Inoue: I knew some would ask this question which is why i counted (laughs) but... let's just say "A LOT" (laughs)
Nomura: You counted them but you still won't give a specific answer? (laughs), Well most of them come through my office for formality checks, i haven't counted them unlike Inoue but there are quite a lot (laughs)
--So will we be able to change the equipment for our party members?
Inoue: Yes. There will also be equipment that Jack won't be able to wear, only specific party members will and it'll be quite rare and strong although the number of such equipment will be limited.
Nomura: In the trial version you can only change the equipment for Jack and your party members are wearing pre-set equipment that you can find within the limitations of the demo which is why only Jack is seen with his default outfit during the first cutscene but in the final game they will all start with their default normal outfits and you will change them as you please.
--Can Jack use all types of equipment available in the game?
Inoue: That's right, Jack will be able to equip all jobs and weapons.
--The music in the demo was impressive, who is the composer?
Inoue: The main composer is Naoshi Mizuta who composed the soundtrack for "FFXI" and "FFXIII-2", and Hidenori Iwasaki, he is the composer of "Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicle" series. Yamazaki (Ryo Yamazaki) composer of "World of Final Fantasy" is also participating.
--In regards to music, what kind of orders did you make?
Nomura: For the trailer "I want you to make a style of music you've never made before. I also want it to be both fierce and sad", is what i asked.
Inoue: For the demo BGM i was the one who gave them a specific "image" for the music.
--The game is set to release in 2022, so please give us a final word before we close the interview
Inoue: It's a unique game that is challenging something different so i am prepared for various reactions by fans, both positive and negative. Please don't hesitate to give us your feedback after you play the trial version, and you will be surprised with how much the quality will be improved. Give us your feedback and i promise i will work very hard and do my best until release.
Fujiwara: I am sorry to the fans that we made them wait until they tried the trial version due to an unexpected problem that appeared on the first day the demo was distributed. The story is barely featured in the demo but i promise that it's a very heart wrenching but also heart warming story. Please wait for more news and look forward to it.
Nomura: We have only shown info related to the trial version so far but the trial version is only the beginning of the main story. The number of characters appearing will increase, the scale and scope of the game will expand and the story will be interesting. We don't have much time left until release but please give us your feedback, all the staff are doing their very best. Thank you all.
