Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin – the action-focused Final Fantasy 1 spin-off – will be released on March 18, 2022.
Announced during Tokyo Game Show 2021, the new release date was released as part of a new story trailer (below) that seemingly confirmed that the game's main character, Jack is related in some way to Final Fantasy 1's anatagonist, Garland.
The game will also get a second demo that will include multiplayer features. Available only on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, the demo is arriving today. It will add a new stage not seen in the last demo, and includes updates made based on player feedback from the first. This demo will also include a survey, which Square Enix wants to make further changes based on.
Announced earlier this year, Final Fantasy Origin is being developed alongside Nioh studio Team Ninja for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, and PC. The game is a spin-off from FF1, but isn't a direct sequel.
“The game was inspired by FF1," producer Tetsuya Nomura explained previously. "The setting is based on FF1 as well. Where did the Warriors of Light come from and who are they? This is something you find out in the ending of FF1.
“Jack and his friends are strangers in the same way. Who are Jack and his friends? Are they the Warriors of Light? These function as the main themes of the story, so in the story they are depicted as [the eponymous] strangers.”
Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.