E3 announcement rumors have been circulating lately and there’s quite a bit of excitement surrounding Square Enix with rumors of aFinal Fantasyspinoff game. TitledFinal Fantasy Origin,the game will be developed together with Team Ninja, the team behind games likeNioh, Ninja Gaiden,andFinal Fantasy’sfighting game spinoff,Dissidia NT.
Though the details of the game remain a mystery, the rumors point towardsFinal Fantasy Originbeing an ARPG with Soulslike elements similar toNioh.The game itself is supposedly connected to the firstFinal Fantasygame on the NES which implies the return to a high-fantasy setting. WhileFinal Fantasy Originseems to have Soulslike elements, rumors seem to indicate that it will be more accessible than theNiohseries and fans are wondering how the mechanics will translate to aFinal Fantasygame.
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What’s Known About Final Fantasy Origin
Given Square Enix’s appearance at E3 this year as well as itsclose relationship with Team Ninja onDissidia Final Fantasy NT,it seems likely that they will indeed announceFinal Fantasy Originduring the show. However, the details surrounding the game will likely be a mystery until the actual reveal itself. For now, it seems thatFinal Fantasy Originwill be connected to the firstFinal Fantasygame on the NES and it will feature an ARPG design in the same vein asNioh.
Though Team Ninja is known for creating extremely difficult games,the rumor indicates thatFinal Fantasy Originwill be more accessiblethan theNiohseries to appeal to a wider demographic.Final Fantasy Originappears to be a PS5 console exclusive and will arrive on PC sometime later. Similar to the development of theNiohgames, Square Enix plans on releasing a public alpha demo sometime this summer in order to gauge public interest and solicit feedback from potential players.
How Team Ninja Might Influence Final Fantasy Origin’s Design
With the rumors thatFinal Fantasy Originwill be an ARPG akin toNiohorDark Souls,fans are undoubtedly excited to see how the gameplay mechanics will turn out with Team Ninja’s influence. As with most Soulslike games, the combat mechanics are usually similar and their biggest differences are within the lore and setting. It wouldn’t be surprising to seeFinal Fantasy Originuse the same engine thatNiohdid and incorporate the melee, ranged, and magic attack systems.
WhileNiohdidn’t have a class system, a job system similar to otherFinal Fantasygames might make an appearance and help distinguish it from other Soulslikes.In games likeFinal Fantasy 14,jobs are linked directly to different types of weapons and having a similar system inFinal Fantasy Originwould help distinguish the types of builds available. While theNiohseriesincludes combat mechanics such as stances to set itself apart from other Soulslikes,Final Fantasy’sjob system seems like a natural fit for how the combat system is developed.
Rumors have also been circulating about the game mechanics inFinal Fantasy Originand it appears that while the game will have theNiohDNA, it’ll also have its own scaling difficulty and pace. Furthermore,Final Fantasy Originwill supposedly take a much darker and violent tone that should be reminiscent of theNinja Gaidengames. If these rumors are true, then they definitely help bring an interesting angle to theFinal Fantasyfranchisealongside the recent announcement ofFinal Fantasy 16being rated M for Mature. Though it’s likely thatFinal Fantasy Originwill likely retain elements of the franchise to appeal to veteran players, Team Ninja seems to have an undeniable influence on the tone and mechanics within the game.
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The Setting of Final Fantasy Origin
The rumors also revealed thatFinal Fantasy Originwill be connected to the originalFinal Fantasyon the NES in some way.Similar to the announcements ofFinal Fantasy 16andFinal Fantasy 14: Endwalker,it appears that the franchise is returning to its high-fantasy roots andFinal Fantasy Originwill likely do the same. Importantly, the setting of Soulslike games play an important role in level design and revisiting the world of the originalFinal Fantasywould certainly give the game an interesting background.
The originalFinal Fantasyon the NESwas a little different from other games in the franchise in that it focuses more on dungeon-crawling and players were left to their own devices on how to explore the world around them. Similarly, Soulslike games often emphasize exploration over narrative as players discover secrets and navigate the levels. WhileFinal Fantasygames have become narrative-driven over the years, the originalFinal Fantasyprovides the perfect setting for a potential Soulslike game.
AlthoughFinal Fantasyhas gone in many directions with the tonein its games, it’s important to remember that the games do get quite dark. In the case of the originalFinal Fantasy’sworld, it’s quite dark as the elements have begun fading and the planet has been plagued with natural disasters. This would help setup an interesting setting forFinal Fantasy Originand like theDark Soulsfranchise, the decaying world is an important factor in creating a bleak atmosphere.Final Fantasygames have naturally been associated with magic, technology, and monsters so the jump towards an atmospheric Soulslike would likely feel natural.
The New Direction of Final Fantasy
While fans will have to wait until E3 to see ifFinal Fantasy Originwill get announced, it’s exciting to seeFinal Fantasytake a different direction with its games.As more of the games shift away from the classic turn-based RPG genre, we see the franchise take more risks in its evolution.Final Fantasy Originis a perfect example of the new direction the franchise is headed in and it’s exciting to see the long-running series continue to change.
The concept of a SoulslikeFinal Fantasyis exciting and despite how strange the combination might seem, there is definitely a solid foundation in the setting and combat mechanics to build off of. Reimagining the world of the originalFinal Fantasyin a new perspective is exciting and having Team Ninja onboard will certainly help strengthen its mechanics. Though the details of the game itself will be a mystery until E3, there’s plenty of potential inFinal Fantasy Origin.
Final Fantasy Originis rumored to be in development for the PlayStation 5.
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