E3 announcement rumors have been circulating lately and there's quite a bit of excitement surrounding Square Enix with rumors of a Final Fantasy spinoff game. Titled Final Fantasy Origin, the game will be developed together with Team Ninja, the team behind games like Nioh, Ninja Gaiden, and Final Fantasy's fighting game spinoff, Dissidia NT.
Though the details of the game remain a mystery, the rumors point towards Final Fantasy Origin being an ARPG with Soulslike elements similar to Nioh. The game itself is supposedly connected to the first Final Fantasy game on the NES which implies the return to a high-fantasy setting. While Final Fantasy Origin seems to have Soulslike elements, rumors seem to indicate that it will be more accessible than the Nioh series and fans are wondering how the mechanics will translate to a Final Fantasy game.
What's Known About Final Fantasy Origin
Given Square Enix's appearance at E3 this year as well as its close relationship with Team Ninja on Dissidia Final Fantasy NT, it seems likely that they will indeed announce Final Fantasy Origin during the show. However, the details surrounding the game will likely be a mystery until the actual reveal itself. For now, it seems that Final Fantasy Origin will be connected to the first Final Fantasy game on the NES and it will feature an ARPG design in the same vein as Nioh.
Though Team Ninja is known for creating extremely difficult games, the rumor indicates that Final Fantasy Origin will be more accessible than the Nioh series in order to appeal to a wider demographic. Final Fantasy Origin appears to be a PS5 console exclusive and will arrive on PC sometime later. Similar to the development of the Nioh games, 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 that Final Fantasy Origin will be an ARPG akin to Nioh or Dark 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 see Final Fantasy Origin use the same engine that Nioh did and incorporate the melee, ranged, and magic attack systems.
While Nioh didn't have a class system, a job system similar to other Final Fantasy games might make an appearance and help distinguish it from other Soulslikes. In games like Final Fantasy 14, jobs are linked directly to different types of weapons and having a similar system in Final Fantasy Origin would help distinguish the types of builds available. While the Nioh series includes combat mechanics such as stances to set itself apart from other Soulslikes, Final Fantasy's job system seems like a natural fit for how the combat system is developed.
Rumors have also been circulating about the game mechanics in Final Fantasy Origin and it appears that while the game will have the Nioh DNA, it'll also have its own scaling difficulty and pace. Furthermore, Final Fantasy Origin will supposedly take a much darker and violent tone that should be reminiscent of the Ninja Gaiden games. If these rumors are true, then they definitely help bring an interesting angle to the Final Fantasy franchise alongside the recent announcement of Final Fantasy 16 being rated M for Mature. Though it's likely that Final Fantasy Origin will 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.
The Setting of Final Fantasy Origin
The rumors also revealed that Final Fantasy Origin will be connected to the original Final Fantasy on the NES in some way. Similar to the announcements of Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker, it appears that the franchise is returning to its high-fantasy roots and Final Fantasy Origin will likely do the same. Importantly, the setting of Soulslike games play an important role in level design and revisiting the world of the original Final Fantasy would certainly give the game an interesting background.
The original Final Fantasy on the NES was 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. While Final Fantasy games have become narrative-driven over the years, the original Final Fantasy provides the perfect setting for a potential Soulslike game.
Although Final Fantasy has gone in many directions with the tone in its games, it's important to remember that the games do get quite dark. In the case of the original Final Fantasy's world, 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 for Final Fantasy Origin and like the Dark Souls franchise, the decaying world is an important factor in creating a bleak atmosphere. Final Fantasy games 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 if Final Fantasy Origin will get announced, it's exciting to see Final Fantasy take 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 Origin is 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 Soulslike Final Fantasy is 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 original Final Fantasy in 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 in Final Fantasy Origin.
Final Fantasy Origin is rumored to be in development for the PlayStation 5.