While the E3 trailer for Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin came under fire for being a bit too edgy, the PS5 demo that followed shortly thereafter has been a huge success. Players seem to be loving the combat and the way it applies the classic job system to a soulslike formula, but the most important part of soulslike games are the bosses. At the end of the PS5 demo and the trailer, Jack and the player come face to face with Garland, a fallen knight of Cornelia that uses the darkness to crush his foes. This boss sets the tone for what fans can expect from the game, but that isn't entirely true.
For those that may have missed it, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is a reimagination of the story of the original Final Fantasy 1. Although there's no telling just how closely this new game will stick to the original's plot, the fact that it seems to start with the player taking down Garland just like the original indicates that there will be some similarities. If that's the case, then the Garland boss fight may actually be the odd one out compared to the rest.
Final Fantasy Origin - Garland and Other Humanoid Bosses
The main reason why this boss might be unique from the others is that he is one of the very few bosses that is really a human. Most of the major enemies that the Warriors of Light go up against are actually large monsters or the Four Fiends, so Garland is unique in that aspect. The boss fight in the game is certainly thrilling, but players may have to get used to fighting monsters as bosses instead of human enemies like this. That said, there are a few other human enemies that show up as bosses or mini-bosses in the original Final Fantasy.
The first humanoid boss fight the player encounters in Final Fantasy 1 outside of Garland is the Dread Pirate Bikke. This name makes him sound far more terrifying than he really is, as the fight ends up being really easy. Rather than fight Bikke himself, players just face off against nine weak Buccaneer enemies. After this, the only other humanoid boss fight in the game is the Vampire enemy halfway through the Cavern of Earth. While this enemy acts as a boss at this point in the game, they are encountered in groups later on.
Final Fantasy Origin - What Comes After Garland?
If Final Fantasy Origin follows the story of the original Final Fantasy directly, then Jack and his fellow Warriors of Light should be headed to Pravoka next. After defeating the aforementioned pirate Bikke, they will gain access to a ship and be able to reach the land of Elfheim. After a drawn out series of nested fetch quests, players will eventually come face to face with Astos, the king of the Dark Elves. This is a formidable foe, and although he was once human, this isn't the case anymore.
The sprite for this enemy is pretty terrifying as is, so it will be exciting to see how he is portrayed in Final Fantasy Origin's gritty style. Aside from physical attacks, Astos is also a powerful spellcaster. In the lore, he is famous for putting the Elven Prince into a deep sleep with a curse, but in the battle itself, he can even cast certain instant death spells. Human enemies like Garland are easier to fight by default because players can understand their movements better, but Astos' twisted form will not be as easy to predict.
Final Fantasy Origin - The Four Fiends
The bulk of Final Fantasy's story is about the Warriors of Light hunting down each of the Four Fiends. These powerful demons serve Chaos by draining energy from the elemental crystals, and each must be defeated before Chaos himself can be battled. The first of the Four Fiends is the Lich, Fiend of Earth. A towering undead monstrosity, the Lich can cast powerful magic such as Flare, Stop, and Kill. Its physical attacks also cause paralysis to anyone it hits. Next comes Marilith, the Fiend of Fire. With the lower body of a snake, the upper body of a woman, powerful fire magic, and six arms each wielding deadly swords, she will certainly be a challenge.
After defeating Marilith, players must hunt down the Kraken, Fiend of Water. This fight takes place underwater in the original game, so it's unclear how Final Fantasy Origin will handle that. The Kraken uses Ink to blind the player and then attacks with powerful tentacles. Finally, Tiamat, the Fiend of Wind, is the last of the Four Fiends that players face. This six headed dragon is the most powerful of all the Four Fiends, and can cast powerful spells like Blaze, Icestorm, and Thunderbolt.
Final Fantasy Origin - Kill Chaos!
While killing Fiends and other monstrous bosses is all well and good, the real reason players are here is to kill Chaos himself. Jack makes this very clear during the trailer, as it appears to be the only thing he really cares about. Given this and the fact that Chaos shows up in the title logo, it's a safe bet that he'll be appearing as a final boss. While he is humanoid like Garland, he is much larger and demonic. With two to four arms and access to the most powerful spells and physical attacks in the original game, this will be a whole different ball game.
Chaos can cast all of the most powerful elemental spells, including Tsunami, Earthquake, Cyclone, and more. He also has access to Curaja, a potent healing spell that he uses whenever he reaches low health. Add on top of all that powerful melee attacks that paralyze the target and resistances to nearly every type of element or status and he's definitely got the making of a final boss. How exactly this will play out in Final Fantasy Origin remains to be seen, but Final Fantasy Dissidia might be a good place to start looking. Chaos is the final boss of that game as well, and it's been said that Dissidia was a major inspiration for Final Fantasy Origin.
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin releases in 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.