A major feature in Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin is the companion system that allows players to jump into fights alongside friendly NPCs or even other players. However, as the latest trial version has shown, there are more characters to find than Jack and his bros in Stranger of Paradise, like the new Swordfighter Neon.
Beyond the first addition to the new roster, Square Enix has confirmed in an interview with Game Rant that Stranger of Paradise Final Fanatasy Origin will have even more characters to interact with. Some of these new characters will only be available in specific areas, join the party at some point in the adventure.
Neon Enters Stranger of Paradise
The newest trial version of Stranger of Paradise introduces players to Neon, a new companion to join Jack on his adventures through the game's familiar setting. What's interesting about Neon is that she not only appears after beating the boss from the first demo, but also that she seems to confirm that SoP will follow the major beats of the original Final Fantasy story. On top of the narrative significance, Neon is also a surprisingly powerful member of the party, sometimes able to go one on one with enemies without the assistance of the player or other NPCs.
More Party Members Joining Jack's Side
Aside from Neon, in an interview with Square Enix and Team Ninja, Game Rant has learned that she will not be the only character joining the party throughout the full release of the game. The developers were understandably careful not to reveal too much about these other party members, even if it was mentioned that the full roster will not end at four, as the original Final Fantasy story suggests. Twisting or subversive narratives aside, this could also lead to several other customization options, not only for the protagonist Jack but also for trading out different party members to better tackle encounters that have differing requirements.
"To the question of whether there will be more companions, the answer is yes, there will be more coming."
So far, players may have already noticed that the two initial companions, Jed and Ash, have singular jobs that they don't get to expand from, at least during the trial version. This could mean that the roster for possible companions might expand to every available job in the game, many of which players still haven't seen, even when completing the most recent demo. Who will be joining and which of Stranger of Paradise's jobs they will embody is still up in the air, but it is exciting to see that Team Ninja still has even more in store for players on release.
What More Warriors of Light Say About the Final Fantasy Storyline
Looking back at those twisting narratives now, the existence of other characters that might join the party does run against the established lore from the original Final Fantasy. To start, the prophecy that both Stranger of Paradise and the Final Fantasy this story is based on tells of four Warriors of Light joining forces to stop Chaos. However, Neon's addition adds a wrinkle to this prophecy to introduce more characters beyond the first four that players do initially meet here, although it could feed into some theories that fans have had about the game so far.
Interactions with Characters Outside of Combat
Team Ninja fans might be surprised to see the game includes a Hub-like area, which is not often seen in the developer's other titles. It's a small touch, but one that helps establish this as a Final Fantasy adventure. There have been some questions about how much the game fits in with that universe, and now there are a few hints that should please fans.
Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin is set to release in 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.