The release of Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin (SOPFFO) is fast approaching on March 18th. For those too excited to wait, we’re happy to announce that a free demo is available to download now. Your save data will carry over to the full game once it’s released, but best of all, this demo supports three-player co-op, so there’s no reason you and two friends can’t take one. head start on the action-packed battles ahead.
To get your blood pumping, we wanted to shed some new light on how multiplayer is handled in our game.
Introducing Multiplayer
Kumabe-san: In SOPFFO, the host player will control Jack and the guest players will control the two companion NPCs that the host has selected in advance (between Ash, Jed, Neon, and Sophia). Tasks and equipment will not be limited by your companions’ character during multiplayer, allowing you and your friends to freely determine your ideal party composition.
To make multiplayer enjoyable for everyone involved, mission progression will continue for all players. Additionally, MP from performing Soul Burst on enemies, gear dropped by enemies, and experience points gained will all transfer to each individual player, ensuring that once the multiplayer session is over, everyone everyone leaves with the feeling of being rewarded for their efforts.
Inoue-san: Our explanation in the world of the multiplayer system is that your friends are kind of like Garland’s thoughts from a parallel world who come to save Jack in the host player’s world. Teamwork is a big theme for SOPFFO, so even with more utilitarian systems like multiplayer, we also wanted to have a lore-based approach.
On multiplayer balancing
Kumabe-san: We approached the balance between singleplayer and multiplayer in parallel to ensure that both gameplay experiences would be fun for players. Even during solo play, players have their NPC companions, so we aimed for a balance that gives a sense of the fun that awaits in multiplayer. At the same time, we looked for a balance that ensured the difficulty wasn’t toned down too much in multiplayer, so we made quite a few tweaks while having various staff members try out the game.
Develop team multiplayer and inspirations
Inoue-san: From the start of development we knew we wanted to include multiplayer in the game. I had experience working on earlier games that also incorporated multiplayer, so from the start I was motivated to create something which would be fun to play with friends. At first, however, we considered the idea of four-player co-op since we see a party of four in the original Final Fantasy, and it’s fun to romp around in multiplayer, but we found that space could also become too chaotic when there are too many players. We also considered two-player co-op at some point, but felt that players would feel a high risk of participating since the responsibility for failing a mission will fall unilaterally to the guest when participating, so ultimately, we decided that three players would be better.
Kumabe-san: The team took inspiration from a variety of sources for SOPFFO’s multiplayer, including Nioh, where the high difficulty in single-player mode can be mitigated through multiplayer. Personally, I was a core Final Fantasy XI player, so this was a big benchmark for me, in terms of the synergy between companions and jobs to take on tough enemies. The team is really happy with the system we’ve created where players can progress with friends in multiplayer through trial and error, without fear of party disbanding, even in the event of a wipe.
Development challenges overcome
Inoue-san: As we mentioned above, optimizing multiplayer in SOPFFO was not an easy thing to do. Perhaps the most challenging aspect of nailing our multiplayer experience was getting our system working. In singleplayer, companions basically have a job, and those controls can be dreamed up to some degree by the developer. In multiplayer, however, each player has two jobs, so we could potentially have six jobs in total in a single space, which could make tracking players quite difficult.
Despite how difficult (or mayhem) six jobs would be in one space, we felt it was important to create space for players to enjoy the game and show off various jobs in their own way. We also wanted to give players the freedom to fully consider their job compositions and team synergy, and not be limited in their job selection. The NINJA team took great care in tweaking the system to ensure that all of this was possible in the final product.
Create the perfect party
Kumabe-san: As the game isn’t balanced like an MMORPG, where some content can be considerably more difficult unless you challenge yourself with a particular job, there really isn’t an ideal composition that players should adhere to every time. that they team up with friends. .
Inoue-san: That said… the players may find it beneficial to use jobs that excel in long-range attacks and support abilities, if they are struggling. Support type jobs like White Mage and Red Mage would be good for players who don’t feel very comfortable with action games, and they can support their party members and stay away from the game. ‘action. As you get used to the action, it might also be good to start thinking more about job composition, like changing one to one that excels at melee combat so you can launch an attack at the right time.
Kumabe-san: As for personal recommendations to try, I’ve always taken on a tank role in Final Fantasy XI, so I like to draw enemy fire as a Knight or Void Knight while masterfully using Runic. It frees up my companions to use the jobs they personally enjoy.
Inoue-san: I find pairing the Knight (who makes it easier to build a party for aggressive melee combat) with the Dark Knight (whose true strength is revealed when the player runs out of steam) is really enjoyable. Maybe a group that has Knight controlling enemy aggro up front and then when their energy is low they have a Berserker going on the offensive could also be fun.
Kumabe-san: Party composition aside, we’d like to point out that the best approach is probably to dive in without thinking too much. If it looks like the enemies are getting a little stronger, or if you have a job you’d like to progress or some gear you’d like to collect, now might be a great time to give multiplayer a shot.
So, now that we’ve talked a bit more about multiplayer in SOPFFO…why not try it out for yourself? Demo players will be paired with other demo players, so even after the game launches on March 18, demo players will be able to team up with others who are at a similar level and with similar experience with the game. You can download the demo right now by going here.
As a reminder, Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin is released on March 18. By pre-ordering either the Digital Standard or Digital Deluxe editions, you will be entitled to various goodies, including early access to the game on March 15. Don’t expect everyone to fully enjoy the game in just a few days – and maybe we’ll even see you in-game!
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