There’s always the urge to remove oneself out of a comfort zone. In regards to games, a majority of the time developers grow tired of presenting the same thing and want to switch things up even if their fan base may not take to the change kindly. By working alongside Koei Tecmo’s Team Ninja development group (the same minds behind the lauded “Ninja Gaiden”, “Nioh”, and “Dead or Alive” franchises; not to mention the much ballyhooed “Dissidia Final Fantasy NT”), SquareEnix is shaking up the status quo of what it means to be a “Final Fantasy” game yet again. Gone is the turn-based combat of yore, or the flashy, frenetic gameplay that has been both praised & criticized in regards to “Final Fantasy XV” and “Final Fantasy VII Remake”. In the combat formulas’ places is a more precision-focused hack & slash experience just waiting to make players regret that one fight they didn’t block at the right moment. It’s time to (temporarily) stop Chaos in this “Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin” trial demo.
