Dive into multiplayer in Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin Demo, out now

blog.playstation.com:

The release of Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin’s (SOPFFO) is just around the corner on March 18. For those who are too excited to wait, we’re pleased to announce that a free demo is available for download right now. Your save data will carry over to the full game once it’s out, but even better, this demo supports three-player co-op, so there’s no reason why you and two friends shouldn’t get a head start on the action-packed battles to come.

To get your blood pumping, we wanted to shed some new light on how multiplayer is handled in our game.

Kumabe-san: In SOPFFO, the host player will control Jack, and the guest players will control the two companion NPCs which the host selected ahead of time (between Ash, Jed, Neon, and Sophia). Jobs and equipment will not be restricted by character for your companions during multiplayer, allowing you and your friends to freely determine your ideal party composition.

To make multiplayer enjoyable for everyone involved, mission progress will carry over for all players. Furthermore, the MP from performing Soul Burst on enemies, gear dropped by enemies and experience points earned will all carry over to each individual player, ensuring once the multiplayer session is over, everyone leaves feeling rewarded for their efforts.

Inoue-san: Our in-world explanation for the multiplayer system is that your friends are sort of like Garland’s thoughts from a parallel world who are coming 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 were keen to have a lore-based approach, too.

Kumabe-san: We approached balancing both single and multiplayer together in parallel to ensure that both gameplay experiences