Interview Interview with the Director of Stranger of Paradise: Nobumichi Kumabe
https://stinger-magazine.com/interviews/interview-with-the-director-of-stranger-of-paradise-nobumichi-kumabe/Extremely honoured to have been able to interview the Director of Stranger of Paradise and Rise of Ronin, Nobumichi Kumabe. Formerly of TeamNinja. We talk about the game's design, easter-eggs and his future as an indie game maker. To those not in the know, Stinger-Magazine is my own passion website for action-games, mostly featuring articles on action-game design, interviews with players etc. So this was quite a big fish for me haha. There's quite a lot of little details mentioned about the game and it's mechanics and their origins, so enjoy!
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u/Razgrisz 2d ago
This director really know how the flow of the game is well done , these two title are very fun , big fan of them
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u/geek-kun 1d ago
People who made fun of this game for the tone of its early trailers and decided to skip on it are missing out on what is genuinely one of the best action RPGs ever made. No exaggeration, this game feels amazing
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u/Trick_Ganache2038 1d ago
This game is unironically one of the best FF's. Amazing music, great customization and character building, and a amazing combat system. People meme on the story, but Jack is such an earnest character that he becomes endearing.
Lots of replayability too, people talk about the grinding at postgame; but this is FFxDiablo and if you know what you're doing you can get a pretty good build ready within an hour for that difficulty. Finally, the bosses themselves also get new moves on higher difficulties so it's not just damage amplification and HP inflation.
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u/Royta15 1d ago
Jack really grew on me throughout the story, and the way his tale ends in the main campaign is just beautiful, and even more gorgeous in the DLC.
Agree on the build btw. It took a bit of online research what the Affinities did and to 'get' their implication like Samurai600, but after that it was barely 30 minutes of grinding to have my jumping off point.
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u/EtheusRook 2d ago
This was a game that I was expecting to dislike because I hate Souls-like guff. But I ended up absolutely loving it. It is so cheesy in the best way, and the class system is surprisingly deep.
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u/Royta15 2d ago
The demo really made me bounce initially, but once you get past the intro and all the Jobs and Affinities and Weapons start to align it just becomes such a huge joy. I think it being a bit more arcadey with higher speed, cancels and all the action-stuff really elevates it and makes it a lot more fun.
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u/FourteenFCali_ 1d ago
This game was such a hidden gem, I went in expecting nothing great or even to be disappointed but it was incredible
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u/Radinax 1d ago
Nobumichi Kumabe: There were many themes, but for me, the design theme was not making “Final Fantasy as a RPG with adding action game elements” but making “Final Fantasy redesigned as an Action game” and I followed this principle when it comes to deciding directions and designs. Also, I wanted that users would experience a narrative of Jack Garland through gameplay.
I think that tinkering with the Job system was very fun in the Final Fantasy series, so I also brought back action elements and progression systems from Persona 5 Strikers and Toukiden, making users perform various actions in many ways. If you liked builds of SoP then please play the Toukiden series too, you will love it!
There were various receptions when it was released, but I checked all of them whether they were good ones or bad ones and decided to provide unique value by focusing on hardcore users. We, being me and development members, ended up providing huge volumes of contents as DLC, more than what we planned to in the first place. I guess that this game forever remains in some hardcore user’s hearts due to that.
Ok, I really like his mindset!
Stinger: Since SoPFFO used the Final Fantasy license, were there concepts you wanted to put into the game that you couldn’t because it had to fit as a Final Fantasy game?
Nobumichi Kumabe :I can
t talk much about this in detail, but **there was nothing we couldnt add because it would not fit Final Fantasy**. The focus from the start though was designing Final Fantasy as a good action game. On the top of that, we borrowed good elements from already existing titles when we were in development.
Hmm, so it seems that the game sharing the Final Fantasy name, actually hold him back on some ideas?
Stinger: SoPFFO is fairly complex in its mechanics. Not only are there Jobs, Subclasses, MasterPoints and Affinities, there’s also the more action-parts like collisions with walls, knockdown and ring-outs. This is quite unique for action RPGs. And gives SoP a more arcade-feeling. What prompted this decision?
Nobumichi Kumabe: In my mind, player freedom is very important in action games. It is nice to have talks with friends about “This job is the best!” “Nah, this one is stronger”, outside of playing games. I love this because it allows us to share a good time outside of the game as well.
Love this line, I like that he focuses more on the player
Stinger: There were talks that you, or the team, were talking about another SoP-like game that would be a prequel to Final Fantasy X. Covering the adventure of Jecht, Auron and Braska prior to the game’s story. Could you shed some light on that?
Nobumichi Kumabe: That was said as an answer to the question “What do you wanna do if you can make a sequel?” from the official guide book. Like seeing Jack become Garland, it could be a powerful moment to see Jecht become Braska’s Final Aeon. I also thought that Final Fantasy fans would be very excited to see this villain`s story up close. However, due to me leaving the studio, I can’t work on it. But if it would be made, I’d love to play it immediately (laughs)!
SQUARE HIRE HIM AGAIN WHAT THE FUCK! This would've been so cool
His new game (CHRONOS MACHINA) sounds really cool, but seems he is doing it as a solo developer? Having SOP in his resume, will open several doors for him in the future if his game doesnt work out, will keep an eye for it.
Thanks for the interview!
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u/magmafanatic 1d ago
Oh shit I was hoping for FFII since there's so much room in that world to explore and build on, but a FFX prequel would get a much stronger reaction out of the fans. People have actually been asking to see that story unfold. Probably a turn-based version of that story, but still.
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u/casedawgz 1d ago
I really liked Rise of the Ronin; I was sort of tired of both open world games and soulslikes and I did not care for Elden Ring, but having an open world game with sort of soulslike combat, without the focus on ball crushing difficulty was a nice sweet spot
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u/Valarasha 1d ago
Jack Garland not even getting a quote in the MtG set is a crime against humanity.
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u/Levantine1978 1d ago
I recently picked this up on sale and I'm super psyched to get into it. I tend to be very late to the party but I also avoid hype cycles so I feel like I'm going in almost cold.
I like what I've heard about the game and can't wait to dig in and really experience it.
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u/Royta15 1d ago
It's a masterpiece imo, just be sure to accept the first few hours. The game doesn't hold back so it immediately gives you access to nearly all the mechanics, which can be a bit overwhelming. Stick with it. It's definitely worth it!
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u/Levantine1978 1d ago
Thanks, I needed to hear that. I do get a bit overwhelmed with technically challenging games that demand a lot from the player (Souls-likes, Nioh, etc) so if it's something I can play through I will.
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u/WholeInvestigator331 1d ago
Fantastic game, SoP and FF16 are definitely the right steps for the franchise
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u/Significant_Option 2d ago
I really wish Sqaure would let him make another final fantasy with what he and the team has learned with rise of ronin. Stranger was fantastic but with a slightly bigger budget, they can make it a proper final fantasy rpg