Final Fantasy Origin turns PLAY’s cover to chaos

PLAY 11
(Image credit: Future)

Stranger Of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin might be on the cover of PLAY 11, but there’s no reason to feel like a stranger in our own little corner of PlayStation paradise. We go big on all things Final Fantasy, from the upcoming Soulslike, the original game, and even Final Fantasy VII Remake-2. We also dig into PSVR2’s big reveal, revisit the history of lightguns, shine a light on the biggest upcoming indies, and way more.

Subscribe to PLAY Magazine here to save on the cover price, get exclusive covers, and have it delivered to your door or device every month.

Stranger Of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin

Stranger Of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin

(Image credit: Future)

Helmed by Team Ninja, Stranger Of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin manages to merge the energy of classic Final Fantasy with the likes of Ninja Gaiden and Nioh. We speak with the developers about how it all came together, including Square Enix’s Tetsuya Nomura. From getting the combat right, to implementing easier difficulty modes, everything you need to know about the surprising spin-off is here.

Final Fantasy VII Remake-2

Final Fantasy VII Remake 2

(Image credit: Future)

The original Final Fantasy VII turns 25 years old. It’s a perfect time to revisit the Compilation Of Final Fantasy VII and take a look at how Final Fantasy VII Remake’s upcoming sequel might play. Combining recent developer comments with our own insights, we go over all the known details about the game, some big theories, and what we’d love to see. Yes, there are screenshots of Genesis and a full-page piece of Tsviet art from Dirge Of Cerberus in a gaming magazine in 2022. What a time to be alive.

The Indie Mixtape ‘22

Bomb Rush Cyberfunk

(Image credit: Future)

Bomb Rush Cyberfunk kicks off this year’s first Indie Mixtape. We highlight 21 of the biggest smallest games on the horizon, with brand new access from playing early builds to talking to the devs about their processes. As well as Cyberfunk, we also detail Wayward Strand, Bigsnax, Afterlove EP, Tchia, We Are OFK, and more!

PSVR2

PSVR2

(Image credit: Future)

Img

Not only will youtube be holding orb-shaped controllers, but the headset has haptics that will make your face feel the presence of objects. It sounds pretty wild, but we dig into all the newly announced specs for PSVR2, as well as Horizon Call Of The Mountain, a VR game set in the Horizonverse.

DNF Duel

DNF Duel

(Image credit: Future)

From the developers of Dragon Ball FighterZ and Guilty Gear comes a fighter based on… Dungeon Fighter Online? If you’ve not heard of it, then that’s no problem because it’s one of the most profitable PC games around and doesn’t need your money too. As a fighter, DNF Duel brings some interesting ideas to the table with how it uses skills, and trades off different types of metre to power specific attacks. We go hands-on with it so we can explain it, so step into the ring with us.

RetroStation

Lightguns

(Image credit: Future)

As far as plastic peripherals go lightguns are among the best. In RetroStation this month, we dust off a bunch of them to revisit games from PS1 to PS3, charting some of the most important moments in the process of bringing the arcade to the home, from the highs to the lows. Plus, we give the original Uncharted another go (on PS3, no less), celebrate 10 years of the PS Vita, and dive into Breath Of Fire IV.

Subscribe and save

PLAY 11

(Image credit: Future)

For more unrivalled developer access to the hottest PS5, PS4, and PSVR games, why not subscribe to PLAY Magazine? You'll save on the cover price and have your copy delivered to your door (or device) each month, complete with exclusive subscriber covers. It’s a big saving for a tome that covers PlayStation past, present, and future every month, so consider helping us keep the train going.

You can subscribe to the print edition, digital version, or save even more with the print/digital bundle – whatever you choose, you’ll be receiving an unprecedented trove of dedicated PlayStation coverage every month.

Oscar Taylor-Kent
Games Editor

Games Editor Oscar Taylor-Kent brings his Official PlayStation Magazine and PLAY knowledge to continue to revel in all things capital 'G' games. A noted PS Vita apologist, he's always got his fingers on many buttons, having also written for Edge, PC Gamer, SFX, Official Xbox Magazine, Kotaku, Waypoint, GamesMaster, PCGamesN, and Xbox, to name a few.

When not knee deep in character action games, he loves to get lost in an epic story across RPGs and visual novels. Recent favourites? Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree, 1000xResist, and Metaphor: ReFantazio! Rarely focused entirely on the new, the call to return to retro is constant, whether that's a quick evening speed through Sonic 3 & Knuckles or yet another Jakathon through Naughty Dog's PS2 masterpieces.

Read more
Cloud gazes over Corel North in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
The Making of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth: "I thought: if we just reproduce the original game with no changes, it will feel nostalgic, but not exciting"
Retro Gamer 270
Amazing PS2 gifts in this month’s Retro Gamer
Saros screenshot featuring the main character and am imposing monster in the background with a swirling void in its chest and multiple arms with balls of fire
Everything announced at the PlayStation State of Play February 2025
Big in 2025 montage of images from Clair Obscure: Expedition 33 including RPG combat, and the party looking out into the distance
Saving the world with a baguette? "A joke that went too far," shares Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's creative director, as we talk Final Fantasy, Persona, and more
A painting shows a woman sleeping as a demon with three eyes bites her chest.
Final Fantasy 7 concept artist Yoshitaka Amano's new gallery exhibit summarizes everything I love about the Square Enix games, even though he might have stood me up
Ghost of Yotei lead Atsu in straw hat
What to expect from PlayStation in 2025: Classic games, live services, and moving beyond consoles
Latest in Action Rpg
Monster Hunter Wilds
Monster Hunter Wilds' first major update rights its greatest wrong by adding a proper Palico cooking animation, and it's letting you change Alma's glasses
Monster Hunter Wilds screenshot showing lagiacrus holding a monster down
Monster Hunter fans lose their minds as Monster Hunter Wilds confirms Lagiacrus will return this summer, finally answering 7 years of prayers
Monster Hunter Wilds hunter eating a meal at the cat cafe
Monster Hunter Wilds Title Update 1 is out April 4 and looks stacked: Zoh Shia returns, the Grand Hub adds a social space, plus Arch-Tempered Rey Dau, arena speedrun contests, and Mizutsune
Bloodborne
It's Bloodborne's 10th anniversary, and FromSoftware is celebrating with an Elden Ring patch that "does not contain any game related changes"
Bloodborne
10 years on, Bloodborne remains an unmatchable feat of atmosphere thanks to the mind-boggling oppressive scale of Yharnam
Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight: Silksong gets unprecedented second update in 2 weeks, with a Steam page tweak pointing to a 2025 release
Latest in News
Lunar Remastered Collection
"Will today’s players still enjoy a game from 30 years ago?": JRPG icon Kei Shigema says he was thrilled to see Lunar getting a remaster even after all this time
Nick Offerman as Bill and Murray Bartlett as Frank in The Last of Us episode 3
The Last of Us season 2 showrunners tease a "gorgeous" episode akin to season 1’s Emmy-nominated Bill and Frank story: "Just you wait"
The Witcher 4 screenshot with Ciri using sword and sorcery to fight an ancient monster
CD Projekt boss says "cutting-edge single-player games" – you know, like The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2 – will "continue to enjoy great popularity" despite industry shifts
Cyberpunk 2077
Despite releasing exactly zero new games, CD Projekt bagged $120 million in profit for 2024 – the Witcher and Cyberpunk studio's third-best result ever
Muse
Daredevil: Born Again midseason trailer teases Matt Murdock’s violent fight with Muse, including a gory scene straight from the comics
Batman looking over the city during Batman: Arkham City, one of the best PS3 games.
The PS2 Batman Begins game was considered such a "disaster" that Christopher Nolan turned down a Dark Knight-inspired game