The upcoming Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin features Bikke the pirate from FF1 as one of the game's early bosses. Bikke might not have been a boss in FF1, but he has received a promotion in Stranger of Paradise, and he can be frustrating at first, especially as some of the most popular fight tactics are ineffective against him.
Bikke is one of FF1's returning characters in Stranger of Paradise. In FF1, Bikke is a pirate who has taken over the town of Pravoka with his crew. The Warriors of Light show up to confront him, and they face nine of Bikke's crew in a boss battle. Luckily, these pirates will quickly go down to any spells that target groups. Once Bikke is defeated, he will give his ship to the party, allowing them to visit different continents and continue their quest. His role in Stranger of Paradise is similar to the one he had in FF1, except this time, Bikke is ready to challenge the party and brings his axe to bear against them.
Stranger of Paradise features bosses from FF1, but there are also a few new ones included. One of the earlier demos featured a new boss called the Elemental Core, which summoned fire and water spirits to battle the player. In Bikke's case, he is a character from FF1 who has been repurposed as a boss, but his inclusion makes sense, and it's a great way to spice up the pirate battle from the original game. Players will face Bikke aboard his ship at the end of the Pravoka Seagrot stage. There is a save cube just before the fight, so players will have the chance to save their progress ahead of facing him.
How To Beat Bikke In Stranger Of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin
Players will have a chance to try facing Bikke in the latest Stranger of Paradise demo. Bikke hits like a truck, and blocking and absorbing are incredibly risky moves thanks to his ability to shatter the player's stagger meter and leave them vulnerable to follow-up attacks. Not only does he deal a ton of damage, but his axe also inflicts debuffs that increase the damage players take and lower their damage output. As such, evasion is the key to winning this battle.
Players should always attempt to dodge and use invincibility frames to get out of the way of Bikke's attacks. Bikke enters the battle with two pirate allies and will periodically call for more throughout the battle. Players should plan to use Resonance to get the companions to aggro Bikke and distract him so the player character can take out the pirates.
One of Bikke's deadliest moves is Yo Ho Ho, which is a powerful and unblockable grab attack that can potentially one-hit kill players. Players should be sure to run like hell and prepare a dodge when the prompt for this move comes up. One good aspect of Yo Ho Ho is that Bikke can grab a party member, which will trap him in the animation and allow players to run in and pile on the damage. With careful timing, Bikke can be sent back to his NPC status from FF1 where he belongs.
If Bikke prepares a Molotov attack, players can absorb it and use it as an Instant Ability, which is great for dealing with more pirates he summons. If Bikke uses Starfall, he will cause an earthquake in the direction of his target, while Tomohawk will let him throw his axe like a boomerang. If he uses Spin, players should run away or dodge, as he will spin his axe while flying around the field, but he will be left vulnerable for a few seconds after the move ends. The Bikke fight in the new Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin demo is all about keeping an eye on surroundings and being ready to dodge whenever needed before running in for some hits, then getting ready to dodge again until Bikke is finally down.
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin launches for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on March 18, 2022.