Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin (PS5) Review

A Shattered Crystal of a Final Fantasy Game

Playing Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin was one of the weirdest experiences of my life as a Final Fantasy fan. On one hand, it is exactly the sort of dumb fun that is catered to fans of the original game but on the other, it’s a fragmented mess of systems and conflicting designs. Stranger of Paradise feels like a game that could have been much more cohesive than it is but somewhere along the way it was shaped into something it was never made to be. Of course, I am basing my feelings and critique merely on the work itself. I guess we may likely never know the complete development history of the game but this one is so close to being truly awesome that I swing between a puzzling mix of emotions while playing. 

Granted, the reason the game feels so different is that this is an action game from Team Ninja of Koei Tecmo, the folks famously behind Ninja Gaiden and notably for this release the same team that created Nioh, a Dark Souls-style samurai game that got a well-received sequel. Taking the Nioh formula and dropping that into the world of iconic monsters and big swords of Final Fantasy should have been a recipe for success but Stranger of Paradise just doesn’t hit the mark. 

For starters, much of the game’s marketing implied that Stranger of Paradise leaned more into the Soulslike genre when in fact the game is closer to a beat-em-up. Sure moves are performed with shoulder buttons and there are a few familiar maneuvers like a dodge or parry that can steal enemy spells and attacks but the weight and positioning are just not comparable, even to something like Nioh. This mostly seems to be due to the effectiveness of stun-locking, chaining together attacks, and the piles of enemies thrown at the party. However, once I started playing the game like a brawler, I started to have more fun. 

Players take the role of Warriors of Light going through similar scenarios like that found in the original Final Fantasy, a game with an incredible legacy that has been remade several times. Seeing Garland, the Four Fiends, and memorable monsters like the Tonberry, Bomb, and Behemoth all fired off the parts of my brain that absolutely loves this franchise. Each of these designs got a ton of visual detail and the bosses especially have layered designs with story implications. The most interesting lore bits are found in random descriptions which is unfortunate considering how visual the game can be but I did appreciate the extra detail in the creatures. The game’s environments though just didn’t get the same attention or at least they feel lesser by comparison. 

This is where I felt that the game may have had development troubles. Rather than exploring a recreation of the game's world, players are trapped in a map of dull menus and weird instances of character conversations. Most of the dialogue is skippable but much of the background looks properly rendered, making it seem like there was more exploration planned. Instead, the game is broken down into missions in small, rather boring dungeons and castles. There are a few vistas that are gorgeous but much of the game feels like changing the background and swatting away monsters, much like an arcade beat-em-up. Levels are also easy to get lost in due to the lack of a map to fit the Dark Souls style but Stranger of Paradise lacks the meaningful level design that allowed Dark Souls to have memorable places and recognizable paths. 

Thankfully, the music in these levels is often fantastic with new compositions of classic Final Fantasy songs. Longtime fans will probably constantly perk up as a familiar arrangement rings out and there are even renditions from games outside of the first entry. The soundtrack may not ever reach the extreme greatness of the Final Fantasy XIV music but there are lots of tracks worth adding to one’s playlist. 

Classic FF Boss designs get a lot of cool details. Tiamat’s chest has the body of a woman, alluding to the dragon’s backstory that’s found in lore documents.

Even though there is plenty of jank, I rather enjoyed the game’s combat system, particularly when I started taking it less seriously. Players choose two jobs that they can swap between on the fly, allowing a quick gameplay style change for certain situations. There are plenty of jobs to explore, level up, and unlock much like what was found in Final Fantasy Tactics. I stuck to mostly heavy attacks with huge swords and I really enjoyed the main class ability of the Warrior. The magic system is mostly throwing elemental grenades but there are a few ways to play that are enjoyable. Where I completely refused to engage was the game’s equipment system. 

The loot in Stranger of Paradise is abnormally temporary, even for games with the worst loot systems. I’ve never enjoyed randomized items where two items of the same name have varying stats. I spent the entire game just auto-optimizing my whole build and never thought twice about it. There might be some fun to be had in the highest difficulty missions or through cooperative play but none of the missions were interesting or warranted that type of stat pushing. The game even halts players by having a limited inventory that fills with junk that needs to be dismantled. Honestly, I just wanted to unlock more jobs and see what wacky adventures Jack and the gang ended up in so I stuck with that game plan. 

Of course, Jack as a character gained a lot of popularity due to his 2000s attitude and interrupting villainous monologues with a fist, calling out bullshit, or walking away with metal playing on his earbuds. Much like a character like Travis Touchdown of No More Heroes, Jack is insufferable. He’s a man that pushes for a single goal, to kill Chaos, and barely deviates from that mission. He drags along his friends because they have the same destiny, not caring about who they are, but rather seeing them as tools for the cause. The final act does a few things that explain why Jack is so one-track-minded and why he wants to take down Chaos so badly but the delivery of the otherwise interesting plot twist falls super flat. That said, the general idea of Jack as a character (at least by the end of the story when all of the cards are on the table) is awesome. It’s just the type of thing to bring in a Final Fantasy fan and I desperately wish the game had been shuffled around a bit and had more time to develop the plot. The final cutscene (which is funnily enough one of the first teasers I remember seeing for the game) is one of the most brutal ways I’ve seen a Final Fantasy villain portrayed. The promise of seeing Jack punch Chaos in an anime-style, knockout fight helped me keep playing and I’m genuinely glad I rolled credits. 

Those wanting to experience Stranger of Paradise should jump into it with the beat-em-up idea in mind. Just take the critical path through the game, auto-optimize builds, and soak in the outlandish spectacle of this bizarre action game. The reward is an unpredictable game that feels like getting wasted on Four Loko, blaring Avenged Sevenfold, and passing out in the middle of a retro binge. 

While there is certainly fun to be had in Stranger of Paradise, it’s a shame that so much of it can easily be ignored and those systems outright bring the game down overall. What could have leaned more into something more light-hearted on the RPG side doubled down on grinding for gear that never felt meaningful. Destroying monsters with violent finishing moves that erupt in blood-red crystals never gets old visually but there’s just not enough synergy between each design choice. 

Despite the landslide of criticism I have for the final release, I would absolutely love a sequel. I have no idea where the game’s plot would go unless Jack and pals start hopping into other Final Fantasy worlds but this type of over-the-top action game in a similar tone to Devil May Cry is super appealing and downright fun. We are getting DLC for Stranger of Paradise soon called Trials of the Dragon King that launches on July 20th, so hopefully, there are fun scenarios to slash through when that releases. The DLC will come as part of a Season Pass for $29.99 USD which presumably means there will be more content beyond this initial drop.

From the moment we saw gameplay and Jack cursing at iconic Final Fantasy characters, I knew what to expect from Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. I genuinely didn’t expect the attempt at a revenge-focused meta-narrative but I’m glad an attempt was made at something more than just angrily fist-fighting dragons. For fans, this is a wild ride of nostalgia but don’t expect it to be the next great spin-off from the franchise. For players outside of the Final Fantasy scene, it’s an okay beat-em-up with laugh-out-loud scenes that might make for an unforgettable weekend. There is online co-op but I didn’t mess around with it for this review. 

SCORES

GAMEPLAY - 7/10

VISUALS - 7.5/10

SOUND - 9/10

CONTROLS - 7/10

REPLAY VALUE - 6/10

OVERALL - 7.3/10

Learn more about Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin on the official website. A digital PlayStation 5 copy was provided for the purpose of review. Screenshots were taken using the native features of the PS5.