Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin

 PC
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 155 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 119 out of 155
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 155
  3. Negative: 26 out of 155

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  1. Dubeau
    Nov 9, 2022
    5
    Stranger of Paradise - Final Fantasy Origin is kind of bland. The story is generic and has too many cut scenes, and very little interactions. Some bits of humour, but the story feels very dry. The combat is fun and works like a MMORPG. The graphics are a mixed bag. However on PC, there are noticeable slow downs, and some frozen moments (caused by loading). The loot system is tedious. TheStranger of Paradise - Final Fantasy Origin is kind of bland. The story is generic and has too many cut scenes, and very little interactions. Some bits of humour, but the story feels very dry. The combat is fun and works like a MMORPG. The graphics are a mixed bag. However on PC, there are noticeable slow downs, and some frozen moments (caused by loading). The loot system is tedious. The upgrade system is for jobs, but only for one character (what??). The interface is horrible and dull. There is no explorations and towns. You talk to folks via the main map, in the menu. How lazy is that! The smithy dismantle items, but you accumulated so much loot, that it is a painful process just to empty the inventory and upgrade items. You can setup combos, but you get fed up really fast of this interface. At least the voice overs are decent, not that the animations for it, are always good. I give it 48%. I played 7-10 hours of this, but the interface and the boring factor just killed it for me. In the days of open world RPG, this feels like 10 years backward.… Expand
  2. oculocu
    Apr 17, 2022
    7
    The game is really fun and the gameplay is good... But... The performance is horrible.

    The story is f*ing cool... No bull* it's pretty straightforward, it seems to me that the English dub is the "Funny mode" but in Japanese it's quite good. Graphics are nice, it's not shi* or perfection... Just ok. But when you execute the first monster the fps drops from a locked 60 fps to 40~50    The game is really fun and the gameplay is good... But... The performance is horrible.

    The story is f*ing cool... No bull* it's pretty straightforward, it seems to me that the English dub is the "Funny mode" but in Japanese it's quite good.
    Graphics are nice, it's not shi* or perfection... Just ok.
    But when you execute the first monster the fps drops from a locked 60 fps to 40~50 until the particles stop (Monsters explode in every execution) and this continues until the last encounter... How a game "ok looking" can have Such a severe problem with fps drops amid combat?

    This game is very good but suffers from all the technical problems... This game should cost around $40 as it is. But Square thinks This is a $70 game, R$300 in Brazil, which is even more absurd for a PC game.    … Expand
  3. Caen
    Mar 20, 2022
    7
    Before I start: I run a 9900K with a RTX 3070, 32GB DDR4 ram, your mileage may vary.

    I was very wary about this game, as I've never played a "Soulslike" or Nioh, Sekiro and so forth, this is a brand new genre for me, and I have always loved Final Fantasy, even from FF1. This game pays homage to a bunch of previous titles and delves into more of the lore of FF1. The combat in this    Before I start: I run a 9900K with a RTX 3070, 32GB DDR4 ram, your mileage may vary.

    I was very wary about this game, as I've never played a "Soulslike" or Nioh, Sekiro and so forth, this is a brand new genre for me, and I have always loved Final Fantasy, even from FF1. This game pays homage to a bunch of previous titles and delves into more of the lore of FF1.

    The combat in this game really hard carries it, as there are a lot of disappointing aspects to it.

    Here's my Pros and Cons:

    + Jack is a wild and refreshing character.
    + Combat, and most of the jobs are really fun to engage with. There's a flavor for everyone.
    + There are some really sweet twists in this game.
    + The last act and ending are actually awesome.
    + A lot of great monster designs.
    + Boss encounters are fantastically done.
    - Killing blow animations look incredible.

    -Shadows make this game far too dark even with everything else cranked up, you can turn them off--but still things look off in terms of color. On an OLED tv I got lost very easily a LOT.
    -As others have mentioned, there is slowdown / frame drops pending where/what is going on.
    -The graphics look woefully outdated and generic, I didn't like the gear cosmetics either.
    -The writing really needed more polish and refinement. A lot more.
    -The amount of loot dropping is borderline unbearable, constantly cleaning out your inventory isn't fun.
    -I wasn't crazy about the music, but there were some good tracks.
    -The level design was awful in general.
    - Main story was somewhat short. I clocked 16 hours front to back.
    - EGS Exclusive for PC (As I write this.)

    Do I recommend it? I think if you are curious, or picked up the demo on PS4/5/Xbox and enjoyed it, you'll probably enjoy the rest of the game. I'd probably wait for a sale before diving in, but patches / mods / DLC could really help this game out a lot. If you have never played this genre before like I did, you may very well enjoy it.    … Expand
  4. churros
    Jun 16, 2022
    7
    Pros:
    + combat system variety
    + controls great

    Cons:
    - terrible pc port
    - bad level design
    - bland scenarios
    - bland music
    - non-sense story
    - too many systems
  5. Pmstz
    Feb 5, 2023
    6
    Average/OK game

    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
  6. delaware80
    Sep 13, 2022
    7
    + Great story telling
    + Fantastic combat system
    + Amazing soundtrack
    + Nice graphics

    BIG WEAKNESS: Poorly worked out level design: there is no mini map and therefore it is easy to loose your level target. Beside the boss fights the level design is very monotonous.

Awards & Rankings

80
#80 Most Discussed PC Game of 2022

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
68

Mixed or average reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 14
  3. Negative: 1 out of 14
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 23, 2024
    80
    Do you like fast action games? Go for it. Do you like Final Fantasy? Go for it, but be patient. Do you enjoy JRPG-style co-op action? Don't hesitate. It has its flaws, but within the FF family of spin-offs, it's one of the best games across platforms. [Issue#327]
  2. The Mako Reactor
    May 15, 2023
    80
    A year later, Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin on PC is a great game held back by technical issues. The game itself has excellent combat, variety, brilliant music, and a lot of heart. Stranger of Paradise and Theatrhythm Final Bar Line are my current favorite Final Fantasy spin-off games, and I hope to see the former improve through potential updates on PC.
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  3. Hey Poor Player
    May 3, 2023
    70
    There’s no denying that Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin has its unintentionally awkward moments when it comes to the story, but at its core it’s a solid experience from both a gameplay standpoint and in terms of how it links back to the entire Final Fantasy universe. In fact, fans of the franchise will certainly be blindsided by nostalgia when it comes to music and settings, so I encourage newcomers to the series to try a few of the mainline entries first if they want to get the most out of this one. As for me, I found myself enjoying Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin in the same way that I enjoyed Final Fantasy X-2: preferring combat to story. Simply put, as long as you set your expectations accordingly, you’ll have a good time.
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