Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin

 PlayStation 5
Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 91 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 44 out of 91
  2. Mixed: 46 out of 91
  3. Negative: 1 out of 91
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  1. NME
    Mar 14, 2022
    20
    Stranger of Paradise is mostly just a mess. When the gameplay works, it works surprisingly well, but that wasn’t often enough to make it fun for its entire runtime. It’s hard to make a judgement on the story, mostly because there isn’t much of a narrative, but it’s even more disappointing because I wanted to spend more time with the characters, because they’re far from unlikeable. A grand ode to Final Fantasy it is not, and it fails to appeal to the JRPG lover in me on most counts.
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  1. 3DJuegos
    Mar 23, 2022
    Stranger of Paradise is an experiment to create a Nioh-like game with the RPG elements of Final Fantasy. The result is passable, but not the great game it could be.
  2. Eurogamer
    Mar 14, 2022
    I almost have to admire the audacity of how blasé Square Enix is with its own history, and wonder how much of Stranger of Paradise was intended as comedy. Is it irreverence or just laxity? If you thought Final Fantasy 7 Remake took liberties with its source material, at least there seemed to be a purpose and intent behind it. Stranger of Paradise meanwhile feels like an ill-thought fanfic, given free rein to ransack the back catalogue.
  3. Polygon
    Mar 14, 2022
    I didn’t expect to enjoy smashing the heads of monsters like this. I also didn’t expect to enjoy a story about a hyper-masculine man like Jack. But what I’ve come to learn in my time with Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is that Jack isn’t a knight in shining armor. He’s better. [Review in Progress]

Awards & Rankings

99
#99 Best PlayStation 5 Game of 2022
20
#20 Most Discussed PlayStation 5 Game of 2022

User Reviews

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User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 457 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 299 out of 457
  2. Mixed: 58 out of 457
  3. Negative: 100 out of 457
  1. Minus_Infinity
    Mar 16, 2022
    10
    final fantasy rocks, and this game is no different. long live final fantasy
  2. RolandOG
    Mar 16, 2022
    2
    For the first few minutes I was really excited, because the combat was impressive. However, the more I played the more I realized this is notFor the first few minutes I was really excited, because the combat was impressive. However, the more I played the more I realized this is not a AAA title and it seriously lacks content and story. This is not a Final Fantasy game. It’s a “rougelite” designed to rip you off by replacing content with difficulty that slows your progression. There’s no world to explore, just level stages you iterate through. You “talk” to NPCs through MENU OPTIONS from a map in-between stages. This is cheaply made and sold at the same price as an actual AAA game. It should be $29.99 at most. DO NOT ruin Final Fantasy by turning it into another Nioh / Dark Souls / Returnal rip off. Don’t be fooled– the increased “challenge” is only so they don’t need to add more content for you to progress to. I should have known better when I saw it was Team Ninja.… Full Review »
  3. sethdean0
    Mar 20, 2022
    5
    Well this game is a disappointment. It can be fun at times but is extremely repetitive and bland. The graphics look bad as well. It's like aWell this game is a disappointment. It can be fun at times but is extremely repetitive and bland. The graphics look bad as well. It's like a worse version of Nioh. The controls are way to convoluted. It's a chore to take down big groups of enemies. Not because of they're difficulty but because of the controls… Full Review »
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