Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin

Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin attempts to fuse the original’s sensibility into a fast-paced action RPG. For the most part, it is successful with intense action gameplay and beautiful music. Adjustable difficulty options and online co-op make the game accessible to a myriad of gamers without diminishing challenge or sacrificing replayability. It’s somewhat fitting that in this topsy-turvy action spin-off, the only thing that’s truly upside-down is the presentation of the original game’s story. Even as the narrative stumbles, the core gameplay is strong enough to motivate to see this story through to completion, no matter how chaotic.

Team Ninja created a hardcore action-RPG with an interesting combat system, but some missteps -like the awful dialogue, the mediocre level design and the bland story- keep it from achieving greatness.

Credit should be given to Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin for trying something different, and nobody could argue that it certainly is that. With a distinct lack of the plot and character polish, players approaching this as an RPG can easily overlook this. With such excellent combat options and a real sense of fun throughout, though, it more than stands alongside its peers in both the role-playing and Souls-like genres. Why it looks so bad, that's a mystery in itself…

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin will continue splitting opinions. If anything, all this division is a testament to the passion that this series has cultivated since 1987. Ate the end of the day, we have a mechanically sane, yet narratively inconsistent game, with meme culture contributing to the heavy criticism for a plot that is, in truth, very confusing.

Stranger of Paradise is one of the strangest Final Fantasy spinoffs I have ever played, but it does not necessarily mean it’s a bad game. Yes, it has a remarkably bad cast of characters and story, but still has strong points that make it a decent game. Packed with some truly enjoyable combat and nostalgia, it’s a game any fan of the series will know how to appreciate.

A series celebration that rides the line between edgy mature and camp humour, it’s great to hack through even if others do it better. [Issue#13, p.88]

If you look at Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin as a hack-and-slash action RPG, it’s a roughly balanced game with problematic endgame content that isn’t any better in the visual department either, and even its story seems to be a huge disappointment at first. However, if you stick with it, the well crafted battle system and the job system that allows for a wide array of fighting styles should win you over, and eventually you’ll be rewarded by an extremely passionate and overwhelming finale to the story.

If you're curious about what Final Fantasy would look like as a Souls or Nioh-style action game, Stranger of Paradise is a solid effort. It's just a shame that it's bogged down by its oddball narrative choices and its cumbersome loot system, which makes the total package such a mixed bag. I suppose it's the nature of this chaotic beast.

Stranger of Paradise gives Florian a bit of an inclination to wash his eyeballs with bleach, so he gives the game a tight 6, but Samuel enjoyed the unique twist on the Souls action so much that he wanted to give it a big thumbs up. heeds. There is a good chance that the 'truth' for you lies somewhere in the middle.

As much as I want to love this game as a whole, the story lets it down. As a newcomer to the Final Fantasy franchise, the storyline would put me off of playing any more if I didn’t know that some of the other games are renowned for being incredible. Having a story that I can be invested in from the very beginning is what makes a great RPG. That being said, the combat and build up to the various boss fights were unarguably brilliant. I haven’t experienced such joy from the intelligent use of repetition in any other fighting game. From being able to tailor the intensity of each battle to my own experience level to building Jack to be a character I enjoyed, combat is truly where this game shines.

This new flavor of Final Fantasy is mostly created with borrowed ideas, but still implements them well enough to be genuinely fun and addicting most of the time.

With a good combat model and outdated visuals, Stranger of Paradise is a mixed bag of a title that has a lot of fun gameplay. If you want to see what the predecessor of NIOH would look like - this game is definitely for you.

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin will go down in history for being memorable for better and for worse. Many of its sections are a mess, but if you can get past its flaws and learn to enjoy them you'll find a game that will entertain you immensely. Especially if you love action RPGs with rewarding combat and progression systems.

For those looking for a fast paced, chaotic (CHAOS) cheesy b-movie style action game, Stranger of Paradise has a lot to offer. For Final Fantasy fans, it may miss the mark of what they love most about the series.

When paired with the “so bad, it’s good” story and dialogue, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is a good time for the partly the wrong reasons. Critically, it’s not great. You’ve still got a car crash of a game on your hands. But, it’s a car crash you can’t look away from. In the meantime, the combat and job system is a rollercoaster ride which takes you right past it, being a wild ride in its own right.

Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin is an action-oriented RPG whose gameplay mechanics are almost entirely based on those of Nioh, one of the most prominent Dark Souls clones. The game is a bit outdated in its layout and it seems to come from another age.

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is a rough gem: it reinterprets the videogame approach already seen in the Nioh games, declining it in a “Final Fantasy way”; it presents an antithetical narrative to every possible trope of the genre and, above all, of the saga in question. The game lacks however of that polish and, perhaps, of the courage that would have made the difference between a good game and a little masterpiece.

Thanks to a level of difficulty calibrated downwards, we recommend purchasing it to those who up to now have kept away from Nioh and more generally from soulslike ones, as they are intimidated by the high level of challenge that distinguishes the genre. With the support of companions and the difficulty selector, on the contrary Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin could be the perfect opportunity to try something new and broaden your gaming horizons.

We finally got to thoroughly test the particular Square Enix experiment in collaboration with Team Ninja. Despite some good ideas, Stranger of Paradise is a mediocre action game, not really inspired and with not in depth mechanics.

While it might be confusing and memey, disjointed and weird, Stranger of Paradise is also a lot of fun. It's full of cool combat with a wide variety of options, and a job system that lets you customize your playstyle or just try out what feels like 30 different ones. Its challenge makes every fight a battle of skill, while also giving you the tools to feel like a ludicrously powerful Final Fantasy badass. And despite being bizarrely delivered and wildly strange, there is a delight in uncovering what the hell is actually going on in the game's story and the weird ideas it brings to bear on the Final Fantasy series. Stranger of Paradise is mostly a more focused version of Final Fantasy that shows some different directions for the series from its traditional games, even if those directions take it down paths that are sometimes a bit...stranger.

Stranger of Paradise is the strangest Final Fantasy game yet, bounding wildly between awful and fantastic. If you can tolerate Jack (and that’s a big ask), the excellently crafted combat is worth a look. You may be coming to this game for the story and Final Fantasy experience, but it’s all about combat and little else.

Stranger of Paradise is one of “those” games - a scuffed diamond that's a joy to play, yet has unmissable imperfections. However, while annoying, a poor story and bland visuals don't diminish its punchy RPG action, nor its rewarding web of character customisation options. Needless to say, we’re pretty eager to see how Stranger is received by the Final Fantasy fandom.

Final Fantasy Origin will enthrall players with its dumb, but awesome story and approachable Soulslike gameplay.

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin seems to prove that the Final Fantasy franchise can thrive in the action game scene with this first franchise venture from Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo. The title isn't a true home run, but it is an exciting adventure that expands the franchise lore in a unique direction. The Final Fantasy Job system is as interesting and exciting as ever and adds a unique twist on the action game format as players grind through each challenging dungeon and fill in all the Job talent trees one by one.

It can be challenging to wrap one's head around Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. On the one hand, it is utterly steeped in Final Fantasy mythology. And yet, it's a far cry from a traditional Final Fantasy game. In a way, it feels like an attempt to apply the Final Fantasy VII Remake approach to a game much less suited to such treatment, with fascinating, if not entirely successful, results. Fans of heavily customizable action games will find a lot to love but might be divorced from the nods and homages to Final Fantasy history. It'll be the players who have a foot in both worlds that will most enjoy Stranger of Paradise, but despite some narrative pacing issues and a bit of bloat, most players will find it an enjoyable, action-packed fantasy adventure.

We're not sure if it will be remembered as a huge disaster or as a cult classic. But we're sure of one thing: Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is pure and absolute chaos.

It delivers a tight, action-heavy experience where you tear through hordes of enemies, earn loot and level up. Sadly, I was unable to test the multiplayer mode during my review, but overall Stranger Of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is a very good game in its own right.

Ultimately, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin will please those who are willing to buy into the ideas it presents wholesale and is a solid action game. However, despite all of the praises I have to sing for it, it’s obvious that this game was made for a very specific audience in mind and won’t be for everyone.

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origins re-imagines the earliest Final Fantasy in a manner befitting of a popcorn action film and for the most part succeeds. The story is an interesting re-interpretation of the Warriors of Light even if there are a few elements that seem nonsensical and shoehorned in. Like most things involving a timeloop, it’s just better for one’s sanity not to contemplate the finer points of the story too much. A lot of the story wants to be taken seriously, but Jack’s over-the-top obsession with killing Chaos brings the overall tone into comedic territory. The gameplay is frenetic action with several difficulty options to make it accessible to newcomers and challenging to veterans of the genre. Approaching Stranger of Paradise with any sort of expectations of what a Final Fantasy game should be will likely lead to disappointment. When viewed through the lens of a campy B-movie, however, killing Chaos can be a thrill.

As a spin-off, it has some interesting ideas, but the execution is not good enough for the franchise it’s based on.

Stranger of Paradise tries to marry Final Fantasy with a soulslike, while also often reaching outside this genre. The whole idea was great, which makes the poor execution (uninspired level design, run-of-the-mill story, mediocre graphics, boring boss fights) even more disappointing. However, if you’re able to turn a blind eye to the game’s many flaws, you might find it moderately enjoyable.

It's clearly Team Ninja's gameplay expertise that saves Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin from disaster. It takes a monster foot to move from one class to another while becoming familiar with the finesse they abound. Because yes, given the low technical level, we have the impression of dealing with a PS3 / Xbox 360 game. It goes hand in hand with the story which is being demolished by this constant silliness.

The story of Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is so bad it almost gets good again. Almost, but not quite. Underneath that ugly fever dream is an interesting and deep combat system, which pulls the game from doom.

Stranger of Paradise is the perfect example of gameplay towering above the sum of its parts. I loved the combat and job system, which allows for dynamic battles and strategy. It's just a shame that the rest of the game feels low budget and unfinished. If you're looking for an origin story to the original Final Fantasy, you'll get it here, but chances are you may want to forget it as soon as you're done.

Quotation forthcoming.

You should play Stranger of Paradise for its combat and not its story. While there are nuggets available for series fans, this isn’t the pinnacle of storytelling by any means. It’s best to dive into the gore rather than the lore; fight for fun, be like Jack and focus on the Chaos. Certainly don’t expect this to be a brilliant subversion of the original Final Fantasy’s narrative.

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin constantly balances between homage to the series and bombastic kitsch. The new gameplay - it feels more like a soulslike game than your typical action-RPG - is refreshing at times, but not spectacular enough to make the game rise above mediocrity.

This action RPG boasts a good combat system and impressive freedom in designing your own hero class. The story is awful, however, as are the loot and the graphics. Stranger of Paradise isn’t a waste of time - but that time could still be spent playing much better games.

Regrets? Team Ninja may have a few. It's chartered course doesn't seem particularly well planned, nor its steps along the byway especially careful - and it certainly bites off more than it can chew. Yet while this curious, distinctive spin-off may not be close to the finest hour for its developer nor this storied series, its' makers can stand tall knowing that, to paraphrase Ol' Blue Eyes, they did it their way. [Issue#371, p.108]

There’s not much by the way of emotional connection to this game. It’s old-fashioned, cliched in its storytelling and I found myself constantly hitting the skip button to get to the actual fighting. But overall, Stranger of Paradise is a nice brawler on the Playstation and Xbox.

Enjoyable Souls-lite combat can’t make up for the tedious loot system and laughably bad storytelling, in this misconceived Final Fantasy spin-off.

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is a B-movie game. It’s loud, dumb, and full of fun. You have to ignore a lot – a lot – of issues if you want to extract the joy from its chaotic heart, but once you commit, toy around with the weapons, penetrate its poorly-explained mechanics and forgive Jack for his one-dimensional personality, you’re left with a game that’s part Devil May Cry, part Nioh, and part Face/Off. And let’s be honest, who doesn’t want to play that?

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin thinks that it's Daniel Craig's James Bond but it's actually Austin Powers. There's barely a moment in the game that isn't stretching credulity, be it the absurd writing, bewildering story, or inane characters. There's a host of technical issues, too. But somehow, despite everything, it manages to fail upwards and be a pretty good time. Maybe we've lost the plot but we liked it.

A story that struggles to convince, an archaic and technically outdated game structure... Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin largely misses its rendez-vous with the saga's origin.