Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin

 PlayStation 5
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
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  1. DarkwingSchmuck
    Mar 16, 2022
    6
    Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is as bizarre of a game as its title suggests. On one hand, this is a more than competent Souls-like with a solid battle system as well as a unique and very fun take on the classic Final Fantasy Job System. Stranger of Paradise plays more like Team Ninja's very own Nioh, though it suffers a bit from weaker level and enemy design. Thankfully,Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is as bizarre of a game as its title suggests. On one hand, this is a more than competent Souls-like with a solid battle system as well as a unique and very fun take on the classic Final Fantasy Job System. Stranger of Paradise plays more like Team Ninja's very own Nioh, though it suffers a bit from weaker level and enemy design. Thankfully, there is a co-op mode, and while it feels a bit tacked on, playing with a friend does help mask some of the game's flaws.

    However, on the other hand, the story is complete and utter nonsense. Stranger of Paradise features dreadful writing, poor voice acting, and a cast of the most unlikable and dull one-dimensional characters seen in a very long time. The game is also so sincere about what it is, to the point where its complete lack of self-awareness actually manages to cross the line into "so-bad-it's-good" territory.    … Expand
  2. arthasmenethil8
    Mar 18, 2022
    6
    The game is far, far from being a masterpiece (I don't get the 9s and 10s) but it's also not garbage, quite far from it as well. It's decent action RPG with some similarities with NIOH and NIOH 2 (those games are trash imho). The action is fun, the story is simple as it can get, the Job system is a neat idea and the multiplayer is kinda fun. Honestly, I would recommend the purchase of thisThe game is far, far from being a masterpiece (I don't get the 9s and 10s) but it's also not garbage, quite far from it as well. It's decent action RPG with some similarities with NIOH and NIOH 2 (those games are trash imho). The action is fun, the story is simple as it can get, the Job system is a neat idea and the multiplayer is kinda fun. Honestly, I would recommend the purchase of this game on discount because what it offers at full price it's not worth it (30ish hours of play time in total).… Expand
  3. Graphic-Outrage
    Mar 27, 2022
    6
    I believe this is a slightly above average game. If this didn't have "final fantasy" in the name no one would care about this game. The combat and dual job system is its saving grace. It's repetitive and grindy just for the purpose of constantly upgrading your gear. There is no story here. The main character Jack is an absolute Chad and is probably the least likeable main character of anyI believe this is a slightly above average game. If this didn't have "final fantasy" in the name no one would care about this game. The combat and dual job system is its saving grace. It's repetitive and grindy just for the purpose of constantly upgrading your gear. There is no story here. The main character Jack is an absolute Chad and is probably the least likeable main character of any final fantasy I've ever played. No open world, just mission select screens. Random "talk" options for NPCs that literally have no purpose or add to the game. They dropped the ball with this game, but like I said the combat is pretty fun. Not worth 60$ wait for a sale… Expand
  4. Down_Cast
    Mar 18, 2022
    5
    It’s a very mediocre game. The story and dialogue is strange. Lots of cutscenes and “funny” talking moments. Haven’t completed it yet l, I think about half way through, and I have no idea what the story is about. I recommend staying away with this one.
  5. 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 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
  6. Harlock
    Mar 18, 2022
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Disappointing: The game has a very interesting proposal, but the way the story is developed is terrible.
    She is purposely confusing, but the way the plot progresses is very weak, characters zero charisma.
    Graphics are mediocre even running in high resolution mode.
    Texts full of smudges and serrations, performance mode makes the game even more horrible.

    The gameplay, variety of jobs is very good, but the missions are all boring, corridor, area with monsters, corridor, another area with monsters.
    Loot is horrible, but boss fights are pretty cool.
    It has a good co-op mode, which makes it extremely fun, as its allies have terrible AI.

    Your AI-controlled allies are horrible, doing absolutely nothing.
    This game can be fun, yes, but for the price offered, it's not worth it, expect a good promotion.    … Expand
  7. Arturos
    Mar 16, 2022
    5
    it does not play very well on ps5.. i only have 35-40 fps, i am disappointed unlike the xbox version which has 40-58FPS!
  8. bersi84
    Mar 20, 2022
    7
    To me this game is a 7.5 but considering the whole package I decided to go with the 7. The combat system is amazing I have to say although for a single playthrough there are way too many jobs. If you want to uncover and test all of them you will have not only do all the sidecontent but farm also quite a bit. The engine is obviously made for last-generation games. The HDR/non-HDRTo me this game is a 7.5 but considering the whole package I decided to go with the 7. The combat system is amazing I have to say although for a single playthrough there are way too many jobs. If you want to uncover and test all of them you will have not only do all the sidecontent but farm also quite a bit. The engine is obviously made for last-generation games. The HDR/non-HDR implementation is not really good, there are obvious lightning issues in certain areas rendering the picture too bright or nearly pitch black. Also there is a lot if AA flickering, loading times are not bad but not good either on a PS5. Overall the graphics are mostly good and enjoyable but some places have horrible quality drops.

    The story itself is a like it or hate it. If you enjoy trash horror movies you might know what I mean with that. Afterall the story was okay-ish but it lacks and SQENIX could try to enhance their story telling a little bit after recycling their franchises over and over again. After 22hrs the main story most of the side content and some grinding was done. Mostly I played on ACTION difficulty but some areas spike insanely hard.

    I would recommend the game on a decent sale for around 40-50bucks but not more because it lacks obvious parts as a gaming package. I still enjoyed my time and the combat a lot.    … Expand
  9. radlikemydad
    Mar 19, 2022
    7
    It’s good. It’s not great, but it’s good. It’s fun. It’s wacky as hell. I’d probably wait for a sale though.
  10. ff9alex
    Mar 29, 2022
    6
    there are a ot of bad things to say and some good, i will begin with the bad Im usually not that judging of a game graphics but damn this looks bad, Final fantasy 13 came out 13 years ago and its looks way better than this.

    Putting that aside the Corny dialogues and bad script the awful taste of the director its looks tacky one moment when you beat a boss and then jack says **** and    there are a ot of bad things to say and some good, i will begin with the bad Im usually not that judging of a game graphics but damn this looks bad, Final fantasy 13 came out 13 years ago and its looks way better than this.

    Putting that aside the Corny dialogues and bad script the awful taste of the director its looks tacky one moment when you beat a boss and then jack says **** and puts some rock cheesy music you now the guy that did this has zero taste.

    the character design, the scenarios, its not like they dont have the artist or talent to make it this look ok its more like a design choice at moments i have non seen someone with such a bad taste in a while please dont let this director direct anything else, put him do something else.

    The music its meh, the characters are very unlikely and sometimes even annoying to withstand.

    Now on the positve the gameplay its so fun, the battles and the job system its look like they got a good idea for a gameplay they made a demo and someone say if we add more stuff we could sell this and thats what happened, everything bad i just said before its true but for some reason the gameplay its fun enough to make you tolerate the other bad stuff that are in this game and there is a lot of bad stuff.

    most scenarios looks empty, still and with repetitive props and objects, the boss fights are good, this game needed more love care, budget and a better director, this is not worth the full price my advice wait till it drops significally then play it.    … Expand
  11. winterstorme
    Mar 19, 2022
    5
    It's really sad that Team Ninja made and released the game in this state. You would never guess that the same people who made Nioh 2 made this...
  12. telichope
    Mar 20, 2022
    7
    Graphic is last gen. Especially when comparing to other games released recently like Horizon.
  13. PaleNielsen
    Apr 2, 2022
    7
    gameplay is really really satisfying and better than Nioh for me. The story is confusing at first but it gets really interesting and understandable near the end. overall Nioh 1 & 2 is probably better. I just don't like the loot system in this game cause you get a lot of stuff you don't really need same in Nioh.
  14. Daniel0809
    Aug 18, 2022
    6
    Im very new to the FF series and have only played ff7 remake , ff15 and now this game. This game has to much customization and the menu is to overwhelming. The battles get very clustered on the screen and can barely see what you're doing. Graphics look good but im forcing myself to play through it.
  15. Jt0429
    Mar 22, 2022
    7
    Good-
    The action gameplay is really solid and enjoyable. It runs well and I didn't run into any stutters. The progression in the game is steady and satisfying.
    Bad- The characters are bland at best and can get really annoying after a while. The story is boring and I found myself bored through most of it. The graphics are really disappointing. I expected a bit more in terms of graphics    Good-
    The action gameplay is really solid and enjoyable. It runs well and I didn't run into any stutters. The progression in the game is steady and satisfying.

    Bad-
    The characters are bland at best and can get really annoying after a while. The story is boring and I found myself bored through most of it. The graphics are really disappointing. I expected a bit more in terms of graphics and its a bit disappointing

    Thoughts-
    Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin will likely go down as a bit of an oddball for the Final Fantasy series. Those that are looking for something more akin to the high quality and well-roundedness of other recent entries might be left a bit wanting with Stranger’s repetitive environments and obscenely trite characters, but at the same time it does nail its action and light RPG stuff pretty well. I wouldn’t quite say it’s a game where you should “turn your brain off” to enjoy it, but it does accommodate that mentality pretty well if you want to play it like that while also providing a good amount of depth for those who want to dig deeper. Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin does manage to take a lot of modern action game and RPG ideas and put them to good use.    … Expand
  16. WallCrouton
    Mar 26, 2022
    7
    Short version: Good story, bland gameplay. It has an identity crisis about whether it wants to be its own unique thing or a Final Fantasy themed Soulslike.

    Long version: Everything that's Final Fantasy about it is good. The world-building, music, job system, enemy designs; they're all high quality. The story bravely went in a direction that rarely happens in any game, which I was hoping    Short version: Good story, bland gameplay. It has an identity crisis about whether it wants to be its own unique thing or a Final Fantasy themed Soulslike.

    Long version: Everything that's Final Fantasy about it is good. The world-building, music, job system, enemy designs; they're all high quality. The story bravely went in a direction that rarely happens in any game, which I was hoping for and was rewarded with by suffering through the bulk of the gameplay.

    It's the same stuff the whole way through, areas are linear and forgettable. Side missions are just the same areas again but in reverse with small variations. One zone in particular comes up multiple times, and involves just simply reaching the end of the area with no roadblocks and no reason to fight any of the enemies.

    Most job skills were a total waste of time to get because if you were up against more than one enemy, you'd get swarmed and couldn't charge anything. Picking a melee weapon with super armour for their R2 skill is the only thing you need to steamroll the whole game. MP acquisition and limitations were also irritating.

    The loot system is fun at first but you just get loaded up with gear you don't need anymore, and modifying them is a waste of time because you'll just randomly find a better one. It's probably better suited for post-game, but why keep playing at that point?

    The movement of this game and other Soulslikes like Nioh suffer from something I can only describe as being sticky. FromSoftware games can feel a bit sluggish sometimes so challenging movement isn't new to me, but the problem here is that you move quite quickly, yet there's this strange stickiness between moving, dodging, and attacking. It's hard to understand without seeing or playing it yourself, but you'll have to trust me. Perhaps it's not as noticeable in other games because of input queuing, but in this game you'll find yourself reacting to things mid-action, pressing the input, and getting no result. So you fail a block, counter, or heal because you were stuck. I hope that makes sense.

    One thing that was a glaring problem for me was about 3/4 into the game, I was suddenly way underleveled/undergeared, despite doing every side mission, and exploring every corridor in the game. I didn't miss a single thing up to that point, yet somehow I was level 68 while the lowest level mission (a side mission) was level 84. On Action difficulty, I didn't stand a chance, and I often play Souls games; I don't mind a challenge. Being undergeared and fighting against the core game mechanics made it infuriating. I couldn't progress. I had to lower the difficulty to do the lowest side mission to get better gear, then turn it back up again. There was no reason for me to be that far behind, and there was no other way for me to get better equipment.

    Basically, it seems that the game struggles with being a unique concept while also being familiar genre-wise. Because of this it ends up a muddled mess. I was really excited for this game since it was first announced and we could play the demo. I preordered it. I had fun for about a day and a half and then just wanted to get to the end. I enjoyed the story, but I'm almost happy I don't have to play it anymore.

    If you liked the gameplay style of Nioh, then you should be able to tolerate this game. Same goes for if you like unique stories. If neither interest you, I'd say to skip this one.    … Expand
  17. Lord_Biggington
    Mar 21, 2022
    7
    The music is cool, combat is fun, the dialogue is filled with cheesy action-movie like lines. If you don't take the game too seriously, like it seemingly doesn't itself then you'll have a far better time.

    The game isn't perfect by any means, but if you have a friend to play with there is potentially a lot of fun to be had.
  18. abowman
    Mar 24, 2022
    6
    This game has some clever ideas but ultimately falls short of Team Ninja's previous titles.

    Positives; - The job system is fantastic. This is by far the games best attribute and it really picks up in the second half. - The combat is also pretty solid, particularly once you get abilities from multiple jobs. - The gear system is also great and it compliments the job system. The    This game has some clever ideas but ultimately falls short of Team Ninja's previous titles.

    Positives;

    - The job system is fantastic. This is by far the games best attribute and it really picks up in the second half.
    - The combat is also pretty solid, particularly once you get abilities from multiple jobs.
    - The gear system is also great and it compliments the job system.

    The Negatives

    - The story is virtually non existent, and the story that is there rarely makes any sense. Half the time I have no idea what the characters are even talking about. The lines they characters say are essentially nonsensical

    - The level design is horrific. Nioh wasn't great either, but somehow this is much worse.

    - The jobs are unbalanced. The game heavily favors caster classes. Its very difficult to get any sort of melee combo off on the vast majority of bosses. Most bosses are venerable to specific elements, and this heavily favors black mage or sage because you have access to every element.

    - The parry / break system is terrible. Holding down circle allows you to parry an enemies attack, but this same bar is used for the enemy to stagger you. A successful parry doesn't restore your bar, and in fact it will actually drain it. The parry will also rarely stagger the enemy so very often you will parry one ability, only to get hit by the next and be instantly staggered, which is almost a certain death from most bosses. Again this system heavily favors casters. The parry bar also takes WAY too long to start to regenerate.

    - The party member AI is absolutely HORRIFIC. You will watch your party members literally stand right next to the enemy and do NOTHING for 30+ sounds. It actually astounding how terrible the party AI is.

    - Just like Nioh, this game drops way too many items. You will be spending a tremendous amount of time managing your inventory for space to pick up more worthless items.

    Wrap Up

    Overall I love games that use the FF job system, and this remains true for Strangers of Paradise. I would probably even pick up a sequel to this game if they improved on the numerous flaws that are in this one. It's just so rare that we get a game with a good mix and max job system.

    Edit:

    I just finished the game on hard and I felt the need to lower the score from a 7 to a 6. The break bar system is just so terribly designed and frustrating that it was worth deducting another point. There is no diminishing returns for enemy stuns, the bar degrades from SUCCESSFUL counters, and it takes way too long to regenerate. The bar also doesn't regenerate while dodging, meleing, or casting.

    There were so many moments in this game where I would successfully counter multiple attacks only to run out of break bar meter and be stunned for from the next attack because there was nothing I could do. What's worse is there are no diminishing returns for stuns in this game, and enemies often will hit you right through your combos. This system is just so insanely poorly designed.    … Expand
  19. VajraEnki
    Aug 3, 2022
    5
    Se lleva un 5 porque valoro que experimenten y prueben cosas nuevas, pero, lo experimental puede salir bien o muy mal, y en este caso fue lo segundo. He entrado con muchas ganas, pero tras acabar el juego la conclusión es que es un mal Nioh, un terrible Final Fantasy, la peor historia de la saga, y un gameplay aceptable que se sostiene mal: tu nivel se calcula haciendo la media del nivelSe lleva un 5 porque valoro que experimenten y prueben cosas nuevas, pero, lo experimental puede salir bien o muy mal, y en este caso fue lo segundo. He entrado con muchas ganas, pero tras acabar el juego la conclusión es que es un mal Nioh, un terrible Final Fantasy, la peor historia de la saga, y un gameplay aceptable que se sostiene mal: tu nivel se calcula haciendo la media del nivel de armas y armaduras que lleves, no existen estadísticas ni puntos de experiencia, el 90% de las clases y oficios son inútiles y parecen estar ahí solo por el lore y aparentar una progresión que no existe.

    (Me olvidaba añadir también que el diseño de mapeado es de cero, lineas rectas en entornos con poca personalidad, cuesta creer que esto sea producto de Ninja Theory.)

    Una propuesta interesante en el papel que luego en la practica es un desastre de todas las maneras posibles. Le tenía muchas ganas y he hecho lo posible por encontrarle cosas buenas, pero lo cierto es que es malo, y representa un coste de tiempo que podría haber invertido mejor en cualquier otro soulslike barato o indie random.    … Expand
  20. Freesteff
    Mar 26, 2022
    5
    Habe es nach knapp über 30 Stunden durch gespielt und nein es ist kein Souls like was für mich auch nicht der negativ punkt ist das spiel spiel ist sehr Eintönig man reist über ne overmap von ein Dungon in den nächsten so wie bei Marvels Avenger die Nebenquest bestehen auch wie die
  21. Traumvita
    Sep 6, 2023
    7
    It’s decent. Visuals kinda meh. Has a charm to it but honestly at times reminds me of a good looking PS3 game. Overall plays alright. Story kinda sucks. Characters suck except for Jack. Jack is hilarious. The best way to play this game is to not take it serious and play it co op. Very fun co op game.
  22. alanjackson
    Jul 24, 2022
    5
    Couldnt get into it. The voice acting felt flat and combat was underwhelming (for me). I had high hopes but didnt finish the game.
  23. ArcZ7
    Sep 1, 2023
    7
    Stranger of paradise is a strange game. On one hand the game had tons of potential on the other in many ways it feels very rushed. It seems like a lot of focused went into combat rather then making a interesting story which FF franchise is know for. There is plenty of classes and combination to go with but all falls apart once you start looking into the loot system which is so over bloatedStranger of paradise is a strange game. On one hand the game had tons of potential on the other in many ways it feels very rushed. It seems like a lot of focused went into combat rather then making a interesting story which FF franchise is know for. There is plenty of classes and combination to go with but all falls apart once you start looking into the loot system which is so over bloated its ridiculous.

    This game could really do with some more development time and fine tuning all systems to make more of a cohesive game. Overall I enjoyed my time with stranger of paradise but its not a game I would go back to again.    … Expand
  24. Holly_Marie
    May 4, 2022
    7
    I score this 7.5/10 although I’d like to give it an 8. I am a huge FF fan and I enjoyed this a lot but it’s not without it’s problems. Let’s start with the bad. Sadly there’s some issues like bad graphics, bland npcs, a bad loot system and some repetition of enemies and things. I think it is fair to expect a PS5 game to look better than this. It’s not just a case ofI score this 7.5/10 although I’d like to give it an 8. I am a huge FF fan and I enjoyed this a lot but it’s not without it’s problems. Let’s start with the bad. Sadly there’s some issues like bad graphics, bland npcs, a bad loot system and some repetition of enemies and things. I think it is fair to expect a PS5 game to look better than this. It’s not just a case of the graphics not being great but there’s also a real problem with the HD brightness/darkness. The walls look like they’re glitching and you sometimes see reflections where you shouldn’t. While I haven’t had performance issues, the graphics themselves often feel very shaky which is strange as they aren’t super detailed or anything.

    Also while I love love love the main characters, SE do the same things with npcs that they did in FF7 remake.. trying to make them so lifelike and they’re very bland. A woman keeps saying she is the mom of light and her kids are the kids of light and they need to tidy their room... I just hate this style, it’s a fantasy world, should be fantasy people not my next door neighbour.

    That being said just a really fun game, fun main characters, a very good story that made me cry (it could be executed better in some ways but I do adore Jack), not too long, some good bosses - I played on hard and I did die a bit. Some fantastic music particularly the battles.

    The job system is a lot of fun although I found that I didn’t regen MP quick enough on any job so most of them came down to just pressing the normal attack. They clearly expect you to use the ‘lightbringer’ mechanic to deal with groups but you rarely have enough MP to use it when you need to. But it was fun to level the different jobs and build Jack unique to me - a mage turns into a white mage, a swordsman turns into a knight, a knight and a white mage becomes a paladin etc. Dungeons can be a bit linear and repetitive but generally it’s a really fun gameplay experience. I especially liked catching the enemies skill and using it back against them.

    I would compare this to a movie that you had a great time watching but you know it’s not the best written or the best acted film. It’s kinda like the ghostbusters 2 of final fantasy! I would recommend it to anyone who wants a fun action story game on a sale.. people who are big fans of FF should give this a try for sure. For me it was worth full price. For you it will come down to if you think you will enjoy it. Most gamers would enjoy playing this to some level (like if it was a PS plus game it would be a no brainer to download this) but don’t set your expectations super high - if you just go in looking for a fun time and don’t take it too seriously then if anything you could be pleasantly surprised.    … Expand
  25. Badgerryan27
    Nov 3, 2022
    6
    It was alright. I didn’t expect much and it wasn’t the greatest. But I did like the perspective from the villain of the first game. So it gives us a little of insight. I did appreciate that but overall it didn’t do it all for me.
  26. wildest21
    Jan 5, 2023
    5
    Dude Seem like a challenging game to play interesting story for it to be the original fantasy game. I think the lead Role or character seems odd or to macho. Doesn't seem like a character to grivate towards but it's only the beginning.
  27. Tintler
    Jun 25, 2023
    7
    Nioh, Final Fantasy ile buluşursanın cevabı. Çok fazla class var, çok çeşitli buildler yapabiliyorsunuz. Çoğu kişi tarafından sevilmese de güzel bir spin-off olduğunu düşünüyorum.En azından sıkılmadan 50-60 saat geçirebilirsiniz.

Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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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
  1. RPGamer
    Jul 12, 2022
    70
    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.
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  2. Oyungezer
    Jun 26, 2022
    75
    Although the action is extremely enjoyable, game stumbles in other areas. It's a direct purchase for the fans of the series, but others can wait for discounts.
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  3. Het Nieuwsblad
    May 17, 2022
    60
    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.
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