Many Final Fantasy fans were excited pre-E3 about the rumors of an action-RPG spin-off named Final Fantasy Origin. The game, reportedly developed by Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo, seemed like it could be a great retelling of the original Final Fantasy story. Unfortunately, many fans were shocked and disappointed at the actual announcement of Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin, and turned to social media to share their issues with the game.
Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin is the now officially announced spin-off action title made in partnership by Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo. The Nioh and Dynasty Warriors developers along with Final Fantasy veterans Tetsuya Nomura and Kazushige Nojima are looking to bring the gameplay of a Soulslike to the Final Fantasy series. If the demo is any indication, then Origin is very much inspired by the Dark Souls and Nioh franchises. There are limited potions that are refilled upon using a crystal cube that functions similarly to the bonfires of Dark Souls. Fans will become well acquainted with the cubes unless they master a few sets of spells, parries, blocks, and combos to conquer bosses.
Final Fantasy Origin has received a plethora of criticism across the internet ever since Square Enix showed off the announcement trailer at E3. Many Final Fantasy fans across social media are expressing their frustrations with some really clever memes, mostly aimed at protagonist Jack's design and the overuse of the word "chaos" in the trailer.
Why Stranger Of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin Made Fans So Mad
Most of the disapproval circles back to the character designs and tone found in the Stranger of Paradise demo. Once it was announced that Tetsuya Nomura was involved with the project, many were expecting a more fantastical design reminiscent of the FF1 Warrior of Light design but modernized. Instead, they received Jack, a man with seemingly bleached hair in an untucked henley shirt who really hates chaos. The other main characters were more in line with what is expected from the character designer, but with a trailer focused on the main character, they fell to the wayside of viewers' attention.
On top of the character design complaints was criticism of the reveal itself. Once the Final Fantasy Origin demo finally started working, players poked fun at the dark tone and the dialogue that came with it. Memes about "chaos" spread like wildfire. The word was said eight times in a 2 and a half minute teaser trailer. The chaos overload had meme makers across the internet creating content around the main character and his obsession with killing Chaos. Even Square Enix joined in on the fun, tweeting the single word "CHAOS" in all caps from its official Twitter account.
Final Fantasy enthusiasts have gotten the chance to see what the Stranger of Paradise demo reveals after an unfortunate launch, and luckily, it's alleviating some fans' concerns. While the demo appears to have pretty solid gameplay, the complaints about the designs and tone of the game still remain. There's still a chance for Team Ninja to tone down the chaos: A 2022 release date gives the team plenty of leeway to make changes to the story and characters if it desires.