Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is an action-RPG developed by Team Ninja and published by Square Enix. The game suffers from a litany of minor technical hiccups and has a story that's both bewildering and disjointed, but its combat and job system are excellent, resulting in a product that is a bizarre celebration of the Final Fantasy series for its 35th anniversary.
On the surface, the story of Stranger of Paradise appears to be a retelling of the one from FF1. The main character is Jack Garland, who appears to be a stranger to the world of FF1. His main goal is to destroy the being known as Chaos, which some doubt even exists. Jack teams up with others who share his goal, with them collectively referring to themselves as the mythical "Warriors of Light", who are destined to save the world. As they explore the land, they learn that there is more to their quest, and their world, than they originally realized.
Stranger of Paradise might seem like a Final Fantasy & Dark Souls mix on the surface, but it's a lot closer to Team Ninja's Nioh series, with a more action-oriented approach. The player has a selection of melee weapons and magic spells to use in combat, along with a number of defensive options, such as blocking, dodging, and parrying. It's possible to absorb attacks and potentially use them against the enemy, but this will cause the player to stagger if used too often. The enemies in the game have a health and stagger meter, and breaking the stagger meter allows the player to perform an instakill execution attack.
Stranger of Paradise has lots of jobs, each with their own skill tree and special abilities. There is also an expansive loot system, with the main reward from missions being new gear and upgrade materials. There are a staggering amount of customization options on offer and there are a number of different ways to play the game that feel unique from each other. These elements, coupled with the expansive combat system, are the backbone of what makes Stranger of Paradise so great. The combat system is fantastic and has so many options that the player can spend the entire game experimenting with new styles and techniques, especially with all of the weapons and gear on offer.
The boss battles in Stranger of Paradise are equally fantastic. They have the Dark Souls trait of being challenging while still feeling varied, unlike the mostly interchangeable bosses in Elden Ring. The player can use two party members on their journey, which can be used to temporarily draw aggro from bosses, expanding the player's options even further. The regular enemies in stages are also great, even if there is a lot of re-use for their models.
The core gameplay loop of Stranger of Paradise is fantastic, but there are other elements that bring the experience down. The game suffers from a number of technical issues at launch, most notably in the form of stuttering. The camera is also a problem when facing big enemies in tight areas, and can lead to some cheap deaths if the player gets cornered by a large foe. The aesthetics of the dungeons are mostly top-notch, but their design can be a little confusing, and the game would hugely benefit from a minimap or even just a regular map to make things easier.
The worst aspect of Stranger of Paradise is its story. The Chaos-killing Stranger of Paradise memes don't do the game justice, as the talk of killing Chaos never ends. The story is a mess, is told in a disjointed way, makes no sense to people who haven't played FF1, and includes major revelations hidden in easily missable notes. The dialogue is often laughably bad, and the moments between the cast members that are intended to be touching never land because the narrative is all over the place. It's easier to enjoy Stranger of Paradise as a "so bad it's good" type of experience, which is wrapped around combat and dungeon exploration that are genuinely enthralling at their best moments.
True to its name, Stranger of Paradise is a bizarre game. The combat is so much fun that it carries the rest of the disjointed process to the finish line. Those looking for an easier Soulslike experience with a lot of Final Fantasy fanservice will find a lot to love in Stranger of Paradise, as will those who found Elden Ring unnecessarily punishing. Stranger of Paradise is a lot of fun, so long as the player takes on Jack's mindset, and only focuses on killing Chaos and doesn't think too hard about anything else.
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin will be released for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on March 18, 2022. Screen Rant was provided with a digital code for the Xbox Series X/S version of the game for the purposes of this review.