I Was Wrong About ‘Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin’

Honestly? Most of us were wrong about Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. Now, before y’all get out the torches and pitchforks, let me explain. I promise this isn’t a contrarian take just for the sake of it. I don’t have to go over the universal dump everyone took on the game before it released, do I? If you’re reading this, you already know that Final Fantasy Origin was memed to hell and back. In fact, let’s make this article more immersive! Listen to this while you read!

So, between Metacritic and OpenCritic, Stranger of Paradise critically peaked at 72%. That’s the game’s most generous overall reception, to be clear. I would never lie to y’all, I understand the criticisms. The story — on paper — is amazing! Go read the synopsis on Wikipedia and tell me that, in a vacuum, the story doesn’t read like a Final Fantasy people would love! The issue, as everyone knows now, is the horrendous execution.

Flat characters, bizarre lines, voice acting that was awful sometimes and okay other times — a wholehearted mess. Jack was hilariously insufferable from start to finish. And I heard the word “Chaos” enough times where I had forgotten what the word meant for a moment. But I’m not here to reaffirm that this game was bad. I’m here to tell you that if you ignore certain aspects, this easily clears 9/10 at least.

My ‘Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin’ journey

It may happen subtly, but I earnestly believe the vibes leading up to a game’s release can dictate any one reviewer’s overall opinion of it. You’re not trying to be biased (hopefully), but you certainly can’t entirely shake it if a game is the subject of everyone’s ridicule and hatred. I wouldn’t put words in anyone’s mouth (or I guess put my fingers on their keyboard, in this case), but if Final Fantasy Origin were re-reviewed en masse a year after its release, it’d have a much warmer reception.

Why? The gameplay is sublime. Holy Mother, let me tell you! If you’ve joined us with zero context, the short of it is: Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is an action RPG. Constant action. You have a pool of jobs (classes) you can choose from for everyone in your party. Mage, Duelist, Marksman, Pugilist, etc. (Those are just the “basic” jobs, by the way.)

The gameplay switch-ups from one job to the next are mind-blowing. I’d go as far as to say that it genuinely felt like I was playing a different game (in the best possible sense) sometimes when I went to try another job. Additionally, the enemy variety always kept me on my toes. The instant I felt comfortable, a new enemy would pop up to challenge me.

‘bull–‘: countering the game’s initial backlash

The boss encounters? Heaven. Each one requires a different approach, and the battle-ending “takedowns” are so cool. The love the developers poured into those animations is so clear to see. The weapons handle to their appropriate weight, the environments are varied and interesting, and even using enemies’ moves against them adds another layer of depth to the moment-to-moment gameplay.

The gameplay carries, hard. If it wasn’t for that, this would be a 5/10 game. But if you ignore everything else? There ain’t nothing like it! I would say “turn your brain off and play it,” but the gameplay requires you to utilize those brain cells to not get demolished.