Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin Reviews

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is ranked in the 48th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Wccftech
Top Critic
8.2 / 10.0
Mar 14, 2022

Final Fantasy Origin: Stranger of Paradise is a chaotic alternative retelling of the very first Final Fantasy, following story beat by beat until it transforms into something unique in its own way.

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8.5 / 10.0
Mar 14, 2022

Underneath cringeworthy writing and a nonsensical story, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin leverages storied Final Fantasy fanservice with a fast and deep combat system to offer up fans a celebration of the franchise like no other. While the presentation is inconsistent and the equipment system sorely lacks focus, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is great fun from beginning to end.

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Fextralife
Reiku
Top Critic
8 / 10
Mar 14, 2022

Stranger of Paradise was a game that many of us were unsure of when it was initially revealed in E3 2021. However, Team Ninja proved to be capable in terms of interweaving the good parts that made Final Fantasy and the Soulslike genre well-known and loved by many. Not only is the combat the heart and soul of this satisfying Action RPG but it also evokes the right amount of nostalgia and familiarity to fans who have been wanting to experience Final Fantasy in another light, making it a must-play game in 2022!

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4 / 5.0
Mar 14, 2022

Stranger of Paradise is a peanut butter and chocolate combination of Final Fantasy XV and Nioh. The beauty of it is that you don’t even have to be a fan of Final Fantasy I to enjoy Stranger of Paradise. The story explains everything you need to know and anything you bring into it from previous knowledge is just extra. The combat is just spicy enough that you can feel like a powerhouse, but lets the players somewhat tweak the difficulty to their own desires if they’d rather face a tougher challenge. If this is the way that Square Enix will be remaking the early Final Fantasy games I am entirely in. This iteration takes modernization to the best possible level.

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3.5 / 5.0
Mar 14, 2022

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.

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Eurogamer
Top Critic
No Recommendation / Blank
Mar 14, 2022

Baffling writing aside, default story difficulty makes this the breeziest Soulslike ever, while combat still carries depth.

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90 / 100
Mar 14, 2022

Delivering a cohesive game with addictive gameplay and mechanics, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin brings back classic characters in an honorable way. It is a good choice for fans of the franchise and lovers of the genre.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

Gamersky
深夜诗人老阿吽
Top Critic
8.3 / 10.0
Mar 14, 2022

Final Fantasy: Origins is an orthodox Final Fantasy series game with a benevolent king shell.

Review in Chinese | Read full review

6 / 10
Mar 14, 2022

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.

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IGN
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Mar 14, 2022

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin's story doesn't come together until the final hours, but when it does it pairs nicely with a solid and engaging action combat system and a strong dose of FF nostalgia.

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GameGrin
Neil 'Wedge' Hetherington
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Mar 14, 2022

Certainly a title for Final Fantasy fans to dive into, even if it's just to experience the story and read up on the lore, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin has something for many gamers to enjoy.

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7.5 / 10.0
Mar 14, 2022

Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin is a wacky game that will end up being a cult classic. The devs were not afraid to march to the beat of their own drum, and the result is the type of slightly messy, unique AA game that we used to get in the late 2000s and early 2010s. It’s goofy, flawed, and fabulous, and I hope Square Enix continues to lean into publishing more experimental titles like this.

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Spaziogames
Top Critic
7.2 / 10.0
Mar 14, 2022

on like classes and monsters. Is a step backward due to an unispired level desing and a shallow story.

Review in Italian | Read full review

8 / 10.0
Mar 14, 2022

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is a decent action RPG, but it's occasionally weighed down by unnecessary mechanics and inconsistent difficulty.

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Mar 14, 2022

There's a half-decent time to be had bashing your way around Stranger of Paradise's dungeons, but routine level design, rough edges and messy narrative delivery stop the experience evolving into a compelling adventure. Despite its efforts to create ordered systems, chaos has the final word.

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8 / 10.0
Mar 14, 2022

Push through the desire to cringe in its face and Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin delights with gauche earnestness and one of the most rewarding action combat loops on the market.

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INVEN
Top Critic
78 / 100
Mar 14, 2022

"Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin" is the first action RPG in the Final Fantasy series which aims for an action with great difficulty. While the attempt looked good, the results were utterly disgraceful. The game is covered with excessive lighting effects, half-hearted storylines and failed to motivate players to grow their skills. Sadly, 'action' became the only good merit of this game.

Review in Korean | Read full review

8 / 10.0
Mar 14, 2022

Take its unfortunate performance issues in your stride – which will hopefully be ironed out by Team Ninja post-launch – and you’ll have a hell of a lot of fun with Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. Its story may be ridiculous and not particularly easy to follow, but you’ll enjoy trying. And besides, the real draw here is the combat, which is not only highly entertaining but so, so deep thanks to the brilliant job system. This is a new type of Final Fantasy game, one that puts action at the front and centre, and it’s a blast from beginning to end.

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RPG Site
Top Critic
8 / 10
Mar 14, 2022

Chaos, amnesia, and crystals are waiting for you in this prequel to the first Final Fantasy, exploring the mysterious history of the franchise's first boss, Garland!

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87%
Mar 14, 2022

I expected Stranger of Paradise to be a game I had lots of qualms in recommending, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I want everyone to fall as deeply in love with it as I have.

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