Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin Reviews

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is ranked in the 48th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
7 / 10.0
Mar 14, 2022

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is a partially successful experiment. The deficient script and the anachronistic technical sector, without forgetting a listless artistic direction, are in this case counterbalanced by a layered combat system and largely borrowed from Nioh.

Review in Italian | Read full review

75 / 100
Mar 15, 2022

Trashy Final Fantasy spinoff with a boring story, but one that scores with an ingenious combat system and online co-op.

Review in German | Read full review

Mar 14, 2022

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.

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Mar 14, 2022

Final Fantasy Origin will enthrall players with its dumb, but awesome story and approachable Soulslike gameplay.

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ACG
Top Critic
Wait for Sale
Mar 14, 2022
Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin Review "Buy, Wait, Never Touch? video thumbnail
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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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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Apr 9, 2022

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is a very engaging and entertaining game. It has a lot of technical and graphical issues when you want to play it but you don't have to notice as you are focused solely on killing the agents of Chaos.

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7.5 / 10.0
Mar 17, 2022

With Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, Team Ninja has produced yet another rather good Final Fantasy action game. With its deep yet more forgiving combat system, it can appeal to those not seeking the challenging experiences of something like Nioh. Furthermore, with its complex mix-and-match Jobs system, it brings a uniquely Final Fantasy flair to the hack-and-slash genre. Unfortunately, its dull protagonist and plot may struggle to keep the attention of anyone curious about the backstory it is trying to create for the original Final Fantasy. The loot system could also do with some overhauls. Still, you can certainly do worse than Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin if you’re looking for a new multiplayer action game with some clever Final Fantasy twists.

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Stevivor
Top Critic
6.5 / 10.0
Mar 14, 2022

Overall, I would say that you should play Stranger of Paradise for its combat and not its story. While there are nuggets available for series fans, this isn’t the pinnacle of storytelling by any means. It’s best to dive into the gore rather than the lore; fight for fun, be like Jack and focus on the Chaos. Certainly don’t expect this to be a brilliant subversion of the original Final Fantasy’s narrative.

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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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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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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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7.5 / 10.0
Mar 16, 2022

Strangers of Paradise is a loveable action-RPG despite its best efforts to spoil itself with a story that only becomes interesting in the last hour. The action is a little messy and not all of the moving parts gel together perfectly, but it's got a compelling janky charm that is hard to ignore.

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7 / 10.0
Mar 22, 2022

Stranger of Paradise does indeed feel like a stranger in the Final Fantasy series, but mostly succeeds because of it.

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7.5 / 10.0
Mar 22, 2022

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is an enjoyable experiment in melding Soulslike conventions onto a Final Fantasy skeleton. However it undercuts itself by not daring for more complexity, setting up great narrative and gameplay turns that never come to pass.

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3.5 / 5.0
Mar 17, 2022

Will Final Fantasy diehards get a kick out of Stranger of Paradise? It's hard to say. There are multiple enjoyable nods to past games throughout the levels, enemies and pieces of lore. The soundtrack is excellent, featuring remixed or remastered themes of multiple games. The combat is fast paced and the extensive job system takes the Final Fantasy system of old and thoroughly modernises it. Yet the game is decidedly un-Final Fantasy. Exploration is minimal, the story takes far too long to get going, the dialogue is often laughable and the characters are mostly bland blank slates. As an over the top action cheese-fest, the game puts points on the board. Just don't expect it to compete with the greatest hits.

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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

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

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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