STRANGER OF PARADISE FINAL FANTASY ORIGIN

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"STRANGER OF PARADISE FINAL FANTASY ORIGIN is a dark fantasy Role Playing Game, offering both single-player and multi-player co-op modes. Join Jack, Ash, and Jed, who are prophesied Warriors of Light, on their action-packed journey to defeat Chaos. Explore the Chaos Shrine and uncover the truth behind their mission."

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STRANGER OF PARADISE FINAL FANTASY ORIGIN screenshot

87%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,044 reviews

story247 positive mentions

optimization84 negative mentions

Engaging combat system with a variety of job classes and customization options.
Fun and humorous story that pays homage to the Final Fantasy series.
Co-op gameplay enhances the experience, making it enjoyable with friends.

Poor PC optimization leading to performance issues and stuttering.
Repetitive level design with a lack of exploration and variety in enemies.
The story can be convoluted and lacks depth in character development.

story
1,219 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
71%
9%
The story of "Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin" has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it campy, convoluted, and at times, nonsensical. While some appreciate its humorous and over-the-top nature, others criticize it for being poorly executed and lacking depth, especially in the early stages. However, many agree that the narrative picks up towards the end, revealing surprising twists and connections to the original Final Fantasy, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of the series, albeit not the main draw of the game.
- “This game was amazing, the way the story tied together, the combat, it was all fun and enjoyable every moment.”
- “The story is a brilliant way to explain all the crazy time travel and sci-fi tech found in Final Fantasy 1, as well as giving us a new perspective.”
- “The story is wild nonsense, but it was nonsense I cared about.”
- “The story is barely intelligible.”
- “The story is a stupid, hot-mess of anime nonsense, but it takes itself so seriously, you can't help but circle back into enjoying how over the top it is.”
- “The story is convoluted but at the end it all comes together in a nice way.”
gameplay
470 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
58%
4%
The gameplay of "Stranger of Paradise" is widely praised for its fast-paced, fluid combat mechanics that blend elements from the Nioh series with Final Fantasy's job system, offering extensive customization and a variety of classes to choose from. Players appreciate the depth and strategic options available, although some criticize the repetitive nature of combat and the overwhelming amount of mechanics introduced. Overall, the game is seen as a fun, engaging experience that prioritizes gameplay over narrative, making it a solid choice for fans of action RPGs.
- “The combat is not only challenging but also incredibly rewarding as you master different jobs and their synergies, allowing for a gameplay experience that truly lets you tailor your approach to each battle.”
- “Gameplay is incredibly fun, with a job system that offers a lot of build variety and encourages players to switch up their playstyle often.”
- “Stranger of Paradise combines Nioh’s signature combat mechanics and fluid action with the RPG mechanics that you’d expect to see in a Final Fantasy game.”
- “The gameplay is a cheap souls-like knockoff with astoundingly bad enemy and boss design.”
- “Despite all of the different job classes, the core gameplay is so repetitive that you hardly feel the difference between classes, and the whole thing quickly starts to become boring.”
- “I found the combat very unenjoyable, with mobs that can suddenly turn around and blow away most of your health and you can't interrupt the attack you're in quickly to try and get away, which is what you'd think an evade mechanic would let you do.”
optimization
215 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
47%
39%
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with many players reporting significant performance issues such as stuttering, frame drops, and crashes, even on high-end systems. While some users have found temporary fixes through third-party software like Special K, the overall consensus is that the port is poorly optimized, detracting from an otherwise enjoyable gameplay experience. Despite occasional improvements post-launch, many still recommend caution for those considering playing on PC.
- “The game is not well-optimized, but tweaking with some of the settings and using the 'special k' method could improve things quite a bit.”
- “Optimization aside, I 100% recommend this game as it is a nice change from the last few Final Fantasy games.”
- “After following the guide of the magical being we know as the modding community for some optimization fixes (thank you so much special k), the game runs like what I wish the PS5 version did.”
- “The performance of the game is also terrible; it runs like crap. I have a 4070 Ti and struggle to run it at a stable 70 fps at 1440p.”
- “Truth is that this is so poorly optimized that even if you have a top-of-the-line computer, it will probably run so poorly it's unplayable.”
- “This is by far one of the worst optimized games I have played in a very long time, and I play a lot of early access titles, so that is saying quite a lot.”
graphics
178 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
54%
13%
The graphics of "Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin" receive mixed reviews, with many players noting that while some visuals are impressive, the overall quality often feels dated, resembling early PS3 titles. Issues such as poor optimization, excessive particle effects, and inconsistent performance detract from the experience, leading to frustration during gameplay. Despite these drawbacks, some players appreciate the aesthetic and character designs, highlighting the game's vibrant art style and detailed cutscenes.
- “The graphics are stunning, the gameplay is chaos-tastic, and the story is full of twists and turns that will leave you in a state of chaos-induced euphoria.”
- “The graphics and visual effects are impressive, with detailed character models and stunning environments that capture the essence of the Final Fantasy universe.”
- “Beautiful graphics, set pieces in the levels, and a very robust job system all linked up with Final Fantasy lore.”
- “The problem begins when we look at the graphics themselves, which I don't usually rate because for me the plot is more important, but here the low quality of the developer's porting of the game to PC is tragic.”
- “Despite the graphics looking like a late PS3 game, it often freezes and stutters when editing your equipment or fighting enemies, which can be frustrating because you're constantly getting new gear and stronger items.”
- “The hazy graphics and poor optimization make for a lousy first impression.”
music
136 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
39%
3%
The music in "Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin" has received largely positive feedback, with many praising its nostalgic remixes of classic Final Fantasy tracks and original compositions that enhance the game's atmosphere. While some players noted that certain tracks can become repetitive or are mixed too low during combat, the overall soundtrack is considered enjoyable and a fitting tribute to the franchise. Fans appreciate the callbacks to previous games, making the music a highlight for both newcomers and long-time series enthusiasts.
- “The music is a bop at all times.”
- “The game has a great soundtrack that features classic Final Fantasy music and original compositions that add to the overall immersive experience.”
- “The music is phenomenal.”
- “The music is underwhelming for a Final Fantasy game; they kind of missed the boat on making the OST something with impact.”
- “Even the music has microstutters.”
- “Music and locales are both familiar and feel somehow transitory, like they were ripped out of previous Final Fantasy games and then reconfigured to be barely recognizable.”
grinding
69 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
99%
The grinding aspect of the game is heavily emphasized, with many players noting that it involves repetitive farming of missions and bosses to unlock higher difficulties and gear. While some find the grind rewarding, especially for character building and crafting perfect gear sets, others describe it as tedious and lacking in variety, particularly in the DLC content. Overall, the experience is polarizing: it can be enjoyable for those who thrive on grinding, but frustrating for players seeking a more streamlined or varied gameplay experience.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Grinding in this game is incredibly rewarding and keeps you engaged.”
- “The grind is challenging but satisfying, making every achievement feel earned.”
- “The DLC is incredibly grindy and forces you to do the higher difficulty grinds to see drip feeds of new content, and the DLC is just not that fun or worth the time it asks.”
- “Unfortunately, the DLC is locked behind repetitive grinding and the game's mechanics are watered down for single player.”
- “Overall, it's a great game, especially with friends, but post-game is poorly balanced and artificially padded with a good deal of grinding to access all the content.”
humor
65 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its blend of lazy yet entertaining writing, with the main character Jack providing a standout comedic presence through his irreverent and single-minded approach to the narrative. Players find the dialogue and cutscenes to be a mix of intentionally funny and unintentionally hilarious moments, often leading to laughter during gameplay, despite some criticism of predictability and filler content. Overall, the humor adds a charming layer to the experience, making it enjoyable even when the story veers into campy territory.
- “The way he just doesn't care about letting enemies introduce themselves or speak is hilarious and cracks me up every time!”
- “This has to be one of the funniest games I've ever played. Jack wants to kill chaos, and his ridiculous lines had me laughing uncontrollably.”
- “The story and characters' heavy-handed melodrama wraps back around to be hilarious and endearing, so much so that it's the only Final Fantasy game I never skipped a single cutscene in (so far).”
stability
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
81%
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting frequent freezes, stutters, and input detection issues, particularly during combat and equipment management. While some users have experienced a stable performance without significant problems, others have encountered numerous bugs and glitches that detract from the overall enjoyment. Overall, the game's stability appears to vary widely depending on the platform and individual system configurations.
- “The game runs great even in 4K, and plays amazingly so far with multiple difficulty options.”
- “At least the game runs great.”
- “People are saying this has performance issues, but I think that's user error with their own PC because this game runs great.”
- “Despite the graphics looking like a late PS3 game, it often freezes and stutters when editing your equipment or fighting enemies, which can be frustrating because you're constantly getting new gear and stronger items.”
- “Despite all my troubleshooting, 70% of my controller inputs in-game were not detected.”
- “The game has some technical issues, such as frame rate drops and glitches, that can be frustrating at times.”
character development
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
47%
33%
Character development in the game is largely criticized, with many reviewers noting a lack of depth and investment in the characters, describing them as one-dimensional and forgettable. While some mention that there is a semblance of character growth towards the end, it often feels forced and overshadowed by poor writing and uninspired character design. Overall, the consensus is that the game fails to deliver meaningful character development, leaving players disengaged from the story and its cast.
- “The story is goofy and over the top - to the extent that it feels like it was written by a grade schooler - before coming full circle with some coherent and serious character development and resolving cleanly.”
- “Final Fantasy usually focuses more on story and character development.”
- “To be clear here: the game does attempt to explain Jack’s behavior later on and he even receives some character development during the final parts of the game.”
- “Atrocious writing, zero character development, poor boss design and a difficulty spike that would put Sekiro to shame.”
- “Absolutely nothing about the story makes you go 'oh I need to know what happens next' and nothing of the thin character development makes you invested in any of the characters.”
- “There's essentially no character development to be had and the entire cast is completely one-note and forgettable.”
emotional
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
93%
21%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by unexpected powerful reactions from players, often tied to nostalgia for the Final Fantasy series. While some describe the story as campy and filled with shallow characters, many find it ultimately sincere and touching, especially towards the end, evoking strong feelings and a sense of connection to the characters and themes. Overall, the game manages to blend humor with heartfelt moments, creating a memorable emotional experience.
- “I'd rather not spoil too much, but I even found myself having powerful emotional reactions I simply did not expect going into a game like this, though that is aided by my nostalgia for Final Fantasy 1.”
- “It made me cry.”
- “But it got surprisingly emotional and touching towards the end and ties beautifully into the first Final Fantasy game.”
- “The characters lack depth, and the story feels tedious with excessive filler, despite the enjoyable combat and satisfying ending.”
- “The emotional impact is undermined by shallow character development and a plot that drags on with unnecessary filler.”
- “While the combat system is engaging, the overall emotional experience is diminished by a lackluster story and one-dimensional characters.”
replayability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
The game's replayability is highlighted by its deep gameplay mechanics, numerous classes, and builds, offering players a wealth of customization options. While some players find it lacks long-term replay value compared to other titles in the genre, others appreciate the inclusion of an endless dungeon and the overall fun factor, suggesting a mixed reception. Overall, the game is praised for its replayability potential, though opinions vary on its longevity.
- “It has amazing gameplay depth, replayability, satisfying action, and RPG elements with tons of classes and builds to try out.”
- “Coupled with the inclusion of an effectively endless dungeon, the game features enormous replay value.”
- “Replayability and customization is actually bonkers, because every single job (35) has a unique skill that synergizes with your weapon's (10) moveset differently, leading to a job + weapon combination for everyone.”
- “Overall it's fun, and I have really enjoyed playing it while I wait for Rebirth on the PS5 this week, but I don't think it'll have much replay value to me like other souls-like games do.”
- “Again, not surprising from the company that brought you a whopping 38 Dynasty Warriors games, but there's a reason those games lack replayability.”
- “Replayability – 4/10”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as a blatant cash grab, with many feeling it should have been free-to-play given its execution. Additionally, the lack of marketing and promotion surrounding its release on Steam has left players feeling disappointed, overshadowing the game's potential despite its well-implemented online co-op features.
- “This game is a sad attempt at a cash grab with a great theme but should be free to play.”
- “Cash grab souls reskin, nothing like Final Fantasy in spirit.”
- “However, the biggest failure of this game is that Square Enix stuck it on the Epic Store for a year, then slapped it on Steam with no advertising, no buildup, not even a store page until the moment it released, nothing other than a tweet a few weeks before it finally came to Steam.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its unique style and aesthetic, which enhances the overall experience. The music, particularly composed by Naoshi Mizuta, is noted for perfectly complementing the environments, further immersing players in the game's world.
- “The whole game just has this really cool style, aesthetic, and atmosphere to it; I just love it.”
- “The music was perfect for creating atmospheres for the environments you crossed. Naoshi Mizuta is crazy good; check out his FF11 music.”
- “Gameplay, atmosphere, graphics.”
- “The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the depth that would draw players into the world.”
- “Despite the game's potential, the atmosphere is dull and fails to create any sense of immersion.”
- “The overall ambiance is disappointing, making it hard to feel connected to the game's environment.”