Summary
- Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin defied expectations, offering a captivating story and solid action RPG gameplay.
- This game reimagined the original Final Fantasy narrative, sparking interest in exploring other underdeveloped Final Fantasy stories.
- Future Stranger of Paradise games could delve into the narratives of Final Fantasy 2 and Final Fantasy 8, offering fresh perspectives.
It's safe to say that Square Enix's Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin never quite got the fair shot it arguably deserved. Describing Stranger of Paradise as a "Final Fantasy Soulslike" already set it up to be held to nigh-impossible standards, and the first trailer and demo (not to mention the parade of "CHAOS!" Memes) only contributed to the pile-on in a way that made the game feel like it was destined to fail. However, behind some of the more questionable dialogue and presentation choices, Stranger of Paradise would end up being an incredibly competent action RPG and even tell a great Final Fantasy story, begging the question of how the series could continue by adapting other Final Fantasy narratives.
Taking the most threadbare story in the franchise and reexamining it from an alternate perspective, Stranger of Paradise has some interesting connections to and implications for the narrative of the original Final Fantasy. But the first game in the series is far from the only title in the Final Fantasy franchise whose story could use a deeper look and a change in perspective. If the Stranger of Paradise series continues, it could shed more light on other underdeveloped Final Fantasy narratives, with Final Fantasy 2 and Final Fantasy 8 taking priority as ideal candidates.
Final Fantasy 2's Star Wars-Themed Narrative Deserves a Second Look
For all the important ways that Final Fantasy 2 would establish series convention moving forward, the game can't seem to shake its place as the "black sheep" of the franchise. Of course, players' dissatisfaction with Final Fantasy 2 largely rests on the game's somewhat confusing and needlessly complex progression systems, which offer unprecedented freedom at the cost of accessibility. Objectively speaking, though, Final Fantasy 2's story is leaps and bounds ahead of the original game's, and its gameplay shortcomings make it a prime candidate to receive the Stranger of Paradise treatment with an action RPG that reimagines both elements.
Final Fantasy 2's story centers around a band of rebels fighting against an oppressive empire, and the similarities with Star Wars don't stop there. Getting to understand the origins of the conflict between the Palamecian Empire and the Wild Rose Rebellion would be fertile narrative ground for a Stranger of Paradise sequel to cover, and the main adventuring party's "blank slate" approach to character classes and abilities fits perfectly within the context of Stranger of Paradise's Job System. That it would serve as a direct follow-up to the first game's reimagining of the first Final Fantasy is just icing on the cake.
Final Fantasy 8's Time Travel Story Lends Itself Perfectly to a Stranger of Paradise Follow-Up
Another of the more misunderstood games in the Final Fantasy series is the polarizing Final Fantasy 8. Square's bold choice to follow up the breakthrough success of Final Fantasy 7 with the mechanically complex Final Fantasy 8 did little to diminish the title's commercial success, but the perception of fans toward the title has somewhat cooled in the intervening decades. With the likelihood of an official Final Fantasy 8 remake looking very slim, a better option might be to reimagine the game's events from the perspective of a Stranger of Paradise-style spin-off.
The story of Final Fantasy 8 is similar to the original Final Fantasy in that it centers around a group of heroes attempting to paradoxically stop a self-fulfilling prophecy through time travel. Not only that, the game features a whole series of sequences in which players control deuteragonist Laguna and his two allies, setting up the perfect context for a prequel game that connects to the events of the main story. Ultimecia is one of the Final Fantasy series' most compelling villains despite her being somewhat underutilized, and a second chance in the spotlight in a Stranger of Paradise sequel could give the sorceress her due.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 72 /100 Critics Rec: 52%
- Released
- March 18, 2022
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Team Ninja
- Publisher(s)
- Square Enix
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- unreal engine 4
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op
- Franchise
- Final Fantasy
- Number of Players
- 1-3
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- How Long To Beat
- 18 Hours
