Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is dumber than I could have ever hoped for

Final Fantasy is one of the most well-known and beloved franchises in video game history. With an impressive legacy spanning over 30 years, there are countless reasons why so many fans eagerly await each and every entry. More passionate enthusiasts even suggest that the release of the original Final Fantasy back in 1987 fundamentally changed the gaming landscape. And if we take a look at the wave of RPGs that followed this monumental title into the 90s and 2000s, it’s kind of tough to argue against that belief.

With entertainment’s current fixation on reboots, remakes, and remasters, it wasn’t shocking to hear that Square Enix was aiming to publish a new game that would revisit the events of Final Fantasy 1. However, I don’t think any of us were expecting a modern action-focused take on the origin story of Garland set in a proto-futuristic alternate timeline from Team Ninja, the developers of critically acclaimed titles like Nioh and Ninja Gaiden. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on who you ask, that was the bold promise of Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin.

No matter where you stood with this project after initial details began to emerge, it’s safe to say that everyone’s collective expectations, hopes, and wildest fantasies for what this title could be dramatically shifted following a series of meme-worthy trailers. Our testosterone-dripping protagonist Jack, his taste in early 2000s inspired rap-metal, and his obsession with killing chaos instantly became the focus and arguably the selling point of Team Ninja’s upcoming adventure.

As someone who appreciates and relishes in some Grade-A cheese, I was ready to embrace this utter nonsense with open arms. Still, shockingly, even the campy trailers couldn’t prepare for what was in store. After spending roughly 15 hours with Jack, Jed, Ash, Neon, and a host of other unbelievably ridiculous characters, I can confidently say that Stranger in Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is dumber and more outlandish than I could have ever imagined.

So much Chaos

You’ve seen the gifs, you’ve seen the memes, but the sheer number of times “Chaos” is said in Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is genuinely staggering. Most of the game’s story is presented through brief in-engine cutscenes at the beginning or end of your assigned missions, and almost 100% of the time, one of the characters mentions Chaos and the fact that it must be killed. There’s no subtlety to the over-arching story whatsoever. Jack and his gang of rag-tag companions are hellbent on finding and destroying Chaos, and they make sure to tell you about it any chance they get.

There are sequences of exposition that are literally 10 seconds long where Jack laughs to himself and says things like “Chaos exists. I knew it. I told you.” and then it fades to black. That particular and absolutely unnecessary scene serves as your only setup for an entire region of the game. So many of the primary sources of narrative in Strange of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin are delivered in this manner, and it’s impossible not to laugh at the absurdity of it all.

While Jack acts as our primary Chaos-spewing vessel, he certainly isn’t the only offender. His bro-tastic companions Jed and Ash also share an unwavering disdain for Chaos. One of the very first cutscenes in Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin involves Jack, Jed, and Ash grunting to each other in what I can only assume is admiration. To make any sense of it, I’m just telling myself this is a tribute to the iconic alley scenes from King of Hill. Completely bananas and unbelievably fitting that the first lines of dialogue in this game aren’t even lines of dialogue at all.

And what’s a grand RPG adventure without some eclectic supporting characters? From a painfully generic pirate attempting his best Vegas-strip Jack Sparrow impersonation to a royal emperor molded after the one and only Burger King, it’s wild that the walking masculinity machine, Jack, isn’t the most cliché and one-dimensional character in Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. It’s also hard to comprehend just how many inhabitants of this world pound their chest before saying things like “All I care about is seeing Chaos dead.” or “When are we going to fight Chaos?”.

Should you take this story seriously?

The more I play, the more I find myself questioning the overall intent of Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. The laughably bad dialogue and campy character interactions lead me to believe this team strived to deliver a B or C-rated action movie in video game form. With a lead character who can aptly be described as a poor man’s Sam Worthington, Stranger of Paradise feels like an early 2000s Uwe Boll film adaptation of a video game that was then adapted back into a 2022 video game.

There’s so much big Chad energy flowing through every moment in Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. Jack screams out corny one-liners while executing enemies to dated EDM tracks and the outfits and character customization are jam-packed with leather and studs. It feels like Harley Davidson was responsible for the entire wardrobe while Skrillex’s cousin handled the score. If you’re nostalgic for Monster Energy Drinks, Terminator Salvation, and your uncle’s motorcycle phase, you’ll likely feel a strong sense of familiarity while playing.

So far, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my moments of consistent disbelief. Every hour you’re treated to lines of dialogue you just can’t believe are real, and that constantly keeps things interesting. However, if you’re hoping for a gripping narrative experience with compelling developments and dynamic characters, I truly don’t think you’ll find it in Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. It’s also tough to take any in-game events seriously when your character is wearing clawed dragon gauntlets and a fedora during cutscenes.

While the events of this title ultimately culminate into the origin of Final Fantasy’s main protagonist Garland, the overall approach to Stranger of Paradise is drastically different. The focus on hunting and killing Chaos is there, but there’s far more emphasis on machismo and melodrama. Despite my appreciation for the potentially unintentional comedic leanings, it’s clear the game aims for a darker and grittier exploration of Final Fantasy’s original story. With constant mentions of darkness and chaos, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin feels like Kingdom Hearts if it was written for someone going through a midlife crisis.

Review coming soon

Unfortunately, I received my code for Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin a few days ago and couldn’t spend enough time with the game to produce a proper review for today’s embargo. My experience with the game and opinions on its nonsensical story is merely based on my roughly 15 hours of playtime so far. It definitely remains to be seen as to whether or not this will be one of the best RPGs on Xbox.

I will continue playing Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin and aim to have my final review up before the end of the week. In the meantime, it’s worth briefly noting that visuals and performance on the Xbox Series X version of the game leave a lot to be desired. Characters and environments are incredibly low-resolution, and even performance mode doesn’t offer consistent frame pacing during flashy executions.

Hopefully, a day-one patch can help iron out some of these technical issues, but I will have much more to share on this front with my final review.