The trailers are awful. Worse than awful. They’re a chaotic mess that has become memeified. It’s hard to avoid this, and the fact that, to many, the visual quality of the game stands about as tall as the ham-fisted story telling. However, there’s still something about Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin that makes it stand out. In a good way, I mean.
The story of Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin sees a character called Jack. He and his companions claim to be Warriors of Light, though they harbour doubts about their place in the prophecy. They must face numerous challenges to bring the light of the crystals back to Cornelia, a kingdom conquered by darkness.
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin
The game is based on concepts from the first Final Fantasy game. However, it purportedly does not take place in that world. Furthermore, various locations in the world are based on settings from other Final Fantasy games. Does this mean a rewriting of Final Fantasy lore? Or is it simply expanding upon it? Fans of the Final Fantasy franchise simply can’t take that risk. They will need to find out for themselves!
Koei Tecmo at the Helm
The game is a brawler along the likes of Devil May Cry or, to a lesser extent, Ninja Gaiden. Dynasty Warriors is about battling thousands of troops with big explosive attacks. Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is about precision execution. It’s about getting hard-hitting combos timed perfectly to whittle down enemy numbers, while ensuring you don’t leave yourself vulnerable to enemy counterattacks.
There are only a handful of studios across the world that can lay claim to having mastered this gameplay. Koei Tecmo’s Team Ninja is one of them. The original Ninja Gaiden is still one of the most widely respected titles in the genre, with its brutal combat difficulty curve laying the groundwork for games like Demon’s Souls and the recently released Elden Ring. Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is unlikely to be as challenging to play as any of those titles, and more akin to Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge. A gentle difficulty curve allowing players to grow a huge arsenal of combat options.
Even if the story turns out to be guff, you can rely on Team Ninja to deliver a robust combat system.
Multiplayer Co-Op Battling
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin has been designed with multiplayer at its core. Throughout the game, Jack will be accompanied by two companions. Online players will be able to jump into the shoes of those companions, bringing your friends to the fight!
From the most recent demo, which allowed for co-op play, it doesn’t appear as though players will be limited to jobs or gear specific to each companion. This would give joining players similar freedoms to the host, and allow them to progress and upgrade their abilities as if it were continuing their own campaign.
Are you looking forward to Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin‘s launch? Or is this one Final Fantasy too far? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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