Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin Review

Stranger of Paradise crystals emit a different glow

When an established saga embarks on mechanics that aren’t its usual, the least one creates is some skepticism. Square Enix knows a lot, for better and for worse. throughout recent history criticism was seen when they included certain elements departed from the classic turn-based role to which we were accustomed. See the case of Final Fantasy XIII with a different, much more dynamic combat system, which raised controversy in its time. But not all changes are bad. We’ve also seen praise for the same reasons it was previously criticized. And if not, let them say Final Fantasy XV, where shifts have been abolished altogether in favor of direct and unceremonious action. Now it’s the turn of Stranger from Heaven: Final Fantasy Origin, a game that has caused some blisters in the community and that we are going to solve in this analysis. Will he be up to the task?

the end of a fantasy

Stranger of Paradise has little or nothing to do with the series from which it originated. In many ways. We met a different proposal, focused on direct action and that drinks from other important sagas such as Dark Souls and Monster Hunter. Of course, there are elements reminiscent of Final Fantasy, but in a tangential way. On our way we will find monsters taken from the glossary of enemies typical of past iterations, characters known to fans, well-known musical fragments and of course, power crystals.

On this occasion, the weight of the plot falls on a group of warriors led by Jack, the only protagonist we can control. Its mission is very simple and is based on eradicate Chaos, an ancient being who strides across the world bringing with him only death and destruction. His whereabouts are unknown (even his very existence is a mystery), so Jack and his comrades must embark on a journey to find his possible identity. In addition to his fighting skills, each member of the team has a crystal of power, whose usefulness they still don’t know, even if it will be extremely important if they want to defeat the evil that threatens the kingdom.

Choose the job you love the most

The road to victory will not be easy. Luckily, we have the jobs, which, like any Final Fantasy episode, are specializations in a particular profession. In total, there will be 28 different roles, each with their own characteristics, strengths and weaknesses. I think it’s the most fun in the game. Progressing and leveling up is quite satisfying and necessary to qualify for better jobs. To give a quick example, if we want to be a paladin, we will first have to complete the white mage branch and the warrior branch. But of course, to be a white magician, you must first complete the wizarding branch.

Death lurks around every corner

The execution of the fights is inspired a lot by the From Software saga, and does not hide it at any time. We have checkpoints that will “revive” fallen enemies, as if it were a bonfire in any soul. There will also be potions like flasks of estus, a bar of resistance to enemy attacks and a difficulty that is accused especially in the fights against the end bosses. These are not confrontations so technical, nor so quiet, but a minimum of caution is needed not to fall in two shots.

Luckily, dying doesn’t weigh that much. The points for improvement in the work we do will stay there if we bite the dust, and beyond repeating the same stretch, there is no greater penalty. Besides, we can repeat the phases as many times as necessary, reaching a higher level of work, weapon improvements and bonuses to try again this enemy that chokes us.

the second-hand dealer has arrived

One of the elements that does not quite convince me is the huge amount of weapons and armor that we will find along the way. Stranger of Paradise in one role-looter manual, If you allow me the expression. A set of common, uncommon, and rare weapons and armor, each with its respective identifying color.

It will be necessary to take into account other aspects such as affinity with the work they have. The more affinity we have, the faster we will level up and unlock another series of beneficial advantages. These factors make we are constantly equipping and re-equipping Jack and our friends. And that’s a shame, because doing it automatically doesn’t always give the expected result.

Already sharpen your blade for the enemy

Fortun ately the handling of weapons is very intuitive and easy to understand. Everything is simplified with two buttons, and the combination of these will allow us to perform special attacks.

This use of weapons reminds me more of Monster Hunter. Although they are all good, it is always advisable to take one at close range and alternate with another at long range. There will be everything: swords, heavy spears, axes, katanas and canes… In the end, we will inevitably become familiar with each of them as we change jobs, so this simplification in special attacks is very much appreciated. By the way, speaking of Monster Hunter, just like the Capcom game, we can recruit friends to give us a cable in battle. This reduces the difficulty for obvious reasons, although the fun multiplies exponentially.

In Stranger of Paradise they fight for and for you

As you can see, a black and white game in terms of concept. Difficult to get into at firstor, me first. We expect something similar to Final Fantasy, but what we find is a title that sheds all traces of known playable mechanics to offer a new way to face the fight. Well, even though these are intense clashes, they are far from what we see in similar titles. The artificial intelligence of rivals is conspicuous by its absence, and if we want to, we can win many fights just by letting our comrades hit anything that moves indiscriminately. They are similar to Elden Ring summons, but in a brutal way, since they will not only distract the opponent to inflict a good bunch of sword blows, but they will do a lot of damage if they chain a good one. combo.

Do these spikes do any damage?

At this point it’s time to try Stranger of Paradise’s most egregious theme, And it all depends on its visual appearance. I don’t understand how a game from this saga released in 2022 looks any worse than Final Fantasy XIII, released in 2009. And I’m serious, that’s not an exaggeration. The expressions of the protagonists, absent. The definition of plants, decoration and enemies, blurred. The saturation when there are bright colors or the contrast at times, disturbing. I had to look at other people’s gameplay to see if it was a bug in my setup or if it really looked that bad. And my configuration is correct.

I have mentioned it before and I will emphasize it again, The name of the game weighs heavily on the game “The Origin of Final Fantasy”. We have all witnessed the commendable work on the visual aspect of each of the deliveries that Square-Enix has been released over the years, and no one can doubt or disagree with the fine art work behind it. Until today. In the end, you get used to everything, but you have to be aware of the palpable decline that exists. Oh, and even though it looks a little worse, in Series X there is a performance mode which slightly penalizes the graphic finish in order to offer 60 fps. Please play like this.

Conclusion of Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin

That a company wants to launch a different product that breaks the patterns seen by “canonical” releases is something we’ve seen hundreds of times. It’s not bad, and sometimes this breath of fresh wind is even beneficial to maintain the flame of a saga and that people do not forget it. But with all power comes responsibility, and with Final Fantasy, we’re talking big words.

Although Stranger of Paradise is directly inspired by other widely used styles, it contains revolutionary elements that make the experience enjoyable. I don’t like the management, nor stop the action in order to improve the characters, I was absorbed and involved in everything the title has to offer. The work system is very well highlighted, and this factor will force us to get along well with all kinds of weapons and equipment if we want to improve our protagonist. Smart and well-managed move, I’m serious.

Where the title really skates is in its technical and visual section. First, we can only manage Jack. This makes the rest of the team our “hired thugs”, with little control over them and who will be there as mere accompaniment all the time. If we add fair enemy AI to that, then there’s not much to scratch. But the but is its graphic aspect. The title looks bad, without definition, with scenes without charisma, just like the characters. This is where it should shine as a true Final Fantasy, and it doesn’t come close.

If we can forgive those small burdens, we’ll no doubt enjoy a game that any fan of Dark Souls, Monster Hunter, or shooter-looters will enjoy (even if the title falls short of the cited benchmarks, of course). Strangers of Paradise entertains, intoxicates and “stings” to empower your character. It won’t be the perfect game, but it’s not as bad as some make it out to be.