Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin (PS4) Review

In search of CHAOS.

 Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is a new spin-off/prequel game to Final Fantasy, following a group of warriors out to defeat a mysterious threat. A collaboration between Square Enix and Team Ninja (of Nioh and Ninja Gaiden fame), Stranger of Paradise mixes challenging gameplay that Team Ninja's known for with the flashy charm of Final Fantasy. The result is a most solid action game, but with a lot of issues.

 A prequel to the first Final Fantasy game, we follow hero Jack and his companions Ash, Jed, Neon, and Sophia, who are called "Warriors of Light" out to destroy Chaos, an evil being that looms over the land of Cornelia. For reasons initially unknown, Jack has a deep hatred for chaos, living only to slay it--while also suffering from amnesia. The same can be said for his band of companions who join him on the hunt based on a drive to kill chaos. The story is an odd one, taking you on a roller-coaster of events and twists that may seem incoherent at times, but managed to redeem itself by the end with a twist that ties nicely to the events of FF1. That said, the characters did feel one-dimensional and uninteresting but Jack's single-minded obsession with Chaos was endearing and got a few laughs out of me.

The story is hard to keep up with, but was engaging towards the end.

 Stranger of Paradise is an action-RPG where you control Jack and company as they search for elemental crystals said to quell chaos' power. The game follows a mission-based structure where missions have you exploring different parts of the world like an abandoned temples, deep forests, and big castles. You'll be punching and slashing your way through a variety of enemies from the FF series like Cactuars, Grenades, Tonberries, and Malboros. Constantly pummelling enemies will break their shields and vulnerable for a bit and you can even counter their attacks using "Soul Shield" at the right moment. You can even absorb enemy magic attacks and use them by countering too. 

The gameplay is fast-paced and very fun.

 The main gameplay hook of Stranger of Paradise is the job system seen in most Final Fantasy games.  You can equip different jobs to your characters and gain new abilities which changes up your gameplay style. For example, equipping the samurai job will grant Jack use of katanas and special fast attacks to use while the mage job has you unleashing magic attacks at the cost of your MP. There are nearly 30 jobs to choose ranging from a Lancer, Paladin, and White Mage and each can be levelled up, unlocking new skills and perks. Some jobs even house secret advanced jobs like Dark Knight upon fully levelling them up. I always found my self changing jobs as each were fun and kept the gameplay from feeling repetitive. Still, I did feel that some jobs were redundant and too similar like the mage and black mage.

 At the end of each level awaits a boss fight, and they're both diverse and challenging, requiring you to equip your best gear and guard when needed. If you've played Team Ninja's Nioh, then you'll feel right at home with the amount of challenge Stranger of Paradise packs. What I didn't like about the game was a lack of a map feature, as you'll often get lost in levels, missing some valuable chests and shortcuts. The game has side-missions where you replay missions for high-level gear and were a great way to level up jobs more quickly. All in all, Stranger of Paradise took over 25 hours to beat and that included me doing some of extra missions. There are multiple difficulties from Story, Normal, Hard, and a bonus "Chaos" one where tough enemies and great loot awaits if you're still not done with the game.

Some of the boss fights will surely test your skills. 

 Stranger of Paradise looks decent, having a neat art-style and level design, but it's an unpolished game. The game offers Performance and Resolution modes to choose from, both of which are riddled with tech issues like unsteady frame-rates, blurry resolutions, and low-quality textures that can make the experience mediocre. That and the facial animations were stiff, hardly showing any emotion during the story's big moments. The voicework was alright but nothing special (Jack's monotone voice slowly grew on me though). As for the soundtrack, it was great and had some neat tracks to boot. Jack's theme, the battle theme, and "Shadows Rising" were my faves.

The game looks decent, tech issues aside.

 I initially didn't like my time with Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, but after giving the game a chance and playing it for a while, I ended up enjoying it. Bonkers story and tech issues aside, it was a fun yet challenging adventure full of spectacle that the series is known for. The exploration, boss fights, and job system were easily the best parts. Fans of the series and Team Ninja's works should give it a try, and those still on the fence should definitely wait for a sale.