Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin |OT| A Song of Chaos and Bullshit Square Enix - OT (2025)

• Developers: Koei Tecmo Games, Team Ninja
• Publisher: Square Enix
• Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Windows (via Steam and the Epic Games Store)
• Release dates:
  • March 15, 2022 (early access for digital console preorders)
  • March 17, 2022 (early access for digital EGS preorders)
  • March 18, 2022
  • April 6, 2023 (Steam)
• Genre: Nu Metal Action RPG
• Number of players: 1 - 3

Review Thread

In Cornelia, a land covered in darkness, Jack Garland and his allies embark on a journey to defeat Chaos. Each of them thinks only of defeating Chaos as they continually slay one monster after another, like an unquenchable thirst. Though they are thought of as Cornelia's saviors, the crystals they possess to help them on their journey are black in color. Join them in a world of dark fantasy and exhilarating battles to discover if they are the Warriors of the Light the prophecy foretold.

In this hardcore action RPG, Jack must face numerous challenges to bring the light of the crystals back to Cornelia, a kingdom conquered by darkness. Stranger of Paradise features action gameplay where you use a wide variety of action moves to survive furious battles and scatter your foes before you, as well as RPG elements collecting numerous different jobs and weapons to customize and develop your characters. The game can be enjoyed at several difficulty levels.

Will restoring the crystals' light usher in peace or a new form of darkness? Or perhaps something else entirely?

• Jack feels a strong sense of duty to defeat Chaos. With no hesitation to kill monsters that stand in his way, he pulverizes them with no mercy.
• Ash is the rock of the team, supporting the members with his calm and collected nature. He recognizes Jack's high combat abilities and puts his trust in him.
• Jed has a kind and happy-go-lucky personality but is just as capable as Ash. He looks up to Jack and admires his powers.
• Though the youngest, Neon has the same level of ability as her comrades to fight through severe battles. Insisting that Chaos doesn't exist, there are times when she and Jack clash.
• Sophia is a warrior who joins Jack and the others on their journey, holding the same unwavering conviction – that they must defeat Chaos.
• Sarah is the crown princess of Cornelia. An amicable figure who is popular among the citizens of Cornelia, she also interacts with them incognito, such as when playing her lute.
• Bikke is a pirate captain who rules the town of Pravoka in place of a governor. In battle, he swings a two-handed axe with wild abandon. With the oceans wreathed in darkness, the piracy business has dried up, as the ships he would normally prey on are no longer venturing out with the treasures he would normally plunder.
• The king of the dark elves, Astos lives in the Western Keep. It's said that he knows the location of the crystals. Although possessing a certain beauty, he carries an air of pestilence. He seems to know about Jack and the others.

Stranger of Paradise is set in a world based on - but separate from - the original Final Fantasy. While names of some locales are shared between the two games, the environments themselves are largely themed after other entries in the series.

• Chaos Shrine (Chaos Shrine, FFI)
• The Western Keep (Castle Palamecia, FFII)
• Crystal Mirage (Crystal Tower, FFIII)
• The Flying Fortress (Tower of Babil, FFIV)
• Ruins of Machina (Ronka Ruins, FFV)
• Terra Tortura (Floating Continent, FFVI)
• Sunken Shrine (Mako Reactor, FFVII)
• Mt. Gulg (Fire Cavern, FFVIII)
• Wicked Arbor (Evil Forest, FFIX)
• Hallowed Massif (Mt. Gagazet, FFX)
• Ancients' Tower (Delkfutt's Tower, FFXI)
• Cavern of Earth (Tomb of Raithwall, FFXII)
• Refrin Wetlands (Sunleth Waterscape, FFXIII)
• Pravoka Seagrot (Sastasha Seagrot, FFXIV)
• Vigilia Court (Insomnia Citadel, FFXV)

Stranger of Paradise offers three difficulty settings:

• Story - A mode for players who don't usually play action games, want to breeze through battles, and are looking to enjoy the story. Casual mode can also be enabled when playing on this setting, offering an even more relaxed gameplay experience.
• Action - A mode for players who are familiar with action games and enjoy challenging battles.
• Hard - A mode for players who excel at action games and wish to engage in brutal battles.

The gameplay is similar to other third-person action RPGs such as Nioh. While dealing damage to foes, their Break gauge will decrease. Once it's fully depleted, Jack can activate a Soul Burst, acting as a finishing blow that increases and restores his MP. When under attack from an enemy, Jack can guard or evade, or use his Soul Shield ability to increase and restore MP and open the enemy up for a counterattack. Using Soul Shield to block an enemy ability also allows Jack to use that same ability against it.

Jack is the only playable character. However, the other party members can be customized outside of battle, allowing you to select their equipment and jobs. Additionally, pressing left or right on the d-pad during combat will direct the assigned party member to use their abilities more often.

Like many other Final Fantasy games, Stranger of Paradise features a detailed job system, allowing players to equip two at a time to suit their preferred playstyles. There are twenty-seven jobs in total, and each one has its own unique skill tree to progress through while leveling up, allowing you to unlock new abilities, buffs, and even other new jobs. The two equipped jobs can be switched mid-combat with the press of a button to best fit the current situation. The jobs available are as follows:

• Basic Jobs
  • Swordsman
  • Duelist
  • Pugilist
  • Mage
  • Lancer
  • Swordfighter
  • Ronin
  • Marauder
• Advanced Jobs
  • Warrior
  • Knight
  • Thief
  • Monk
  • White Mage
  • Black Mage
  • Red Mage
  • Dragoon
  • Berserker
  • Samurai
• Expert Jobs
  • Breaker
  • Void Knight
  • Tyrant
  • Sage
  • Dark Knight
  • Paladin
  • Ninja
  • Assassin
  • Liberator

While exploring the game's various dungeons, you will come across new and stronger armor and weapons to equip, dropped by enemies or found inside treasure chests. Outside of dungeons, speaking to the smithy allows you to spend materials to upgrade your equipment's special abilities or add new abilities to it.

The entire game is playable from start to finish alone, with up to two AI party members, or with up to two other players via online multiplayer. To play with other people, open the Main Menu on the World Map, go to the Online tab, and create a room or join someone else's. When playing with others, items and equipment are dropped for each player individually, so if you see a nice weapon drop on the battlefield, there's no need to worry about stealing it from someone else.

The game does not feature full cross-platform multiplayer. However, players on PlayStation 4 can play with PS5 players, and Xbox One players can play with Series X|S players.

There are three editions of Stranger of Paradise to choose from:

• The physical standard edition ($59.99 USD) includes a physical copy of the game.
• The digital standard edition ($59.99 USD) grants access to the digital version of the game.
• The digital deluxe edition ($89.99 USD) includes the base game, the season pass, a digital artbook, and a digital mini-soundtrack.

The game supports Smart Delivery on Xbox systems. On PlayStation, purchasing the PS4 version also gives you access to the PS5 version, and vice-versa.

There were no preorder bonuses for the physical standard edition, but purchases from select retailers include a steelbook featuring artwork from Yoshitaka Amano while supplies last. This edition is not available for PC.

Pre-ordering the digital standard edition or purchasing the digital deluxe edition granted early access to the game (beginning March 15 on consoles and March 17 on PC) and also granted the Braveheart sword and Lustrous Shield, the signature sword and shield of the Warrior of Light from Final Fantasy I. Additionally, preordering either digital edition for PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5 gave a unique system theme featuring artwork from Yoshitaka Amano that can be used on PS4 consoles.

Purchasing any digital edition of the game by April 18, 2022 gave access to the Rebellion greatsword, the signature weapon of Final Fantasy I antagonist Garland.

A Season Pass is available for Stranger of Paradise, which includes three additional missions to be released post-launch. Details on these missions are currently sparse, but their titles are:

• Trials of the Dragon King
• Wanderer of the Rift
• Different Future

The Season Pass is included in the game's digital deluxe edition, but will also be sold separately. Some content in the Season Pass will only be playable after finishing the game's main story.

A third and final demo for Stranger of Paradise is available to play until April 19th, 2022 at 6:59 AM UTC. This demo allows you to experience the game's opening hours, including three full dungeons: the Chaos Shrine, the Pravoka Seagrot, and the Western Keep. Progress from the demo can be transferred to the full game, letting you pick the game up where you left off in the demo. PlayStation 4 players will need to press Square on the demo's title screen to upload the save data, and then download it within the full game on PS4. This does not apply to other platforms, including PS5.

This demo is not available on PC.