Stranger Of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin Review (PS5)-
By now, I'm sure most everyone has either played a demo version or at least heard about this entry in the beloved Final Fantasy series. Most people, including myself, have even played as far as 6 months back when Square Enix revealed it through an early build demo for free download. While I can say for certain that the game has improved since then in many ways, there are still a few rough edges both in terms of gameplay and the single-minded story it tells.
For starters, I am a huge fan of the FF series, and have been ever since first playing FF7 on my PS1 for the first time back in 1997. While I never did get around to playing any of the earlier entries than that, I have done my homework and read many professional reviews/summaries of the events that unfold in the original Final Fantasy. The original FF has players take control of a band of heroes dubbed the Warriors of Light as they travel the world in search of crystals to repel Chaos and the darkness that comes with it. This gamte follows that same thread but also contains some shocking new revelations as well. For those who are unaware, the main villain of the original FF is a figure known as Garland, and while the original may have been technologically limited to show the events that transpire as the Warriors of Light battle Garland and seek out the crystals they need, these limitations no longer apply so Square Enix & Koei Tecmo had the idea of treating us to a modern version of what went down.
So, players begin the game controlling a burly guy named Jack who is accompanied by his 2 "best" pals, Ash & Jed. The game is a little discreet about the details but it begins with Jack, Jed & Ash battling goblin-type creatures at a place known as the Chaos Shrine. The 3 guys seem to believe they are first 3 warriors of light which has been foretold in their region from a prophecy delivered by a wise being. Their memories are not very clear but the one thing they can all agree upon is that they must continue battling darkness so they can complete their one true goal- to defeat Chaos once and for all. It is a very straightforward approach as far as story goes so do not come into this game expecting a deep and surprising story as in other Final Fantasies. The game is beautiful, and the PS5's power been put to optimal use in the detailed environments you travel across. Shortly after the opening moments of the game, Jack and his allies find theirselves at the kingdom of Cornelia, where it shows the King and 2 princesses rallying Jack and his friends to go forth and quell the chaos and darkness that has swept through their land and gather the highly coveted crystals, which hold great power and balance. The king is reluctant to herald these 3 men as the warriors of light at first and even questions them on why they want to risk their lives to go on this journey. Jack replies that it is his one and only purpose in life to rid the world of Chaos and also that he and Ash & Jed all have a crystal in their possession. After the king sees the determination in their eyes and the powerful crystal they each possess, he officially declares that they must be the warriors of light that had been foretold in the prophecy and this is where the quest truly begins. Thus, Jack and Ash & Jed set off to bring order back to Cornelia and its surrounding locales.
It isn't long before 2 more female party members have joined in on the action and become permanent members of the team. The game then presents itself in the form a mission select screen, giving players the option to either travel to places they have already cleared previous missions at or they can go the hub city of Cornelia and "talk" to the townsfolk. Let me just make this one point very clear. You do not actually walk around the town yourself talking to these NPC's, instead the game gives you a few different names listed on the screen and you can scroll down choose one to speak to and it very cut and dry conversations such as "May the crystals blessing be upon you" and such. So don't expect any side quests or even helpful hints from speaking to these optional people like you may have in previous Final Fantasies. The whole entire game is very single-minded and straightforward in its design, so even things like exploration become pretty dry features.
The main draw and most notable feature in this game is the combat, which is very fast & fluid. Koei Tecmo shows their talents in full form as the combat resembles games like Nioh. You have many different jobs each character can equip, all with their own skill trees that can be unlocked via leveling up. The combat may resemble what you would expect from a soulsborne you have parry commands, and an ability known as Soul Shield, but rest assured that this is NOT a soulsborn. Square Enix and Koei Tecmo have implemented many different features and accessible options to tune the difficulty to your liking. You can alter the difficulty anytime during the game and you can also have your AI controlled partners in battle perform more aggressively, acting as aggros to turn the enemies attention upon them, giving you a break if needed. The combat is nice and fluid and you can feel the weight from swinging a giant axe around and then feel that thrum as it sends enemies flying through the air. It is a very physical game and even though it is a different approach than the ATB systems of the past, it actually performs very well and feels right at home in the FF universe. Magic is another weapon at your disposal and even this works very efficiently. Some enemies are weaker when exposed to certain elements, and the should you wish to unlock all the jobs and their abilities, before long you will be casting red magic, white magic and black magic all from one job. There are many jobs to unlock as you progress, and the skills they give access to are very useful.
There are around 15 different locales that the game will present you with, and they are all stunning to look at. In the jungle, as you battle you witness limbs being snapped as you swing your swords and axes around and the destruction caused by this is very immersive. Each map has tons of items scattered throughout and some are hidden very well, so exploring these maps will reveal either very valuable gear or weapons or sometimes even tidbits of lore presented via a diary. These journal entries are hints at the world at large and the events that led up to this point. Players wishing to know more about the lore of this world and the warriors of light should actively seek these out as some are quite revealing. Gear can be swapped out for other higher leveled gear and upon completing missions you also receive legendary gear for your party to equip.
So the combat is great, so what about the story? Well, it is much like Jack. It is very narrow-minded and lacking in depth. Jack will let you know many times throughout the game that he cares about nothing but vanquishing Chaos and thats all well and good, but that really is the extent of what takes place in game. It is a hack and slash fest in the truest sense, albeit one that is very fun to play. The main focus was clearly on combat as the story and interactions with characters were clearly neglected. Yes there are cutscenes and interesting back and forth conversations to witness throughout the game, but they do not tread very far from the "Let's kill Chaos and restore the Crystals" thread, to the point where you just don't care anymore. You are just slashing foes left and right and casting spells for the hell of it. It is a far cry from the deep and intricate story-telling of past Final Fantasies.
But, all in all, Jack Garland (yes, his last name is Garland by the way) his quest to kill Chaos is one that is fun to experience once, but only for either hardcore FF fans or fans of Code Vein-styled battles. The characters don't have the screen time or dialogue to ever make you truly fall in love or even care about their fate and that is a shame, but the fights at the core of the game are fun to take part in at least one playthrough. I don't recommend a 2nd one though and that is a first from me concerning Final Fantasies!