Combining the action-packed combat of games like Nioh and Dark Souls with a dark fantasy retelling of the original Final Fantasy game, ​Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, definitely wasn’t greeted with a warm welcome upon its ‘chaotic’ and chuckle-inspiring premiere. However, the Team Ninja-developed effort has since provided several substantial looks at the hack-and-slash effort, proving the title’s varied enemy types and crystallic brawling techniques may place it well above an insatiable crusade to “kill Chaos.”

However, as Square Enix prepares the genre-hopping saga-starter for release, is Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin enough to satisfy, or deemed too edgelord for its own good? Well, according to emerging reviews, critics are decidedly mixed, with most commending Team Ninja’s finely-crafted combat but taking issue with the game’s rough design and uncharacteristically lackluster story content. However, some also appear to have ’embraced the chaos,’ charmed by its meme-worthy and oddly-compelling spirit.

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin Review Round-Up

• Eurogamer – “Admire The Audacity”

“I almost have to admire the audacity of how blasé Square Enix is with its own history, and wonder how much of Stranger of Paradise was intended as comedy. Is it irreverence or just laxity? If you thought Final Fantasy 7 Remake took liberties with its source material, at least there seemed to be a purpose and intent behind it. Stranger of Paradise meanwhile feels like an ill-thought fanfic, given free rein to ransack the back catalogue.”

• Game Informer – 70/100

“Stranger of Paradise is the strangest Final Fantasy game yet, bounding wildly between awful and fantastic. If you can tolerate Jack (and that’s a big ask), the excellently crafted combat is worth a look. You may be coming to this game for the story and Final Fantasy experience, but it’s all about combat and little else.”

• GamesRadar+ – 50/100

“There’s a half-decent time to be had bashing your way around Stranger of Paradise’s dungeons, but routine level design, rough edges and messy narrative delivery stop the experience evolving into a compelling adventure. Despite its efforts to create ordered systems, chaos has the final word.”

• IGN – 80/100

“Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin’s story doesn’t come together until the final hours, but when it does it pairs nicely with a solid and engaging action combat system and a strong dose of FF nostalgia.”

• VG247 – 60/100

“Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is a B-movie game. It’s loud, dumb, and full of fun. You have to ignore a lot – a lot – of issues if you want to extract the joy from its chaotic heart, but once you commit, toy around with the weapons, penetrate its poorly-explained mechanics and forgive Jack for his one-dimensional personality, you’re left with a game that’s part Devil May Cry, part Nioh, and part Face/Off. And let’s be honest, who doesn’t want to play that?”

​Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin releases for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on March 18th. What do you think? Are you surprised by how the latest Final Fantasy is being received? How would you personally score the game? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Don’t Feed the Gamers on Twitter and Facebook to be informed of the latest gaming and entertainment news 24 hours a day!​

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