Stranger Of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin

Out of the frying pan, into the firaga

- Oscar Taylor-Kent

INFO

FORMAT PS5 (reviewed), PS4

PRICE £59.99

ETA Out now

PUB Square Enix

DEV Square Enix, Team Ninja

PLAYERS 1-3

LENGTH 15+ hrs

ACCESSIBILITY Subtitles; togglable motion blur, blood spatter, and dash; casual mode

Obsessed with killing Chaos, prone to violence, and with a brash personality, hero Jack is the kind of guy our mamas warned us about. The same holds true for Stranger Of Paradise itself – we can’t help loving it despite its roughness. It’s not as deep an action game as Nioh, nor as immersive as Final Fantasy VII Remake, but this hack-and-slash is a bloody good time anyway.

Like a goblin subjected to one of Jack’s over-the-top finishing moves, Final Fantasy fans will be putty in Stranger Of Paradise’s hands. What begins purporting to be a pseudo-retelling-slash-prequel to the very first Final Fantasy quickly turns into a celebration of the entire series. Every level you turn violently inside out on the hunt for loot is directly inspired by a numbered entry in the series.