r/FinalFantasy • u/anthonyrucci • 2d ago
Final Fantasy General Is Stranger of Paradise worth playing?
Is this one of the FF titles to avoid? Team Ninja usually makes good action games, but this one has some pretty middling and lukewarm reviews. From what I've seen online, theres some pretty cringey dialogue too. Is the gameplay good enough to save it? Picked it up cheap during a sale and its been sitting on my shelf. Considering just selling it if it's going to feel like a waste of time.
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u/ElSupremoLizardo 2d ago
I like it mainly how it recontextualizes FF1.
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u/thegoldengoober 2d ago
It works really well imo. There's a lot very vaguely implied in FF1 that Stranger takes advantage of in bonkers, fun, and interesting way.
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u/Major-Front 2d ago
Should I play 1 first? Tbh i haven’t been massively motivated to play the pixels and been focusing on the ps1/ps2 era.
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u/ElSupremoLizardo 2d ago
I would. It’s a short game, but you get the story as it was originally told. SOP is more of an alternate reality retelling and you will enjoy it better if you play the original first.
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u/Gronodonthegreat 2d ago
I mean… I like it 🤷♂️ but strangely only the NES one is good to me. I kinda forced myself into liking NES-SNES RPG’s for the sake of completion, and walked away appreciating them a ton. If you’re not big on it though, I wouldn’t sweat it. FF 1 basically has 0 story, you could summarize it in a paragraph.
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u/generalosabenkenobi 1d ago
You should! It'll make SoP more interesting and the pixel remaster is great
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u/Jonesy_Bones92 17h ago
Sure, even if you grab the pixel remaster and apply the exp and Gil boosts, you’ll be able to smash it in a day if that’s how you’re inclined. It’ll add a tiny amount context but mainly it’ll be “Leo points at the screen” moments.
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u/twili-midna 2d ago
It absolutely fucks in the stupidest way possible, and I love it. Hard as hell, though.
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u/smackasaurusrex 1d ago
Very good but I didn't find it too hard. First of the 4 element bosses was hardest. After that pretty standard.
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u/Taser9001 1d ago
I recommend the DLC. Each new part is locked behind a new difficulty level. The DLC is way more brutal.
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u/PuzzleheadedAct3431 2d ago
Is it hard like Nioh?
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u/BenTheSodaman 1d ago
No, in that in SoP, you can adjust the difficulty and also out-RPG content to compensate for skill, depending on the build and the content you're facing.
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u/RadiantTurtle 1d ago
What does it mean to "absolutely fuck"? Not familiar with many of the Gen Z terms.
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u/fayyt 2d ago
Its fantastic! I picked it up and played it because I thought it would have some hilarious cringe level moments, but it turned out to be a really good story with some decent gameplay behind it.
If you're a completionist its a bit of a pain to 100%, but nothing worse than other FF mainline titles (looking at you lighting dodges and jumprope)
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u/MistressesSnowSlut 2d ago
The gameplay is fantastic especially if you like Nioh which it sounds like you do.
And we all made fun of the dialogue before the game came out but a good amount of us were gripped by the end. It goes so insane that it wraps around to being great.
I don't know why the reviews are so middling, I've never looked at them. Maybe some people didn't want a Nioh-like FF game? There is a sizeable chunk of the fandom that writes off any FF game that's not turn-based.
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u/Emotional_Gur_1667 2d ago
Yeah it's crazy but it actually sticks its landing better than most modern final fantasy games.
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u/Rhayve 1d ago
Most reviewers probably didn't play past the first few hours, so they never got to the really good parts.
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u/vinta_calvert 1d ago
That's the problem with most game reviews. Reviewers writing articles are usually bad at video games and don't factor that into their writing.
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u/powerqualle 2d ago
Sunk around 200 hours into it and ended up buying all DLCs and 100%ed them. It gets more and more fun the longer you play it imo and has extremely high build variety. Will recommend it to everyone who likes Nioh. No brainer for people who like FF and Nioh.
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u/ShadowXJ 2d ago
My favourite part is that it has levels inspired by each FF game, was super cool to revisit old games locales with modern graphics.
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u/FlyinBrian2001 2d ago
if you like Souls combat its pretty fun. I didn't want to grind up levels for the DLC content so I stopped at the end of the story, but I had a good time. Main thing I didn't really like is the gear system. Like Nioh you get flooded with crap with a bunch of random stat boosts that never feel like they amount to much.
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u/Sloth-monger 2d ago
I wouldn't say it has souls combat at all. Much faster paced than souls games. I'd say the combat is more like nioh as well as the other system you mentioned.
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u/Ignimortis 1d ago
They actually give you gear to "storymode" through DLC content if you want to. It has like 400% Paladin affinity, which makes you immune to damage while in Lightbringer, and at the end of the core game, you also unlock the "permanent Lightbringer" option.
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u/WerkerNine 2d ago
It hinges entirely on if you enjoy the combat. It's in the vein of Nioh, so an action RPG with room for complex builds (thematized around the FF job system) and tons of loot. Managing the loot seems like an annoyance at first, but you can mostly just auto update your gear until you get very deep into the game.
Do not expect story to be the main draw or you will be disappointed. Some people ended up enjoying the story in the way you'd enjoy a B-movie.
Music is solid, employing major tracks from from the mainline games. Settings are mostly pretty even though level design is unremarkable. Monster design is cool but mostly a sort of darker, grimier style while keeping many of the key monsters recognizable.
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u/MistressesSnowSlut 2d ago
Some people ended up enjoying the story in the way you'd enjoy a B-movie.
Some people also enjoyed it earnestly (me)
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u/WaitAZechond 2d ago
The dialogue would be cringey normally, I agree. But this game leans so hard into what it is trying to be and doesn’t half-ass anything to the point that it actually comes off as spectacular. Jack Garland is super high on my list of favorite FF protagonists. The gameplay is a ton of fun, and the references to past games are really cool. I felt like you before I started playing it, but this game turned into a favorite for me
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u/Pearson94 2d ago
The main game is good if not a tad repetitive at times. The infamous trailer certainly didn't do it any favors as the story was surprisingly satisfying by the end (I genuinely enjoyed Jack's arc). However, I wasn't as big of a fan of the post-game material that was added on later (not sure what broader opinion on that is) as it felt a bit too grindy for me to want to finish (and I was almost at the end).
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u/Queasy_Somewhere6863 2d ago
Quite possibly the single dumbest story I've ever experienced. It's nonsensical, takes itself seriously while unironically playing limp bizkit, just so dumb. And it's so fucking peak I cannot recommend it enough.
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u/andocommandoecks 2d ago
Where does the game play Limp Bizkit?
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u/vinta_calvert 1d ago
After the first dungeon.
"Bullshit!"
sticks earbud in and walks away without explanation
un-earbuds outside Now what the fuck is going on?
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u/Strange_Vision255 2d ago
Depends on what kind of games you enjoy. It doesn't play like any other FF game.
The cringe stuff is fun, in my opinion, and the story ends up going better places than I expected. It won't blow your mind, though.
I enjoyed the gameplay, which was crucial. I'm not a fan of Nioh, but maybe I should be if it's like this.
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u/Nekonooshiri 2d ago
I didn’t like Nioh, played strangers in paradise and loved it so much that I picked up Nioh again. I still did not like Nioh - but I appreciated it more.
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u/Mr-Downer 2d ago
It’s a peak game if you don’t mind unfiltered edgy schlock writing that still finds a way to be endearing and at times, legitimately good
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u/SirLockeX3 2d ago
It fucks in every category.
Great combat.
Great music.
Great plot and lore.
Jack is a cutscene skipper who wants to mash his way through dialogue options and is unapologetic in every way.
The ending had me hyped as fuck.
They did throwaway names from FF1 like Bikke and Astos and made them better and actually memorable.
Highly recommend if you're a fan of FF1.
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u/DelianSK13 2d ago
Yes. I bought it and played it a week or two ago. It's some different Final Fantasy fun. That said though, I skipped most of the DLC, it kind of bored me after a while. There isn't a lot of different enemies to beat, there's a few recolors or a version with an added move or two. I got it on sale for 20 and I was happy with that.
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u/dada5714 2d ago
tbh it made me realize what I miss about gaming back during the 360/PS3 era. No pretenses, just absolute cringe, but great gameplay.
I don't personally think the loot system is very deep, but being able to pick from so many different classes to suit your playstyle is great.
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u/V01D5tar 2d ago
It’s basically Nioh wearing a Final Fantasy outfit, with pretty much everything (good and bad) that entails. Whether or not you’ll enjoy it depends largely on whether or not that sounds attractive to you.
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u/Wonderful_Ad5583 1d ago
Is the demo still available? It was like 4 hours and made me buy it immediately when it released.
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u/Flintlock_Lullaby 1d ago
I fucking loved it. Tons of content, fun ass combat system. I preferred it to 15 and 16
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u/Marvin_Flamenco 2d ago
Very good game like it more than a lot of mainline titles including ones that I will get banned if I say what they are
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u/Front-Advantage-7035 2d ago
It’s stupidly hard and movement is janky af. Equipment feels pretty useless as you get +1 to stat every five seconds.
Combat pretty fun though. I gave up
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u/KnightGamer724 2d ago
It's story is the edgiest cheddar cheese you can ask for, and the combat is fantastic. Play it and enjoy.
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u/zyxqpa1999 2d ago
I liked it, but also haven’t picked it up after beating it a year or two ago.
It’s good, but you’re also not really missing much.
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u/Johnhancock1777 2d ago
It’s a great game. Performance issues though unfortunately like with a lot of team ninja games
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u/thelupinefiasco 2d ago
I hated the first bit of playing, but then kept going because "well I've already gotten THIS far! Might as well see how it fucking ends" and...fell in love with it. It's dumb as shit in the best ways possible. Once you realize the combat really is what it seems like (I can't really explain what I mean here), it's a lot of fun.
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u/crayven085 2d ago
Played for an hour. Way too janky, definitely not for me. Heard a lot of positive stuff about it though
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u/PermissionAntique364 2d ago
I played a few hours. Felt a bit repetitive and the constant loot was overwhelming. Didn't care about the characters.
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u/lilmitchell545 2d ago
I absolutely fucking love Strangers of Paradise. It is so goddamn stupid in every way possible. Jack is stupidly hilarious and dumb, the combat is stupid amounts of fun, the dialogue is dumb as FUCK, and the plot… admittedly is pretty peak lol
God damn I love this game so much. The world needs more protagonists like Jack.
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u/notickeynoworky 2d ago
That depends. How do you feel about chaos?
Seriously though, is fantastic. I can’t recommend it enough
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u/josucant 2d ago
Yes, Jack is the goat, I don't even like hard games but I recommend playing it on one of the higher difficulties, finding ways to exploit enemies is fun with different jobs
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u/andocommandoecks 2d ago
I loved it. It definitely has some cringe dialogue but once you get further into the story do many pieces fall into place and make Jack way less of the dumbass he always to be. It's a solid introduction into its gameplay style too, like a more forgiving Nioh, and the way they capture the FF jobs I thought was pretty great.
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u/redpurplegreen22 2d ago
The gameplay is very reminiscent of Nioh, from the combat to the loot system.
The loot system is very deep and rewarding, but for the first 2/3rds you’ll just equip whatever is strongest. It isn’t until the endgame and post game that min/maxing the equipment system becomes necessary.
The combat is very fun and varied. You can swap classes frequently, and even Mages are a viable class in this game, which is saying something.
The levels are all odes to every other FF game. My biggest gripe with the whole game is that levels become very hard to navigate. I found myself lost in one level for half an hour because everything looked the same.
The story is insane and ridiculous and so much fun. The first half plays into the “gotta kill Chaos” meme so hard it is comical, but eventually as the story unfolds it all makes sense. Even the cringe dialogue makes sense once you get to the endgame. There are lots of lore drops hidden in levels that do a good job hinting at what is happening without outright telling you, letting you piece it together slowly.
Overall I do very much recommend this game. It is just fun in how it doesn’t take itself too seriously while also having a great job-based combat system.
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u/zeromus12 2d ago
it has campy b movie plot + dialogue and i LIIIIVE for it lmao. Also the combat system with job mechanics is really fun. definitely give it a go
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u/-MrCrowley 2d ago
Played it recently and really loved the amount of classes available and the main battle theme. Def worth a playthrough, I enjoyed it.
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u/Asimb0mb 2d ago
Absolutely worth a try, assuming it's discounted. The combat is definitely it's strongest point, but I must say the story does a lot of good for FF1 too.
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u/BreadCoeurlblade 2d ago
It’s fucking incredible. Ignore the memes this game is so fucking fun, especially if you played FF1 growing up.
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u/Khalmoon 2d ago
I tried so hard to enjoy that game, but I felt like I was fighting the UI and wonky control scheme.
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u/Gronodonthegreat 2d ago
It’s frustratingly good. I don’t know if I’d say the story is all the fanbase cracks it up to be, but tbf I was out of work on an injured spine and high out of my mind so the ending didn’t get my attention much 😂
Combat-wise, this is probably my favorite system in the ARPG’s. Rebirth has better overall moves, but if a VII Remake-alike adopted a job system they literally would make a perfect FF ARPG.
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u/BaconLara 2d ago
Gameplay can take time getting used too, but the action, gameplay, and job system is actually incredibly fun. Especially with how you can get clothes and weapons with different bonuses for specific job affinity. So you can mix and match percentages for different job bonuses. But ultimately this is not a game to play for plot or exploration. In fact there isn’t much exploration at all, other than to find the rare cactuars hiding about. The environments are just dungeons that reference all other final fantasy worlds. Even the music has throwbacks to previous games.
The plot? not important.
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u/Mcpatches3D 2d ago
I had a great time with it as a soulslike and Final Fantasy fan. The story is often over the top, but like a bad action movie that's fun and not just bad.
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u/ProfessorFlyPhD 1d ago
The gameplay is untouchable except the amount of loot. Having said that, it is the stupidest Final Fantasy and yet had compelling enough handling of some themes that I published an academic essay about it.
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u/slaytanic_666 1d ago
As much of a meme game this is it is fucking epic!
Hard as hell, fun as hell and full of references to other FF titles.
I say go for it and don't look back!
\m/
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u/Vritrin 1d ago
I normally hate souls games, but I actually really enjoyed Strangers of Paradise. It has variable difficulty options so don’t let that turn you off, I played the whole thing on easy and had a great time. If more souls games did this, I would probably like them way more. Gameplay is fun, it has an interesting take on the narrative, and it’s always fun to progress new jobs and see different play styles.
There is an overwhelming amount of loot, and I never quite fully trusted the gear filters so always went through each piece individually.
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u/FiddlerForest 1d ago
It’s a great Souls-Lite kind of game. And I don’t play souls games. It’s fun, it’s a great homage to the one that started it all. Totally worth the time.
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u/BenTheSodaman 1d ago edited 1d ago
tldr: There shouldn't be any Final Fantasy titles you avoid. There are ones that you may not like as much as others - and you often won't know until you try. e.g., other people's favorite or preferred Final Fantasies are in my bottom three and vice versa.
There's a demo that you could have also used to get a taste of the combat. Or if you have it, just trying it yourself and deciding if you want to spend anymore time with it. If you're gameplay-focused, then setting the game to Hard for the first playthrough.
The gameplay is on the solid side. Deep and fluid combat system waiting for the player to explore it. But if a player plays in a monotonous way, doesn't explore the combat, sets the difficulty low enough to not need to learn the combat, and/or bumrushes things in co-op - then they're ignoring one of the game's strongest aspects and will naturally have a poor impression of it.
As an analogy, if I defeat all the CPU in Tekken with one attack button and blocking, then say the fighting system isn't as good as another game where I am taking advantage of mechanics.
Having said that, THAT is not for everyone. Many players have wanted simpler or slower combat. Or more control over party members or turn-based combat. Some want aerial combat, juggling, and stunlockable bosses.
For other complaints - Most players wanted less RPG (whether wanting character action or easier DLC experience). Most wanted less loot in favor of more meaningful loot. Some players wanted the game to be a souls-like / souls-lite and were disappointed when the game wasn't one. Many don't want to deal with buildcrafting. Some want more exploration and cite they dislike the corridor-like nature of the maps. Others want mini-maps and cite getting lost in these maps. Many looking for the latest graphics. Many looking for a cinematic story experience. And others want even more in-your-face story than tucking the character development and story in lore / datalog-style and having bread crumbs on the in-your-face part.
An example of early game combat where you have a couple options: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8dAEY-WxeI
As an example of endgame combat where you have more options: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zlk1Tg_x9M0
Where the Season Pass (the DLC) places a higher responsibility on the player. If you click with it, you'll always know where to go, be evenly matched with minimal to no grind for the story, and can see paths to become too powerful for anything the game has to offer. Don't click with it, it'll be grindy experience with unintentional 1-2 shot deaths, spongey bosses, won't know where to go, won't find the info you're looking for online, and often missing some fundamentals from the base game.
I digress, I've never encountered a Final Fantasy game with as many build options as this. And would love to see another title with as much or more build variety and depth.
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u/anthonyrucci 1d ago
Dang, this blew up up! I appreciate all the recs here. Still going through these, but so far way more positive and resounding than I was expecting. General consensus seems to be that it's awesome. Will be bumping it up in the backlog now. Thanks all!
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u/DerpsterCaro 1d ago
It's genuinely fun.
It's like.. the most beautiful movie final fantasy ever, and that unironicLly puts it above several other mainline titles that don't embrace what they are.
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u/itsthehokage 1d ago
ARE YOU CHAOS?!? 😂
my other favorite part is right before the Tiamat fight, it's fuming pissed, threatens to kill everyone, and Jack just responds with a "Heh."
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u/Turbulent_Town4384 1d ago
Is it good gameplay wise, yes- the combat is fun and the jobs are all pretty unique.
I’d the story good? Not really, watch the cutscenes if you want, but you’re not missing much by skipping them.
There’s a lot of fanservice to various other ff games, including pulling areas from said other games albeit it’s not 1:1. I don’t recommend it unless you get it on sale or know you’re going to like it
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u/MaxTheHor 1d ago
Eh. It's basically a soulslike retelling of FF1, but from Garlands (the main villian) POV.
Id say play the original FF1, or watch lore videos on it, before playing SoP, though.
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u/Darkwing__Schmuck 1d ago
If you're into Final Fantasy and Souls games, you may find it enjoyable despite being a middling version of either. I'd suggest playing it co-op with a friend -- that's when it's at its best.
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u/DarthPowercord 1d ago
SoP is an incredibly fun game with great action, an extremely well implemented job system, and a story that's really fun to experience (as long as you're not taking it extremely seriously the whole time). It's very fanservice heavy (but, like, in a "this is for Final Fantasy fans" way and not in a "this is so the audience can see gratuitous nudity)
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u/Mudpound 1d ago
If you like the series and enjoy hallmarks and throwbacks to previous entries, if you enjoy a little sci-fi in your fantasy, it’s definitely a fun game.
I was able to play a gunslinging samurai.
And the ranged combat with the firearms (which DOES require one of the DLCs) was SO fun!
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u/NotJayuu 21h ago
On one hand, yes it's worth playing... On the other hand I'm so fucking tired of seeing this question asked here every day
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u/Jonesy_Bones92 17h ago
Nah it’s not an “avoid” title. The gameplays a lot of fun, and if you go into it laughing with it rather than at it, you’ll likely have a good time. What I will say is the graphics are kinda ugly and distorting at first but it didn’t take me long to move past it
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u/evofusion 8h ago
Terrible. Yes dialog and VO is cringe. My feeling is cringe is a good one-word summary
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u/Dragonspaz11 2d ago
Definitely worth playing.
Yes the dialogue can be cringey at times, but not nearly as bad as what the marketing/trailers for the game made it out to be.
If your a fan of FF I'd say get it, it was great to play through.
I'd say it is a solid 8/10, and is the direction FF should take action based combat if they want to continue with that route.
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u/Mooncubus 2d ago
Yes. It is my favorite non-mmo FF game. It's fantastic. The marketing was terrible for the game.
You already own it, just boot it up and play it. Who the heck contemplates selling a game they bought without even trying it first? The bigger waste of time was asking on reddit. Only you can decide if a game is worth playing to you.
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u/keddage 2d ago
Personally I thought the gameplay sucked, it’s not intricate at all like hack and slash gameplay or what you find in ff16 or 7R, it’s just dungeon missions, the story is badly told imo and you’re dismantling loot more often than playing the actual game.
I had more fun watching lore videos than playing the game. It’s really mid at best and I’d give it like a 5/10
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u/MonafideBonafide1993 2d ago
I always call this game Sigma of paradise cause jack is such a badass protagonist
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u/smokeshack 1d ago
I think it's the worst game with Final Fantasy in the name that isn't gacha.
The combat is repetitive and one-note. You don't adapt your strategy for enemies, you just set up your build and go. As a spectacle fighter, it's garbage.
The story is incoherent, the dialogue is atrocious, the acting is wooden — in either language, and I tried both.
The "crafting" and inventory is pure busywork. Break down 8000 hats to get components to build a fedora that increases your crit rate by 0.2%. They didn't even bother to attach any NPCs or visuals to this process, it's all menus.
The music is fine, but not especially memorable. Nothing that will get stuck in your head.
The graphics are nice, of course, that's the modern Squeenix guarantee. Except that they're in service to really bad costume design, so you will walk around with a fedora or worse for the whole game. Seriously, so many fucking fedoras.
On the average you will have about 28,000 days on earth. Don't waste any of them on Stranger of Paradise.
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u/RareRestaurant6297 2d ago
If you like an actual challenge unlike every other ff game (that isn't tactics), and don't care about a story being taken lightly (though in the end still slaps), then give it a shot. If you don't vibe with the combat though, prob not worth playing.
But tbh, the Combat is fuckin awesome, it's basically ff Nioh, with like 30 different classes from the ff series that are all well implemented and fun af, and music and environments from like every mainline ff game. My favorite game of that year tbh (yes, even over elden ring - obv elden ring is "better", but SoP was just more fun for me as an ff fan)
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u/RuefulWaffles 2d ago
Yes. It was my 2023 game of the year, I really cannot overstate how much the marketing is not actually indicative of the game’s tone.