It took me some time to determine how Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin’s darker story and blunt characters would all coalesce right into a satisfying narrative. Then, inside the recreation’s closing hours, some large twists and revelations shocked me to my core as they thematically redefined your entire expertise. Nine months later, Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin nonetheless has my favourite online game ending of 2022.
As such, I needed to replicate on why this ending caught with me and study extra about its creation. To learn the way it got here to be, I spoke to Kazushige Nojima, the founding father of Stellavista Ltd., which helped craft the story and state of affairs for Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin and was the state of affairs author for a lot of different notable RPGs like Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy X, and Kingdom Hearts.
“I joined the team after some development had progressed, and at that point, Jack’s fate was already decided,” he defined to Digital Trends in an unique interview. “My job was to organize the various story elements, which at the time were in disorder, into a united pathway to the ending.”
And what an ending it was. Be warned that spoilers for Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin are to observe on this breakdown of what made the ending so particular, which options perception from a developer that helped create its bombastic narrative.
You don’t know Jack
Although Nojima admits that “the philosophy of the characters, the events that occur, and the storyline that leads up to what happens to Jack, in the end, were the result of much trial and error,” the ultimate model of Stranger of Paradise is intelligent in the way it units up for a conclusion with most shock worth. For a lot of the sport, its plot appears pretty easy and surface-level.
The recreation is a couple of group of heroes on a quest to revive the 4 Elemental Crystals round Cornelia to avoid wasting the land from darkness. It’s a story actually as previous because the Final Fantasy sequence itself. But, one thing feels a bit off the entire time as most of the characters — particularly the participant character Jack Garland — appear laughably single-minded and stoic regardless of the search they’re participating in. While this ends in some moments that appear unintentionally humorous for lots of the sport’s runtime, it’s all turned on its head within the recreation’s closing hours.
Upon defeating Astos, a Dark Elf who’s been taunting gamers all through the sport, Jack learns he’s a Stranger. Strangers are brokers for a race of beings referred to as the Lufinians, who launch their darkness into the land of Cornelia and ship brokers to quell it; if the darkness will get too harsh or combines with emotion to grow to be Chaos, they’ll simply reset your entire world. This revelation recontextualizes Jack’s primary and bland persona as we uncover he’s somebody who’s had their reminiscence wiped and brainwashed to have a single aim: defeat darkness and Chaos.
With the demise of Astos, [Jack] felt a unhappiness which he had by no means earlier than skilled.
Ahead of its launch, Stranger of Paradise was topic to memes and mock attributable to how ridiculous its characters have been. At this second within the story, although, the sport flips that notion on its head as we study that they’re individuals caught in a merciless, countless cycle. Nojima highlighted why Astos’ demise is a essential second in Jack’s journey.
“In Cornelia, Jack had only the joys of fighting: the anger towards the enemies that blocked his path and the happiness from basking in his victories,” he explains. “His mental state was quite stable at that time; however, with the death of Astos, he felt a sadness which he had never before experienced.”
From this level onward, Jack reveals extra emotion, even when it’s initially simply confusion and unhappiness, than he ever did earlier than. And we haven’t even hit the sport’s most memorable twist but.
Betrayal
Defeating Astos releases an ideal darkness onto the world, and Cornelia is succumbing to it when Jack and his mates return. They do their finest to attempt to get Princess Sarah out of the city, however she is killed. After this, a flashback reveals that she and Jack have been romantically concerned in a earlier cycle and that Jack is definitely Garland, the villain of the unique Final Fantasy. When Jack is at his lowest, he’s betrayed by Jed, Ash, Neon, and Sofia, occasion members gamers have relied on for your entire recreation and who Jack thought have been his mates.
“With Sarah’s death, his sadness reached a breaking point, and the balance was lost,” Nojima says. “As a result, the Darkness Manifest arose in Jack’s soul. Ash and his friends saw this moment as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and took action — that’s how I see it.”
In my eyes, this second cements that Stranger of Paradise is an antithesis of kinds to the Final Fantasy sequence. We’re so used to the sequence’ system of warriors combating away something darkish or chaotic that we’ve by no means actually questioned what conditions would possibly name for some chaos. And by making a component core to nearly each Final Fantasy recreation betray the participant, the sport clearly demonstrates the way it’s breaking sequence norms.
I like how this ties into gameplay, as I used to be pressured to battle the occasion members I spent so lengthy combating with and selecting gear for. It’s a online game twist I received’t quickly neglect. Although Nojima declined to touch upon the place Stranger of Paradise stands thematically amid your entire sequence, he did break down why this second is so essential to the sport’s story.
“To save Cornelia from the Darkness Manifest, there was a need to tie together a great swell of emotions — a mixture of joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure — to darkness in order to birth Chaos, and then to use Chaos to sever the connection to Lufenia,” Nojima says. “Warriors in the armor of Chaos, so to speak, were needed, and for that, Jack, a superb warrior, was the right man for the job. Ash, Jed, and their friends understood this logic well, and at the moment Jack lost control of his emotions, they exposed themselves as enemies to trigger him to go over his limit.”
Defying expectations
Due to the extreme emotion attributable to his mates’ betrayal, Jack succumbs to Chaos. The story may’ve ended right here and nonetheless tied into the primary Final Fantasy recreation fairly effectively, but it surely goes a step additional. Jack instantly confronts Lufinia, bored with the truth that a gaggle of individuals received’t get their fingers soiled as they ask individuals to do the identical factor repeatedly for his or her profit. In Nojima’s eyes, Jack’s defiance was a literal, character-driven choice.
“I keep in mind the principle that stories of people who take on a great enemy, or rise against an injustice created by immense power, cannot help but stir up some kind of emotion in the heart of the recipient,” he says.” I imagine that is additionally mirrored in Jack’s look as effectively.”
Personally, I see some extra thematic depth to this second and that concept of defiance. It looks like the sport is defying the expectations that include being a brand new Final Fantasy title, whether or not these calls for be from Square Enix or the followers. Regardless of what’s being rebelled towards, at its core, it’s saying to embrace your feelings and combat for what you imagine in, even when that ends in just a little little bit of chaos.
I bear in mind feeling assured that we had a compelling story.
Jack is ready to efficiently defeat Darkness Manifest, defy the Lufininans, and is shipped 2,000 years into the previous by his mates. Here, within the recreation’s closing moments, we study that this was all a grasp plan that Jack Garland had crafted, though he didn’t realize it whereas doing it. He lays out why this was obligatory with the sport’s closing line, spoken after years have handed when he resembles the model of Garland gamers first meet on the Chaos Shrine within the unique Final Fantasy.
“Cloaked in gloom and veiled by shadow, we await that fateful day when the Warriors of Light arise. Although their glow may be faint at first, even a sputtering candle is brilliant against the black of night. And so we have but one choice … We will plunge this world into the depths of darkness.”
Finale Fantasy
This closing second is critically essential to the sport’s story, because it affirms that gamers should recontextualize their complete expertise enjoying Stranger of Paradise. I loved replaying the sport and noticing small clues that one thing was off, like how all the degrees are seemingly primarily based on different Final Fantasy video games, which may have been worlds the Lufinians reset. According to Nojima, he constructed the entire recreation round that closing line to make sure it was as thematically poignant because the builders needed it to be.
“Upon learning that the producer and director liked Jack’s line at the ending, I remember feeling confident that we had a compelling story — what was left was just how to connect it all to this line,” Nojima explains.
I do think about this story to be a prequel to the unique Final Fantasy; nevertheless, it is only one attainable interpretation of it.
Stranger of Paradise’s ending is so memorable as a result of it’s when Jack ascends from being a gruff dude-bro to a intelligent mastermind keen to tear energy constructions down so the true Warriors of Light can come. The recreation urges its gamers to talk up and defy beings of energy when they’re unjust, even when some would possibly see that motion as questionable and chaotic. Despite that, Stranger of Paradise could be thought-about a villain origin story for Garland. But is Jack Garland actually a villain? Nojima doesn’t suppose so.
“There may have been a moment where Jack could be perceived as a villain,” he says. “However, those who doubt their own righteousness cannot remain a villain. Viewed overall, I think he is a hero.”
Now, only one extra query in regards to the recreation stays: Is Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin a prequel to Final Fantasy, or is it simply imagined to be a defiant story that stands by itself? Square Enix’s messaging has been unclear, as artistic producer Tetsuya Nomura advised Famitsu that it’s merely a recreation “inspired by” that first Final Fantasy title. Nojima was a lot clearer on the connection.
“Yes, I do consider this story to be a prequel to the original Final Fantasy; however, it is just one possible interpretation of it,” Nojima tells Digital Trends. “If there is an opportunity, I’d like to write other interpretations as well.”
For what may’ve simply been a easy origin story, Stranger of Paradise went above and past with this unbelievable ending. Within simply the final couple of hours, the sport reveals a strong, private, and nuanced message that permeates all through your entire recreation as soon as you recognize what it’s. For its thematic depth, ties to gameplay, and total shock issue, Stranger of Paradise’s ending was my favourite one in a recreation this yr.
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is out there now for PC, PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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