Stranger of Paradise might be the biggest surprise for me this year. I went into this game fully expecting its ridiculous, meme-worthy story and combat to put me off, and was (happily) deceived. If you're like me, there's a fair bit to love.
I can't say for sure how much this actually leans towards the stylings of a game like Nioh, but Team Ninja definitely seems to have taken a very "if it ain't broke" approach to the action here -- it'd be hard to deny to a layman that they look similar in terms of its pacing. Still, FF-isms are abound, from some of the series' iconic baddies to a multitude of jobs both new and returning, offering a number of different play styles to would-be Chaos slayers. I think the game truly shines in multi-play, which allows up to 3 players to gather together and absolutely plow through the opposition with a mixture of aggressive abilities. Loot is a bit of a mess, as each stage throws an absurd surplus of useless junk at you with the expectation that you're going to dismantle it to upgrade the stuff that REALLY counts. The stuff that REALLY counts, though, comes few and far between while you're actually playing through story content; every subsequent stage features a significant jump in the recommended gear score, so more like than not you'll be constantly reequipping Jack and his companions to match. None of it really seems to matter until the post-game and unlockable difficulty, where more tailored gear starts dropping and the min-max of gear sets becomes a bit more crucial for progression.
Plot-wise, SOP plays out like blockbuster action schlock -- I've already made comparisons to a fellow FF franchise (The Fast and the Furious), playing fast and loose with the actual storytelling in favor of high-intensity set pieces and corny dialogue. Although the game's presentation w/r/t its story never really turns the corner, and some of its more heartfelt moments might feel a little less-than-earned, it somehow...works, amidst a grander-picture recontextualization of the original Final Fantasy's backdrop. There are some twists and turns that you might have seen coming all the way back from the game's 2021 reveal, but the fun is definitely in the ride, not the destination. Nojima, Nomura and co. definitely stay up to their usual high-concept, multidimensional, timey-wimey bullshit, but in a setting where none of that really impedes on a core story (because there is shockingly little core story to begin with) it comes off as just more fuel for a wild fire.
In other words, kick back and enjoy the roller coaster.
I can't say for sure how much this actually leans towards the stylings of a game like Nioh, but Team Ninja definitely seems to have taken a very "if it ain't broke" approach to the action here -- it'd be hard to deny to a layman that they look similar in terms of its pacing. Still, FF-isms are abound, from some of the series' iconic baddies to a multitude of jobs both new and returning, offering a number of different play styles to would-be Chaos slayers. I think the game truly shines in multi-play, which allows up to 3 players to gather together and absolutely plow through the opposition with a mixture of aggressive abilities. Loot is a bit of a mess, as each stage throws an absurd surplus of useless junk at you with the expectation that you're going to dismantle it to upgrade the stuff that REALLY counts. The stuff that REALLY counts, though, comes few and far between while you're actually playing through story content; every subsequent stage features a significant jump in the recommended gear score, so more like than not you'll be constantly reequipping Jack and his companions to match. None of it really seems to matter until the post-game and unlockable difficulty, where more tailored gear starts dropping and the min-max of gear sets becomes a bit more crucial for progression.
Plot-wise, SOP plays out like blockbuster action schlock -- I've already made comparisons to a fellow FF franchise (The Fast and the Furious), playing fast and loose with the actual storytelling in favor of high-intensity set pieces and corny dialogue. Although the game's presentation w/r/t its story never really turns the corner, and some of its more heartfelt moments might feel a little less-than-earned, it somehow...works, amidst a grander-picture recontextualization of the original Final Fantasy's backdrop. There are some twists and turns that you might have seen coming all the way back from the game's 2021 reveal, but the fun is definitely in the ride, not the destination. Nojima, Nomura and co. definitely stay up to their usual high-concept, multidimensional, timey-wimey bullshit, but in a setting where none of that really impedes on a core story (because there is shockingly little core story to begin with) it comes off as just more fuel for a wild fire.
In other words, kick back and enjoy the roller coaster.