The Stranger of Paradise Demo Is Unapologetically Cringe
The Stranger of Paradise Demo Is Unapologetically Cringe
Since the announcement at E3 2021, Team Ninja Stranger from Heaven Final Fantasy Origin has been a hotbed of shitty posts and memes. These memes are mostly related to scenes taken out of context from the life of the protagonist Jack Garland. musical tastes, and his unbridled obsession killing “Chaos.” Before running the third demo of the game, I was under the impression that Stranger from Paradise’s clumsy dialogue and tone was an Internet exaggeration and that the game itself, as seen in this latest demo, will be more subdued. I was wrong. That quirky tone to the fullest, and Stranger from Paradise is getting ready to be the funniest last fantasy game I have ever played.
Plot Stranger from Paradise linked to the first in 1987 final fantasy, a game where the world is plunged into Chaos after the four elemental crystals that keep it balanced is plunged into darkness. A prophecy in the kingdom of Cornelia foretells four warriors of light who will save the world from darkness, and Jack Garland pulled from another planet may be one of them. Stranger from ParadiseThe premise feels like standard fantasy, but when played, it stands out how the game relies on absurd tonal shifts between scenes, all the way to sitcom-style dynamics amidst Jack’s party.
The opening scenes of the demo perfectly reflect Stranger from Paradisestrange tone. That cinematic opening begins in a dark castle bathed in thunderstorm light as a legion of protection is gutted by a tall knight who then kidnaps the princess. The demo then shows the start of a boss fight between Jack’s squad and a multi-headed dragon in some kind of factory.
So far, everything has been very dark high fantasy, but then the pre-combat training cutscene hit me with this tonal whiplash. The scene begins with Jack walking across a seemingly endless prairie. Accompanied by a rendition of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way,” which can be heard in-game. Final trailer. The musical selection of the scene, which looked like a YouTube fan editor had somehow landed on my screen. Left me stunned, especially given the foreboding intro video just minutes before. But not only did it not put me off the game, but it spurred my desire to know what other vile shit is. Stranger from Paradise has in stock.
The other main source of this delightful cringe is the interaction between Jack and his group. When they are first introduced, Jed, Jack, and Ash grunt tensely at each other. Before showing off their crystals, essentially cool vibrating rocks, like schoolchildren. After learning that they are all on the same mission to fix the crystals and kill Chaos, they engage in a wacky three-way punch and instantly become best friends.
As far as personalities are concerned, Jed acts like the carefree party prankster while I watch Ash like a team Barrett not only because he is black. But also because he is a brawler with a heart of gold. Neon, which ended the game at the beginning, serves as a foil. Jack, a man of few words and many grunts, reminds me of the RE6Chris Redfield era with his bulky, awkward presence and stilted speech. Replace Chris’ alcoholism with a Chaos-killing fever, and they are essentially twins.
Jack
Jack really, really can’t let Chaos go. Every time he opens his mouth, nine times out of 10, he says how much he wants to kill Chaos. Before the group sets off, Jack goes so far as to compare his mission to defeat Chaos to an insatiable hunger or thirst. On the other hand, his group either completely ignores him, plays along with his endless rantings like a drunken guy they don’t want to piss off, or wonders if their intended mission is even possible.
At one point, Jack calls the denial bullshit, leading to the infamous cutscene of him running out of the castle screaming metal music from his phone. After playing the game, the scene is even funnier as it cuts to a party going from the castle entrance, and Jack is still playing the same song, implying that he ignored everyone to the entrance to one of the demo’s longest levels.
When someone hints, “Yeah, we’re still fixing those crystals or something, but you need to calm down with all this Chaos stuff,” does Jack back off? Not. His objection is equivalent to the kid saying “no-ah,” which means that my amusement at his antics turns into non-ironic pity. This guy needs not only Chaos but also a psychotherapist.
Lest you get the wrong impression, there’s real gameplay in between the frantic narrative, and so far, I’m enjoying it. As you’d expect from Team Ninja, combat is fluid, and some fun abilities make it easy. Jack has an enhanced form called Bringer of Light, which allows him to easily deal with a crowd of enemies. Soul Burst’s mechanic allows you to recover MP from stunned enemies by turning them into red geodes. Before they explode with a satisfying pop. Soul Shields require careful timing, knocking enemies back and allowing you to mourn them further. Projectile reflections are also present. This solid set of moves, along with a whole cavalcade of switchable weapons and missions, had me on the run, looking for opportunities to experiment with squad building.
While I’m on the fence regarding Stranger from ParadiseThe humor is completely intentional, I left feeling much more compelled to check out the final game. While its real-time combat system effectively quenched my itch in crunchy skill-based combat, it was overshadowed by my desire to know if Jack’s belief in Chaos (and killing him?) would ever come true. It’s partly out of a need for some kind of closure after listening to him babble on that one topic in every damn conversation, but also out of burning curiosity as to what this maniac will do if and when he finds himself rights. I believe in you, Jack, even if you listen to Limp Bizkit.
Stranger from Paradise is scheduled to release March 18 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via the Epic Games Store.
