Summary
It’s safe to say that Square Enix’sStranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Originnever quite got the fair shot it arguably deserved. DescribingStranger of Paradiseas a “Final FantasySoulslike” already set it up to be held to nigh-impossible standards, and the first trailer and demo (not to mention the parade of “CHAOS!” memes) only contributed to the pile-on in a way that made the game feel like it was destined to fail. However, behind some of the more questionable dialogue and presentation choices,Stranger of Paradisewould end up being an incredibly competent action RPG and even tell a greatFinal Fantasystory, begging the question of how the series could continue by adapting otherFinal Fantasynarratives.
Taking the most threadbare story in the franchise and reexamining it from an alternate perspective,Stranger of Paradisehas some interesting connections to and implications for the narrative ofthe originalFinal Fantasy. But the first game in the series is far from the only title in theFinal Fantasyfranchise whose story could use a deeper look and a change in perspective. If theStranger of Paradiseseries continues, it could shed more light on other underdevelopedFinal Fantasynarratives, withFinal Fantasy 2andFinal Fantasy 8taking priority as ideal candidates.
Final Fantasy 2’s Star Wars-Themed Narrative Deserves a Second Look
For all the important ways thatFinal Fantasy 2would establish series convention moving forward, the game can’t seem to shake its place as the “black sheep” of the franchise. Of course, players' dissatisfaction withFinal Fantasy 2largely rests on the game’s somewhat confusing and needlessly complex progression systems, which offer unprecedented freedom at the cost of accessibility. Objectively speaking, though,Final Fantasy 2’s storyis leaps and bounds ahead of the original game’s, and its gameplay shortcomings make it a prime candidate to receive theStranger of Paradisetreatment with an action RPG that reimagines both elements.
Final Fantasy 2’s story centers around a band of rebels fighting against an oppressive empire, and the similarities withStar Warsdon’t stop there. Getting to understand the origins of the conflict between the Palamecian Empire and the Wild Rose Rebellion would be fertile narrative ground for aStranger of Paradisesequel to cover, and the main adventuring party’s “blank slate” approach to character classes and abilities fits perfectly within the context ofStranger of Paradise’s Job System. That it would serve as a direct follow-up to the first game’s reimagining of the firstFinal Fantasyis just icing on the cake.
Final Fantasy 8’s Time Travel Story Lends Itself Perfectly to a Stranger of Paradise Follow-Up
Another of the more misunderstood games in theFinal Fantasyseries is the polarizingFinal Fantasy 8. Square’s bold choice to follow up the breakthroughsuccess ofFinal Fantasy 7with the mechanically complexFinal Fantasy 8did little to diminish the title’s commercial success, but the perception of fans toward the title has somewhat cooled in the intervening decades. With the likelihood of an officialFinal Fantasy 8remake looking very slim, a better option might be to reimagine the game’s events from the perspective of aStranger of Paradise-style spin-off.
The story ofFinal Fantasy 8is similar to the originalFinal Fantasyin that it centers around a group of heroes attempting to paradoxically stop a self-fulfilling prophecy through time travel. Not only that, the game features a whole series of sequences in which players control deuteragonist Laguna and his two allies, setting up the perfect context for a prequel game that connects to the events of the main story. Ultimecia is one of theFinal Fantasyseries' most compelling villainsdespite her being somewhat underutilized, and a second chance in the spotlight in aStranger of Paradisesequel could give the sorceress her due.
