Final Fantasy VII Remake in regards to its ending, as both games require knowledge of their original stories in order to understand what is going on. Stranger of Paradise was originally billed as being a retelling of FF1 in an action RPG game, but later trailers revealed that there was more to the story.
[Warning: Spoilers for the endings of Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, Final Fantasy VII Remake, and the INTERmission DLC follow.]
The first Stranger of Paradise demo starred a character named Jack and his two friends, who introduced themselves as the Warriors of Light. At the end of the demo, they battle a being who looks just like Garland, the first boss of FF1. The later demos and previews of Stranger of Paradise revealed that the boss was actually a woman named Neon, who becomes a party member, and that Jack was Garland the whole time. The promotional material then started to hint that Stranger of Paradise would be the story of Garland's downfall, explaining how he went from being a respected knight to the villain who wanted to transform into a god.
Stranger of Paradise is available early, via some of the digital editions offering early access to the game. The story of Stranger of Paradise is already out there, with videos of its ending available online. The story isn't the focus of Stranger of Paradise, as it's more about fast-paced action with a Final Fantasy flavor. That said, those who are in it for the story might be left disappointed if they haven't played the original FF1, as Stranger of Paradise shares the same issue as FF7 Remake.
Stranger Of Paradise Is A Truncated Retelling Of The Original Final Fantasy
Stranger of Paradise is a retelling of the original Final Fantasy on the NES, though it has considerably less story and some elements have been removed altogether. There are some story elements that are clearly being saved for DLC, as Stranger of Paradise's Season has Bahamut. In FF1, the player could visit Bahamut to upgrade their jobs, but his section now appears to be part of the Season . The story of Stranger of Paradise features many of the same locations and bosses as FF1, but the context is different. Jack and his friends are unsure if they're the Warriors of Light, even though they are performing the same duties and are restoring light to the four orbs. They travel the world and defeat the Four Fiends, culminating in a battle with Kraken in the Underwater Shrine, but then things start to go wrong.
The Ending Won't Make Sense To Those Who Haven't Played FF1
A lot has been said about Stranger of Paradise's Chaos memes, but those who know the story of FF1 know that Jack is destined to become Chaos. At the end of the game, Jack embraces the power of Chaos, in order to strike out at the advanced Lufenian race, who have been manipulating the world to keep the lower races and kingdoms in check, and to prevent the spread of Chaos. They have been doing this by using technology to send "strangers" back in time, with their memories wiped each time. Before Jack can succeed, the Lufenians attempt to isolate him from reality. Jack is then sent 2000 years back in time to the Chaos Shrine, where he encounters the Four Fiends, who are actually his former party . It's revealed that the Fiends used their power to send Jack back in time, in order to save him. They had been planning to turn him into Chaos the whole time and they all conspire to prepare the way for the actual Warriors of Light in the future.
This story twist is Stranger of Paradise's version of FF1's Time Loop. In FF1, Garland is killed by the Warriors of Light during the first boss battle, but he is sent back 2000 years in the past by the Four Fiends. The Warriors of Light then kill the Four Fiends in the present, then they travel back in time to kill the Four Fiends again. Finally, they meet Garland, who transforms into Chaos and acts as the final boss of the game. Stranger of Paradise's twist is that the time travel plot was to create the Warriors of Light, rather than giving Garland the chance to live forever by traveling through time.
FF7 Remake Had The Same Issue With Its Ending
The problem is that Stranger of Paradise never establishes that the Four Fiends from FF1 have time powers, so it comes out of nowhere during the final cutscene. Those who are familiar with the story of FF1 will see this coming, as it's a central part of the story, but it's not set up at all in Stranger of Paradise. The Lufenians have time travel technology, but it's never explained how the other characters can use it. The ending of Stranger of Paradise ties into the events of FF1, but it's going to come out of left field for those who never played FF1. The time travel plot involving the Four Fiends is introduced near the end of FF1, but in Stranger of Paradise, it's brought up in the last cutscene.
FF7 Remake's ending had the same problem. The developers assured fans that prior knowledge of FF7 wasn't needed to enjoy FF7 Remake, but that turned out to be (at least to some degree) false. Part of the ending of FF7 Remake involved a character named Zack Fair, who is an important part of the story of FF7 and even starred in Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-, but he never appears until the final hour of FF7 Remake and his significance is never explained. Zack went on to have an even bigger role in the ending of the INTERmission DLC for the game, where it's established that he's still alive in the new timeline. The ending will baffle anyone who isn't aware of the story of the original FF7 timeline, and Stranger of Paradise has the exact same issue.
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin will be released for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on March 18, 2022.
