Thirty-five years ago, the four warriors of the Light fought against the Garland fallen gentleman at the beginning of the first game of Final Fantasy. In more than one sense, that was just the beginning. Garland was the prologue of a much longer adventure for the warriors of light. He culminated with the revelation that a time loop trapped the world, and Garland was waiting for them once again at the end of his trip. For Fantasía Final, it followed a total of 14 direct sequelae (although narratively disconnected), with another on the way, as well as innumerable spin-offs. Final Fantasy is now one of the biggest videogame franchises of all time. Extraño del Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin represents the closing of a different time cycle for that franchise since, three and a half decades later, Square Enix returns to the original Fantasía Final bringing with it all the amplitude of the history of the franchise.
Extraño del Paraíso presents players like Jack, one of the warriors of light, which appears outside the doors of the Kingdom of Cornelia. Jack and the friends of him have no memory, but they share a burning desire to kill when they were called chaos. Even with the temple of chaos nearby, that trip is much more complicated and much more revealing than they expected. As in the original Fantasía Final, the warriors of light should return the light to four elementary crystals that bring balance to the world. On the way, they discover forgotten truths about the world and on themselves as they kill powerful monsters, including the four demons, the chaos servants that protect each of the crystals.
Extraño del Paraíso Play as a junction between a Soul-type action game and Destino Loot Shooter in the Final Fantasy style, with the characteristic work system of Final Fantasy that keeps it all together. There are 27 jobs in total to unlock, and players can choose two for Jack to change by simply pressing a button (other jobs can be accessed at any time through the menu, but it is not advisable to try this during combat). Jack and two other light warriors (controlled by AI in a single player and other players in online multiplayer mode) are involved in a brutal body-based combat with wave after monster wave, which culminates in an epic battle against bosses. Defeating these enemies requires dodging and blocking at the right time to load the Jack MP indicator, allowing you to unleash a variety of special skills, specific work powers and combined attacks to drain the health of a monster and reduce its indicator of rupture. If that rupture indicator is empty, Jack can unleash a heartbreaking auction to further increase the MP of it.
The combat requires concentration and can become deadly quickly if an enemy unbalanced Jack. Once murdered, it is likely that enemies release one or several pieces of equipment. Extraña del paraíso uses a level of equipment to measure how well the players are compared with the enemies in the next mission. This system means that players can carefully choose their equipment so that it best suits a specific construction and challenge or automatically equip it for that number as high as possible. The last option makes the game more accessible (as well as the level of difficulty “History” and the additional option “Casual Mode”). However, those who get involved in the First will get the most out of Extraño de paraíso.
That’s because Extraño del Paraíso It’s almost all combat all the time. Each mission sends players to a different location inspired somewhere else from the main Games of Final Fantasy. Some of these are incredibly different (it is difficult to confuse Fantasía Final XV the elegant architecture of ‘s or the green glow of the Mako Energy of Fantasía Final VII), others less (a Nevada mountain is a snow-covered mountain, come from the game that is). But the idea that Jack and Friends of Him “explore” these areas is, at best, nominal. There are no riddles to solve or platform segments to navigate. Jack moves from one room to another, eliminating the enemies waiting for him.
Fortunately, the work system keeps things fresh, at least for most of the game. Unlocking new jobs is exciting, and the ability to switch between them with ease means that players can always change things if they begin to get bored. The work affinity, acquired through the unlocking of equipment and skills, helps in this. Having work affinity means that he will get experience for that job even if he is not currently using it. The system helps alleviate what could otherwise be a tedious work routine for work for those interested in experimenting.
Unlock work is exciting, but once you have settled in a combo that you like, it is not difficult to dominate it unlocking all the skills in the work tree, even for expert works. After that, the brightness begins to be lost in the apparently endless combat scenarios of the game, especially because it continues to launch a little more powerful versions of the same monsters to the player until well entered the game.
Extraño del Paraíso It puts a dark fantasy turn in Fantasy Final The story with a little of a metatext touch. Environmental tributes in level designs are not simply Easter eggs, but background information for the plot, explained within the game for those who care enough to pay attention. The amnesia of Warriors of Light is also crucial for the history of the game, but it also makes it difficult to invest in the characters when all the players have to continue with their Bromantic link about killing Chaos. That lack of characterization is felt in the vocal dialogue and interpretations, although Mocean Melvin takes Jack well.
It does not help that the rhythm of the game is slow, with long sections of monster murders scored by brief scenes that offer movements in history. Unfortunately, the decision that Jack and friends from him use his battle team, which often includes a full facial coverage during the conversations, undermines these moments, causing dramatic scenes to often look absurd. It is a pity because the story that is, which revolves around a count of Fantasy, in a tragedy on the rupture of subjugation ties to the status quo, is appropriately epic and, at times, emotionally satisfying. One wonders what could have been if _Extraño del Paraíso had taken a shorter and more narratively focused design address.
It can be a challenge wrapping the head around Extraño del Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. On the one hand, it is completely immersed in the mythology of Final Fantasy. And yet, it is very far from a traditional game of Final Fantasy. In a way, it feels like an attempt to apply the remake of Final Fantasy VII approach to a much less suitable game for such treatment, with fascinating results, if not entirely successful. The fanatics of highly customizable action games will find a lot to love, but it is possible that they divorcent from the winks and tributes to the history of Final Fantasy. They will be players who have one foot in both worlds that enjoy the most of paradise_ but despite some narrative rhythm problems and a bit of exaggeration, most players will find that it is a fun and full fantasy adventure.
Classification : 3.5 out of 5
Extraña del Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin Releases in Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X / S on March 18. It was reviewed in a PlayStation 5 with a review code provided by the editor.