Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin finally has a Steam launch date of April 6th. Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is the first Soulslike game in the franchise and, despite its mixed reception, is definitely worth adding to the wishlist for any fans of the wildly popular genre.
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin was released almost a year ago for nearly every platform except Steam, having only launched for PC via the Epic Games Store. It is a prequel to the original Final Fantasy game that launched the whole franchise way back in 1987, although it's been stated that Stranger of Paradise isn't canon to that original universe. The game utilizes similar mechanics to Elden Ring and Dark Souls which constitute some of the most popular features in RPG gaming today. With Final Fantasy being one of the biggest JRPG franchises in the world, it makes sense that Square Enix would want to delve into this subgenre eventually.
Square Enix has confirmed the release date for the Steam launch of Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin on PC is April 6th, 2023. That means Steam players will finally be getting access to this title just over a year after the game's initial worldwide launch. The Steam library has full access to every other Final Fantasy game in the franchise currently available on PC.
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin went viral across gaming social media after its initial trailer came out. Many were excited to see a Final Fantasy game finally explore the controller-crushing challenges and combat of Soulslike games, and others were mostly poking fun at the edgy nature of the story and the gratuitous use of the word "chaos."
The game itself has been somewhat divisive among the Final Fantasy community. Story-wise, some reviews called the game out for being messy and confusing, along with the aforementioned edginess, while others were fond of the nostalgic throwbacks to many Final Fantasy 1 locations, characters, and events. Gameplay-wise, some reviews consider it a more accessible alternative for those too afraid to step into the harsh realities of games like Bloodborne and Nioh, while others consider it not challenging enough to be a real Soulslike. Regardless, Final Fantasy and Soulslike fans may be interested in checking out Stranger of Paradise when it hits Steam early next month.
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X with the Steam version coming April 6.