Square Enix Should Put Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin on the Switch 2

Next year, Square Enix’s Final Fantasy series will be ringing in its 40th anniversary. That’s four whole decades since the original Final Fantasy made the scene, introducing us to the Warriors of Light, the Four Fiends, the wicked knight Garland, and the big bad at the end of it all, Chaos. The series has come a long way since then, but it’s never been shy about going back to its origins when the occasion calls for it. One of the more unique instances of that happened during the franchise’s 35th anniversary back in 2022 when Square Enix joined forces with Team Ninja at Koei Tecmo to create Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin.

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is an action-RPG that leans hard into the mythology of the first game in the series. The idea behind the game was to present a darker, more brutal spin on the usual Final Fantasy formula, though it could be argued its efforts in this regard backfired in the best possible way. Team Ninja did what it does best by making the combat fun, challenging, and exciting. The story was written by Kazushige Nojima and Tomoco Kanemaki, and it may be the best-remembered part of the game. As one might expect from a writing team that included one of the minds behind Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy X, and Kingdom Hearts, the plot of Stranger of Paradise is as twisty as they come.

The gameplay has its share of strengths and weaknesses, and I’d be lying if I didn’t say it can be very repetitive at times. Yet the game has emerged as something of a cult classic in the years since its initial release, largely owing to the campy tone and the bizarrely likable jerk who serves as the game’s protagonist, Jack. Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is also a genuine love letter to the original game, filled to the brim with references and barely sensical connections to its plot. Whatever its failings may be, it’s something that is surprisingly easy for a Final Fantasy fan to appreciate.

Provided you play on just about any modern platform besides Nintendo’s, it’s an easy game to get ahold of these days. You can find it on sale quite frequently, and I strongly encourage you to take a chance on it if you’re even slightly curious about it. The only major platform it didn’t hit back in 2022 was the Nintendo Switch, and the reasons for that were obvious. The game had its share of technical struggles on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, so it certainly wasn’t going to be a good fit for the lower-powered Switch hardware. Understandable!

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It’s not 2022 anymore though, and Nintendo now has the Switch 2 available. It’s a console that is certainly capable of handling Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, and we’ve even got an anniversary coming up if we need an extra excuse. Square Enix should put the game on the Nintendo Switch 2 so that Nintendo players can finally get in on this amazing adventure. Does it make financial sense? Maybe, maybe not. Jack’s got bigger things to worry about than money. Like Chaos.

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is currently available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, and Windows PC via Steam.