Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin hasn’t done well, at least by Final Fantasy standards. Its retail launch in Japan was the fourth-worst of any Final Fantasy spin-off game, only being beaten by Chobo Tales, Chocobo's Dungeon, and Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers. We don't have the international figures, but one suspects they aren't significantly better than the domestic sales.
Which is quite a shame since Strange of Paradise is hardly a bad game. We gave it four out of five in our review, with Meg praising the game's combat and intriguing story. It's not a Final Fantasy that deserves to fade into history, which is why producer Tetsuya Nomura had a message for fans during the pre-release stream for the game's final DLC.
"When Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin first came out, there was a lot of negative bashing, especially online," said Nomura (with translation courtesy of Noisy Pixel). "However, I’m pleased to say that everyone watching this livestream has grown very fond of Jack and his friends. So much so that some would love to see a sequel.
"And if you do want that to happen, then it would certainly help if one person watching this spread the news to ten other people. If word of mouth about the game spreads through the DLC’s completion, proving that this is a title that has really resonated with everyone, there may be a time when we can meet again."
Square Enix has largely based its new games on what will make money, so it seems unlikely that even if a Stranger of Paradise chain letter were to go viral that the Final Fantasy publisher would authorize a sequel. But we live in strange times, so who knows? Maybe we'll see Jack, Jed, Ash, Sophia, and Neon return for another crack at Chaos someday.
Strange of Paradise's third and final DLC, Different Future, is available later today. The last DLC throws Jack and the gang at a mad Lufenian who wants to bring ruin to the universe from the middle of an abandoned city. Abandoned ecept for monsters, of course. Expect new armor, a new shotgun, and a Moogle to appear to get the DLC rolling.
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