Final Fantasy Origin Could Get A Sequel If Fans Want It Enough

Final Fantasy is one of the biggest gaming franchises in the industry. One other thing in which it beats most IPs is the sheer amount of games in the series. There are countless games, including spin-offs and special releases, Strangers of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin was one such game. 

Even though the game topped the charts, the overall reception towards the 35th-anniversary special was average. Now, Tetsuya Nomura has said that a sequel to Strangers of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is possible. But, only if the reception of the game gets considerably better among the fans. 

It’s not easy to keep up with games in the Final Fantasy series from Square Enix. Besides the already hefty 15 mainline releases, the franchise keeps putting out other games separately. Recently, we saw this in the form of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion, which is a remaster of a prequel to FF VII. 

One of these spin-off releases was Strangers of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, which came out last year. It was a way to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the series and took place in an alternate universe. The game didn’t do badly for itself in the sales department. 

Strangers of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin topped the Japan sales charts in the week of its release. It sold over 46k copies and was also among the top 10 games sold in the US in March 2022, the month it came out. But, the critical reception was not good. 

On Metacritic, Strangers of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin has an average score of 60 on PC. Publications also corroborated this view, as the game has had multiple 7/10 and 3-star reviews. Hence, the anniversary special wasn’t critically a big hit.

Franchise alum Tetsuya Nomura kept this in mind while talking about a possible sequel. In a recent Square Enix broadcast, whose purpose was to launch the game’s third DLC, the producer talked about this aspect at The 1-hour 24-minute mark. Credits to Noisypixel for the translation of the conversation.   

He said that the initial reaction to Strangers of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin was really bad. Players bashed the game, and this was especially significant online. But, the reception has got better as time has gone by, and that is why a sequel is possible.

When Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin first came out, there was a lot of negative bashing, especially online. 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.”

The user score of Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin on Metacritic backs this up. While the critical score is only 60, the RPG has a user score of 8. Based on 144 reviews, this is a better depiction of the game’s quality now than the age-old critical score.

Hence, Tetsuya Nomura is right in saying that Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin has got better with time. But a lot more has to happen for a sequel to start development. The producer asked fans to tell other people about the game and increase its cultural presence.

And if you do want that to happen, then it would certainly help if one person watching this spread the news to 10 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.”

So, a sequel to the game is totally possible if the DLC does well, and its player base increases. Koei Tecmo and Nomura have done their part by improving the game. Now it’s up to the fans. By getting the word out, they can make a sequel of Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin possible. 

For sure, it’s up in the air, and Tetsuya Nomura isn’t certain it will ever happen. But we hope the game has a sequel after this final Different Future DLC. Hopefully, fans can help spread the word about Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin so we can get a follow-up.