Square Enix games, especially those in the Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts series, tend to have complex stories. Some involve time travel, some clones, others include dimension hopping, and the list goes on. Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is no exception. By the end of the game we find out the truth behind the origins of Jack and his party and what set Jack on the path to becoming Chaos, who he has spent most of the game vowing to kill.
The plot can be confusing, especially for fans who have played previous entries in the series and notice many direct references to the other games. Despite this, many of our questions do get answered over the course of the game, and the story does become more focused as the game progresses. However, we still have a few lingering questions.
6 How Did Sarah Remember Garland's Armor?
The opening scene of Stranger of Paradise features an incredible cinematic featuring Jack, decked out in his full Garland armor, kidnapping Princess Sarah and slaughtering the royal soldiers with relative ease. Before the first mission to the Chaos Shrine, the princess asks Jack and his party to search for Garland, and says he will be recognizable by the imposing armor he wears.
This... doesn't make sense. While we know Sarah can remember previous loops thanks to Jack giving her his black crystal, none of Jack's memories ever place him in the iconic armor until the very last scene of the game. And even then, the loop we play through is the first one to ever make it that far. While this may be more of a plot hole than an unanswered question, hopefully we can get some answers in the DLC or a full-blown sequel.
5 What Will The DLC Cover?
Speaking of DLC, Square Enix revealed that there will be three missions included in the season pass for Strangers of Paradise. These three missions are called Trials of the Dragon King, Wanderer of the Rift, and Different Future. While fans of the series have deduced that the first two missions will involve Bahamut and Gilgamesh respectively, Different Future could be anything.
Could it be an alternate ending like the scrapped DLCs for Final Fantasy 15? Or will it be a continuation of the final scene where the true Warriors of Light confront Garland? And as for Trials of the Dragon King, will there be new classes to unlock as a reference to Bahamut's original role in Final Fantasy? Whatever the DLC will cover, we can be excited to have another reason to come back to the world of Stranger of Paradise.
4 What Is Jack's Soul Burst Power And Where Did It Come From?
During the first mission, Ash and Jed make a comment about how Jack is the only one able to use Soul Burst, which is the crystaline power seen in the trailers that works as a sort-of execution move. When playing multiplayer everyone is allowed to use this power since the combat system focuses very heavily on it, but in-universe it seems Jack is the only one able to use this.
Why is that? Is this a special power granted by the Lufenians? And if so, why is Jack the only one they gave it to? While the game fails to mention any explanation for this power, it would be nice if we got some kind of clarification as to why Jack is so special.
3 Who Is The Collaborator?
While we have our own theories on who the collaborator is, this question is never truly answered. We simply don't know enough about the collaborator and why they are collecting energy. Maybe this character was created specifically for the story of Stranger of Paradise, or maybe it's a character we are all familiar with.
Considering how the game takes at least one area from all the mainline games in the series, maybe the collaborator is one of the main antagonists from those games. Unfortunately it doesn't seem very likely that our questions on the collaborator will be answered through the upcoming DLC, but hopefully a sequel will be announced that addresses this.
2 How Many Loops Did The Party Go Through?
As with any game involving a time travel loop, this question becomes very difficult to answer. However, we know there is a definitive number to this question. Astos was created for the sole purpose of remembering between loops and has been there since the beginning. Therefore, Astos should know the exact number of loops that happened before the perfect loop that we find ourselves playing through in the game.
While knowing the answer to this question isn't particularly important, it would still be interesting to know if Jack and his friends were trying to save Cornelia for several years or several hundred years.
1 Does The Ending Mean We Can Expect A True Remake Of The First Final Fantasy?
Square Enix pulled a fast one on us with Stranger of Paradise. What initially looked like an interesting take on the rather barebones plot of the first Final Fantasy, instead became an incredibly compelling origin story for both Garland and the Four Fiends.
The ending of the game creates its own perfect loop by showing the true Warriors of Light entering the Chaos Shrine ready to defeat Garland. What does this mean for the future though? Is Square Enix planning on remaking the original with the combat system of Stranger of Paradise? Or is this meant to be a game that allows players to look at Garland from a new perspective?
Personally as much as I enjoy the original game I think it would be a waste not to remake it and expand upon it's world and characters, just like Stranger of Paradise did. And hey, maybe we could get a satisfying conclusion to the story of Jack and his friends after completing their goal.