Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is a badass dress-up game

Jack Garland is the manliest man I’ve met in a long time. He’s the protagonist of Final Fantasy Origin: Stranger of Paradise, a spinoff of Team Ninja’s Koei Tecmo Studio (Nioh, Nioh 2Square Enix and Jack. Jack is on a mission to kill a monster called Chaos, and to those who doubt his quest he says, “Bullshit.” His grizzled face has a jawline sharp enough to cut through the most devastating of dragons, and he himself is so strong he can smash the heads of trolls and giant wolves alike. He’s extremely gruff, and yet, it’s precisely this manliness — combined with a metric fuck ton of loot found in the game — that prompted me to turn him into the world’s angriest barbie doll.

Like Team Ninja’s previous work, Stranger of ParadiseYou are thrown into action-packed combat. As you play, you’ll send Jack and his friends through a series of labyrinthian levels set in underwater caves or on snow-capped mountains. As you fight through monster after monster, you’ll also unlock a litany of chests, along with a treasure trove of weapons, armor, and clothing for each party member.

Depending on how fast you progress through the levels, it’s possible to accumulate hundreds of items within a few hours of play. Stranger of ParadiseHas a complete Final FantasyThe basics of the job are: Swordsman (Duelist), Swordfighter (Swordfighter), Pugilist), Marauders, Ronins, Lancers, and Mage. The total number of jobs is 28. However, you can maximize your skills by equipping the correct combination or gear for each job. You have a lot of options for outfits.

Upon Stranger of Origin’s original announcement, fans roasted Jack for showing up to a Final Fantasy game — a franchise known for its elaborate and memorable character designs — in a T-shirt. While his reveal was not very impressive, it was a good indication of what the remainder of the game would consist: an enormous, intricate opportunity to dress up alongside Ken. Jack.

It is amazing to find loot. I won’t share all of the gear here; discovering the gear for yourself is half the fun. But I do want to show some of what you can get in the earlier parts of the game — by which point you’ll already have a lot. It’s a wondrous fantasy land of leather, shiny metal, and weird vinyl-looking materials, fit for either a diner booth chair, or an outfit for a true Final Fantasy protagonist.

Image: Koei Tecmo/Square Enix

Jack is a favorite of moms in middle age, adding a masculine touch to the traditional look of gray cowl neck sweaters. The sweater is soft. There’s a certain punk quality to it all and if you look more closely, there are a few subtle feminine flourishes. There’s a touch of pink in the boot to match the pinkish hues in the metal details in the “Savage Knuckles” weapon.

Image: Koei Tecmo/Square Enix

I call this look “Jack man hat man.” Inspired by Scatman John’s classic hit, “Scatman (ski-ba-bop-ba-dop-bop),” Jack rocks a fedora that just screams “middle-age crisis.” This is a paired down look that essentially uses his abs as an accessory. Every detail is chosen to match the cap. I like Jack Garland’s classic look with his dragon-armor pants.

Image: Koei Tecmo/Square Enix

I’m having fun with this one. This leather jogger can be worn with Jack. It has laces along the sides. I paired them with studded boots and purple “Wizard’s Gloves.” The defining feature of this outfit, though, is the purple mask. There’s a feature in the game that allows you to toggle the headware off and on — but seeing Jack wear his various leather and metal face masks in the cut-scenes is an absolute hoot.

This is just one of many thousands of options for outfits. You’ll need to love sorting through menus to do it right, but the results are, well, stunning.