At first, Jack, the protagonist of Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin, didn't seem all that remarkable. He was the man who wore a plain black shirt in one of the most fashionable and glamorous series in JRPG history. However, the man continues to make a name for himself, not just with his fashion choices. The gameplay of the new Stranger of Paradise demo shows an absurd, overly emo scene: Jack says “Bullshit” before walking out of the castle and blasts metal music in his wireless earbuds.
Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin is a new spirit-like action game from Square Enix and Team Ninja. The game departs from the traditions of the Final Fantasy franchise in many important ways and offers a much darker vision for a Final Fantasy game. The second trial version was released Friday for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Now people will be able to see more of Jack and who he is as a character – this scene in particular stands out.
The scene in question comes after completing the first zone of the demo, the Chaos Shrine. Jack and his two friends infiltrate the temple (it's actually an expanding fortress) to fight a giant, armored monster they think is Chaos. Instead of defeating Chaos, they learn that the monster is actually a girl named Neon.
After beating him, Neon explains that he too was looking for Chaos. After spending his life searching for it, he begins to think that the mythical darkness does not exist. And what does Jack say to Neon after he poured out his heart and expressed his pain? "Nonsense." Then nu comes first to crank the metal and reconciles.
You can watch the entire clip here.
Yes, the scene is real.
The contrast between the medieval fantasy setting and Jack's oddly masculine modern demeanor throughout the demo is already hilarious. Jack pushes him to the pinnacle of comedy by plugging in his headphones like a stubborn child who doesn't want to listen to his mother. Fans clip on the internet “WHAT DID I JUST WATCH??????????” and "This is the greatest troll game I've ever seen" because that's ridiculous. The scene is enough to put even the socially awkward Cloud Strife to shame.
When Stranger of Paradise was announced, creative producer Tetsuya Nomura said he was considering writing the story of an "angry man" when conceptualizing the game. That's a pretty general statement, and while it's a little vague, we now know it means writing a character that apparently has the demeanor of a grumpy teenage boy.
Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin is coming to PlayStation 18, PlayStation 2022, Windows PC (via Epic Games Store), Xbox One, and Xbox Series X on March 4, 5.