Everyone's favourite boys, their vibrating eggs, and their computer-destroying hair will finally cast [[link]] off their Epic Games Store exclusivity next month. Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin will hit Steam on April 6, giving everyone who still stubbornly tries to keep their games library on a single digital shelf a shot at killing Chaos. You can see its new celebratory trailer here.
To celebrate its transition—and to coax you into spending money on it—the game is getting a permanent price cut. Its former price tag of $60/£50 is being reduced to $40/£35. Witnessing the destiny that awaits Jack when he has severed all binding ties of fate is easier on your wallet than ever.
If you've somehow avoided the memes, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is a Final Fantasy game centred around Jack, a beefcake/lughead who really, really wants to defeat the evil overlord Chaos alongside his buddies Jed and Ash. Jack is dressed in an outfit he got on sale at The Gap and wields a greatsword, and somehow [[link]] this all amounts to an alternate universe prequel to the original Final Fantasy on the NES.
It's kind of wonderful? Don't get me wrong, it's a flawed game, but it's likeable in a big, dumb, golden retriever kind of way. Anne-Marie Coyle wrote about it in her Stranger of Paradise review and scored it 72%, calling it an "undeniably stylish and charmingly ridiculous adventure" with "solid and engaging combat," and "varied environments." In particular, she noted that the "way the game can be catered towards your preferred playstyle and difficulty level make for a Final Fantasy title that shines" despite its darker, stranger style.