Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin was developed by some of the team who created the Ni-oh franchise, and a lot of the gameplay styles and concepts come directly from that game. Similar to the Ni-oh titles, co-op is a big selling point. Here is how it works.
Unlocking the co-op
You can’t access co-op from the main menu like you would in a traditional game. To first play co-op, it has to be unlocked first. Once you start the game, complete the opening prologue mission. once that is complete, a short tutorial will play out. Upon completing the tutorial and watching the cutscenes, you will be brought to the map and mission selection screen. Once you see the screen above, all co-op play will be unlocked. Once you unlock the co-op, press the main menu button to see three tabs. One of those tabs is labeled Online. Once here, you have two options: create a room or search for a room.
Create an online room
After choosing to create a room, a series of options will appear as follows:
- Specify MissionPlaystyleTeammate 1Teammate 2Set Password
These options will dictate the online lobby you will create and allow for other players to search for your room. If you want to play with friends, highlight teammate one, two, or both and toggle them to invite-only. Specify mission allows you to pick one specific level to try, but this can be changed at any time. Once you set your room options, you will advance to the next screen.
This screen will be home for the vast majority of the online co-op in Stranger of Paradise. From here you can see the names of you and your partners. you can also see which class and weapons they are using. From this screen, you can select which mission you want to embark on. On a special note, allies can’t embark on missions that they have yet to unlock. In this case, pick the latest mission your team needs to complete, and help advance the story together. From this screen, you can also invite a friend directly from the friends list.
Search for a room
The Search for Room feature will allow you to find other players who are hosting their lobbies. You can either do a standard search or specify a specific room by inputting a room ID. Stranger of Paradise does not have the option to browse a list of rooms, only random matchmaking once you hit the search option. If the game finds a room, you will join a game in progress, and proceed to work together to vanquish chaos.
The online co-op works well in Stranger of Paradise. It allows for seamless drop-in and drop-out co-op, and the wild story can be played in its entirety with some friends.
