The best part of Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin? Geeking out over the impressive HD recreations of classic Final Fantasy monsters! The monster designs and musical remixes are top-notch, exactly what we expect from the quality craftspeople over at Square-Enix. Say what you will about their games, but these developers know how to put together a quality bestiary. If you’re a fan of series like us, you’ll want to check out the awesome big boss monsters. That’s why we’ve put together a complete gallery of all the boss monsters you’ll encounter in the game. There are some seriously surprising (and epic) encounters here — and not all of them limited to the first Final Fantasy game. Seriously, if you don’t want spoilers, stop right here.
Not all of the monsters are returning classics… only about 95% are franchise favorites debuting in big, bad, fully-animated glory. Fighting these guys can be a nightmare, but checking them out is a gift — they’re so detailed! And many of them are based off the classic series’ distinct artwork. These aren’t just recreations with cool updates. They’re the kind of creations we love to see. New and old, with some creative changes thrown in to really bring these things to horrible life. Check out the full roster of big bosses below with our quicky gallery. We’ll also include blurbs for each monster — and a link so you can check out their original incarnations.
Chaos Advent
The first opponent of the game is a Garland lookalike. This isn’t the true Garland (there’s a clue in protagonist Jack Garland’s name) but this one has the fancy cape we all expect. The pose might be different from his original sprite, but that cape is still flowing in the wind.
Bikke
Here’s a new one. You never actually fight Bikke directly in the original game — he summons nine pirates to attack. And yes, he’s somehow the default leader of a village in that old game too.
Black Knight
The Black Knight is a regular Flying Fortress enemy that’s been upgraded into a full boss battle in Stranger of Paradise. Here’s a bit of trivia: his name in the NES original was BADMAN.
Elemental Core | Fused Elemental
Another interesting boss fight. The Elemental Core is actually a Fire Elemental and a Water Elemental combined — in the second phase, they’re literally combined into an amorphous mass.
Chimera
Yet another regular enemy that’s been enhanced into a full boss fight. The Chimera matches both the original sprite and our classical interpretation of the Chimera creature from Greek mythology.
Tiamat
We’ve finally reached our first Fiend. Tiamat still has a mess of dragon heads, but now he’s also got a body he can run around in.
Dragon Zombie
The Dragon Zombie gets a gross upgrade in Stranger of Paradise. No longer just a recolor of an enemy, now the Dragon Zombie is oozing sludge and decaying before our very eyes.
Lich
The diabolical Lich has been upgraded over his traditional magical skeleton look. Now he’s a twisted monstrosity built from bone.
Great Malboro
We’re stepping away from FF1 briefly, because Malboro never appeared in that game. This classic Final Fantasy monster first appeared in FF2
Marilith
Part snake and all arms, Marilith has a more demonic look than her original Kali inspiration from the Hindu pantheon.
Cray Claw
The Cray Claw has seen an upgrade. The lobster / scorpion hybrid appeared in FF5 — in Stranger in Paradise it’s a robotic menace.
Kraken
The tentacled Kraken takes on a more menacing form — think Cthulhu instead of silly squid.
Iron Giant
A surprisingly faithful recreation of the Iron Giant appears in the late-game. This is another pull from FF2 that has become a staple of the series.
Behemoth | Ur-Dragon King
Another famous monster that just keeps coming back, the Behemoth is always big, intimidating, and packed with magical power. First appearing in FF2, it just keeps coming back. The encounters against Behemoth are some of the most memorable moments in FF15 and FF7R.
Astos | Ultima Weapon Origin
The evil king of the Dark Elves, Astos, has been completely revamped. For one, he wears clothes now. Previously an ally, Astos turns on the party and reveals his true form at the very end of the game. Astos becomes the terrifying incarnation of Ultima Weapon — the super boss from FF6. Ultima Weapon was the “final” boss of the World of Balance section of the story. Ultima Weapon doesn’t gain his distinctive centaur-like style until his FF7 incarnation.
Darkness Manifest
And finally, we have Chaos, the demonic entity that Jack Garland has been hunting since the beginning. In this game, it’s called Darkness Manifest — and it only looks a little like Chaos, but we’re going to take this as a victory anyway.
