Platform: PlayStation

Developer: Square USA, Inc.

Publisher: Square Electronic Arts

Release Date NA: September, 9, 1998

Genre: Action Role-Playing, Survival Horror

Ranking: Amazing

Reviewed by: Juuchi Yosamu

Oh man… the late 90’s, when the greatest of the great games were released and Parasite Eve is no exception. 5 minutes into the game and I already knew that it would be one of the best games I would ever play in my life. I’m seriously tearing up right now just reminiscing about the game, so let’s get started!

Synopsis

Our story begins in New York City on December, 24, 1997.  Aya Brea, our lovely protagonist and NYPD rookie, (not as enthusiastic to be on her date as one would think) walks into Carnegie Hall to enjoy the opera. Everything is going smoothly until the lovely actress, “Melissa Pearce”,  showcases her lovely voice.  Everyone begins to spontaneously combust.Aya, mysteriously immune to the epidemic, charges the stage, gun drawn, ready to extrapolate some answers, by force if necessary. Melissa, who is mysteriously familiar with who you are, mentions that Aya’s mitochondria need more time to develop. As you chase down Melissa for answers , memories emerge and strange powers are gained as New York is slowly being burned to the ground and monsters run rampant.

Battle

L-o-v-i-n-g it!!!! When I first saw the battle system I about damn near crapped myself. I’ve never seen anything like it so instantly I assumed that it would be complicated but I was wrong. The new system in Parasite Eve is awesome, it adds a more realistic feel to battle. First off, battles are not random, unless it is a boss or an event fight, so you can fight or run, it’s your choice. Secondly while in battle you can move around. it is wise to stay far away from monsters with a smaller range and shoot them from afar. Third: Attacking: A wire frame dome envelopes the area you can attack in, shooting enemies outside your range is a guaranteed miss. Positioning yourself is a key element, not found in many Role-Playing-Games at the time, of battle.

Weapons

Guns, guns and more guns. I thought that using guns would get boring in a Role-Playing-Game but… I was wrong. There are different elements to consider when choosing a weapon. Usually we would probably choose the weapon with the highest attack but in Parasite Eve that isn’t always the case. There are a few new elements that you must be aware of, rate of fire and bullet capacity are very important. Even if your bullet capacity is 5, you can only shoot as many bullets in one turn as your rate of fire. Also when you’re reloading the clip is leaves you open to attack. When you attack you can choose to unload on enemy or take a shot at a few enemies to spread the damage. Also, if the enemy has high evasion or your accuracy is low, choosing a weapon with a higher rate of fire may be more advantageous than having a gun with higher attack. Also you have to keep in mind that…. guns run out of ammo (who would have imagined?) so having a variety of guns is recommended. You can also get a knight stick to beat the living daylights out of enemies in case, god forbid, you run out of bullets. Later on you may be fortunate to find guns with status effects and/or special status like (Probably the best status on a weapon) “Attack All.”  Choose the weapon for you, machine guns (High rate of fire mid range) Shot Guns (High damage but low range) Hand guns (Balanced) etc. or take your favorite weapon and beef it up.

Tuning

You can fuse weapons and armor to increase their stats or, depending on how many available slots your weapon or armor has, you can transfer special stats from one to another. Later on you gain the ability to add slots so keep your eyes open for “Trading Cards.” Remember, even if an armor or weapon isn’t exactly what you were looking for, you can always salvage it for parts.

PE

While you level during Parasite Eve, Aya’s mitochondria will awaken and you will be able to use her (essentially, her magic) Parasite Energy. (PEnergy / PE) Her PEnergy attacks vary from support to attack and will serve as your final lifeline if you expend all your items. Heal and detox will help greatly when trying to conserve items.

Graphics & Audio

Phenomenal graphics, I still cringe when I see the first scene with the rat. The character and monster creations are awesome. As far as the scenery goes, I’m from New York so of course it means a little more to me, I love seeing places I’ve been in a game. The music…. Yoko Shimomura is a siren. I was under her spell after the first battle, at that point I KNEW I must own this game. All the music is so deep, I can’t find fault with a single song. Side effects include but are not limited too: Tingles down your spine, eye’s may begin to tear up, uncontrollable urge to punch a clown and insomnia.

Conclusion

Parasite Eve is a gem, I only wish that there was more. Whenever a game has “phases”  I feel… rushed, I wish it was a little more like a standard Role-Playing-Game but, as is, it is still an amazing game.The replay value is high, once you beat the game you unlock a special something that will give you access to (another place I’ve been) but… I won’t say anymore. It adds a few extra hours of game play along with weapons and armor that puts your current arsenal to shame. Also you will be up against incredibly hard monsters and bosses with few rests. The combination of the music and battle system is what makes this game so damn good. If you haven’t realized it yet, I love innovative ideas (obviously if they’re good) and that means a lot to me when determining how much I enjoy a game. Granted, I will always love the iconic Final Fantasy, turn based fighting style, sometimes you need to change it up. When you try to change things too much you run the risk of making complete and utter garbage and it takes a lot of guts to put yourself out there like that. (Just take Final Fantasy XII,  XIII and XIII -2, who made me cry a little bit.)