"Who Opens Their Presents on Parasite Eve? I Do."
by Joel Brink

This game really takes me back. It means a lot more to me since I went from owning an NES to a Playstation. Sure, I played all the consoles between those, sometimes more than my friends who actually owned them (to their annoyance), but the Playstation was the first console I saved up for and bought with my hard-earned Domino’s Pizza paycheck. With that purchase came my eventual experience with Parasite Eve.

Parasite Eve is a J-RPG at heart. Being released by Square, the producers of countless mainstream RPG franchises, you would think the core tone and play style would be similar to a title like FFVII, FFVIII, FFIX, or FFMMX. By the time you get to the first battle you quickly realize the combat is unlike any other RPG out there. I’m getting ahead of myself though - the game separates itself in a positive way even before that.

The main character is NYPD officer Aya Brea. She does not fit the typical J-RPG character style, meaning she has no crazy outfits, no oversized boobs, no oversized swords, and she’s not 15 (the game pegs her at 25). You are introduced to Aya as she steps out for a night at the Opera. During the course of the show, the main actress breaks into solo that suddenly causes random people in the auditorium to spontaneously combust. It’s one of those video game WTF?! moments, but delivered in a way that keeps you intrigued.

After everyone has left the building, you run up to the stage and engage the antagonist in battle. Initially, the combat seems Active Time, since you can run around freely in the battle zone while the enemy tries to attack you. This is not true…entirely. There is an attack time bar similar to other RPG’s, but as soon as you hit the attack button, time freezes and a wire frame dome pops up around you. This is the attack range of your weapon. Anything that falls within that dome can be attacked successfully. The greater the range, the larger the dome.

Since all the weapons in the game are guns, you have multiple shots. This means you can spread out your attack across any number of enemies that are in your attack dome. If you have two enemies and a four shot weapon, you can shoot one enemy twice and the other enemy twice, dispatching both in one turn. It’s just like the old adage, two birds with one stone. (Ironically enough, one battle has you fighting two birds.) It’s 3rd grade math: If you have 4 of something and want to spread it out equally between 2 things, each thing gets 2. If that didn’t make sense then you should stop reading this, pick up your keyboard, and attack your dome. Combat can also be expanded by upgrading the range, power, and bullet capacity, among other options. It’s a very straightforward system that if used correctly, offers a lot of customization to max out your success rate in battle.

The story is very good because, like the combat, it’s atypical. Who would think to create a plotline based off of mitochondria and mutation? Pffh, science and games don’t mix! Look how poorly a game like BioShock performed. Parasite Eve itself didn’t go on to become a PSX greatest hits title either. (EDITOR’S NOTE: HA HA HA SARCASM! I GET IT!) Even though the story strays from the norm, the subtle clues and character interactions really keep it moving along - you always want to know what will happen next.

Aya is a character you can get behind. Read that sentence again, laugh, and then move on. Even though she is an NYPD officer, you still feel like she’s vulnerable. You want to get her out of trouble as quickly as possible, but you still want to help her uncover the truth, knowing full well that road is filled with danger. And again, Aya is not your typical J-RPG character, which makes her very relatable. I don’t normally relate to girls dressed up in little pink dresses who attack with a “stick” that does more damage than a bazooka blast.

P.E. holds its own when it comes to graphics. The in-game environments always look good, since they are static and CG, and the character models are somewhat pixilated, but not blocky. Movement looks natural and the textures are basic but solid. The CG cutscenes are fantastic for a PSX game - as expected coming from Square. Sound is great even with the absence of voice acting, and the battle music is upbeat and environment music fitting for every area. Even the opening theme song is oddly good, featuring some electronica-type metal and superb piano breakouts.

The last thing I want to mention is the ending. OMG NO DON’T WORRY THIS IS NOT A SPOILER! What I’m referring to is that there are two endings. I’m almost always a fan of this since it encourages you to play the game again making different choices. When you simply play through the story and win, you get the normal ending: beat the boss, watch the ending cutscene, and roll credits. However, if you complete story mode, start an EX game (a.k.a. New Game Plus) and play through again, you get to access a new area. Completing this new area gives you the ultimate ending, and in my opinion the real ending to P.E.

Parasite Eve is one of my favorite games of all time. Even firing it up shortly before this review, I struggled putting the controller down to come write this. The combat is fun, the main character legit, and the story unique. If you haven’t played it, go find a copy before all PSX games end up in a time capsule.

Overall Rating: 900,000 out of 1,000,000