Parasite Eve

"A Fantastic Game Only Possible By Squaresoft"

I was a huge fan of Squaresoft, before they merged with Enix, and pretty much every game that they put out. I've always been a fan of RPGs as well, so that might make my opinion a bit biased, but Parasite Eve is one of the best non Final Fantasy RPGs they have ever made. Everything about this game is fantastic, creating a great new RPG for the likes of many to enjoy.

Graphics –
This game came out back in the mid 90's, so the graphics are way outdated now. But they are certainly pretty good considering the standards back then. The characters are nicely rendered, though a bit choppy at times when the action heats up. The environments unfortunately are a bit lacking at times, and seem pretty forced. None of the levels are really anything fancy, most lacking hugely the sense of detail seen in other RPGs. However, the in game movies, FMVs, are simply amazing. Square has used FMVs largely in a lot of there games, and pretty much all of them are always fantastic. The attention to detail in them, and just the overall quality of the movies is superb. Just mixing the movies together would make a great movie on its own, without the game itself. There were times when I was just in awe at what was going on in these movies, because they are just so entertaining to watch. If the regular in game graphics were a bit better, this would have been a better score.
Rating – 8/10

Gameplay –
The gameplay is Parasite Eve is a mix of a couple other games. There are the classic RPG elements, levels and stats, with a real time battle engine. The battles are free, allowing you to run around before you attack your enemy. This adds a lot of strategy to the game, as you have to run around to actually avoid attacks thrown at you instead of just sitting there and letting them dish out damage to you. In fact, if you were to just sit around and take the brute force of the enemies, you would most likely die. In the battles, you attack with your guns or nightsticks. Each gun has varying stats, adding even more to the mix. Not to mention that there are special abilities for your guns which increase the damage potential even more and allow for great effects. In addition to just regular attacking, you have your parasite energies. Simply put, these are magic that you learn through the game. Using the mitochondria built up inside you, you can release a variety of offensive and supportive magic upon yourself and enemies.

Instead of the tradition random battles usually in RPGs, Parasite Eve contains trigger points. At certain points in each level, you will encounter enemies. If you know exactly where the trigger points are, some of them are avoidable. But they are needed to make you stronger. As you gain more experience from battles, you grow and obtain levels. The higher your level, the more parasite energies you will learn and the stronger you become. After you gain a level, you gain bonus points, to which you can attribute to yourself or weapons to make them stronger.

Speaking of weapons, the customization is this game is amazing. You can take parts of certain guns and combine them with other guns, creating new effects on a gun. Or you can take the power of a gun and attribute it to another gun, making it stronger. In addition to guns, all of these is possible with your armor as well. Though it takes some time, you can create the ultimate armor and weapon by taking apart everything and mixing them together. There is a lot to this game, which makes it so much fun to play.
Rating – 10/10

Story –
The story in this game is simply fantastic. You play Aya Brea, a New York police officer on a date at the opera. Something terrible happens, and everybody there spontaneously combusts into flames. As you investigate, you come to the understanding that this wasn't an accident, but it was rather brought on by the lead in the opera, and eventually you come to understand her as Eve. As you try to obtain leads from the incident, you learn of something called mitochondria, which provide energy to the cells in your body. Somehow, Eve is manipulating the mitochondria in humans and creatures alike, wreaking havoc across the city. You must stop her before she takes over the entire city, and then moves on to take over the country, with the aid of what lies inside.
Rating – 10/10

Sound –
Parasite Eve has amazing music, no surprise from a Square game. Each level boasts its own background music, offering to it a surreal atmosphere. The sound effects in the game work great, from the sounds of your guns shooting into an enemy, to the energy thrown out by your body with parasite energies, to the horrible grinding of mutating creatures. The sounds are all perfect and fit the game so well.
Rating – 9/10

Replayability –
Sadly, Parasite Eve is an incredibly short game. You should be able to finish it in less than 10 hours. Fortunately, they have thrown in an EX mode, which allows you to carry over items from one game to the next. By doing this, you are able to bring over a weapon and an armor, and you can use this to create your ultimate armor. Once you beat the game the first time, you unlock the Chrysler Building. This is a 100 floor randomly generated dungeon, in which you will face new enemies and new bosses. Once you complete this bonus, you are given an alternate ending to the game. The game should last you quite some time if you are willing to put forth the time to find and complete everything.
Rating – 10/10

Overall –
While the graphics may lack a bit, the great gameplay, amazing story, superb music, and large replay factor make Parasite Eve a huge game by Squaresoft. It is certainly commendable to Final Fantasy in my eyes, actually surpassing it in some respects.
Rating – 8 + 10 + 9 + 10 + 10 = 47/50 -> 9/10

Buy or rent –
If you want to complete everything the game has to offer, you simply must buy this game. Even if it's just for the amazing story behind it all, you should be able to find this game rather cheap now. Otherwise, it certainly makes a perfect rental with its short play time to complete it.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/23/07