What comes to mind when you think of a horror-themed RPG? Not a whole lot, right? In some ways, the two genres seem at odds with each other. One focuses on taking resources away from the player in order to instill a sense of dread, whereas the other rewards the player for utilizing their vast array of resources and abilities effectively. It’s not exactly a combination that’s easy to pull off. While some horror-themed RPGs have crawled out of their niche into the notable footnotes of gaming’s short history, others have fallen back into obscurity, left without an easy way to rediscover the unique qualities they bring to the table.
It’s unfortunate then that Parasite Eve, originally developed and self-published by what would become Square Enix in 1998, is one of these forgotten titles. Not “forgotten” in a traditional sense, mind you, as it was successful enough to spawn both a sequel and re-imagining in a little over a decade. But it’s “forgotten” in that the conventions and ideas that Parasite Eve incorporates into itself feel like a death sentence for a big-budget game studio to approach with a scaled-up budget. In a lot of ways, it felt less like a major studio release and more like an experiment with some ample financial backing.
We’re getting ahead of ourselves. It’s time to ask the important question: what exactly is Parasite Eve? For starters, it’s a loose continuation of a book.
Parasite Eve: The Book by Hideaki Sena
Parasite Eve — the book, that is — was a science fiction horror novel written by Hideaki Sena. It was originally published in 1995 and remains both his authorial debut and his most famous work to date. Being themed around science fiction, it focuses on science going haywire, no doubt inspired by Sena’s real-life experiences as a pharmacologist. A scenario is presented to the reader: what if mitochondria were more than just the powerhouse of the cell? What if they were the dispersed remains of a life form known as “Eve,” who reconstitutes herself via the mitochondria’s ability to produce incredible amounts of energy? What if Eve could cause people to spontaneously combust via their mitochondria or telepathically control them with the single organelle that powers the body’s biochemical needs?
A little far-fetched? Sure. Completely original? Absolutely. The book was a resounding success in Japan and given that an actual scientist gave the mitochondria’s abilities a legitimate-sounding explanation, part of the horror stemmed from uncovering just how much the organelle can do. It was uniquely clinical, and it occasionally gets lumped into the wave of J-Horror properties that were released throughout the late 1990s as a result.
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Parasite Eve — the game — would enter development for approximately two years sometime after the novel’s release. Takashi Tokita would direct, having previously worked on multiple Final Fantasy games as well as Chrono Trigger. Composing the game’s score would be up to Yoko Shimomura, whose original compositions for Street Fighter II, Super Mario RPG, and Capcom’s first-ever RPG, Breath of Fire, quickly laid the groundwork for her future career in music. But arguably, the biggest creative force involved behind the scenes was none other than Hironobu Sakaguchi himself. As in, the same Hironobu Sakaguchi who created Final Fantasy.
It’s appropriate, then, that Parasite Eve plays a lot like an RPG. Except for when it doesn’t. Let’s talk about that.
An Unexpected RPG
Parasite Eve takes place over the span of just a few days in December 1997. Set in the middle of New York City, you play as half-Japanese, half-Caucasian, all-American NYPD officer Aya Brea as she takes a date to Carnegie Hall. She’s there to see an opera performance, as one normally does in the midst of wintertime. It’s just that when actress Melissa Pearce takes the stage, all Hell breaks loose. The other actors on stage mysteriously burst into flames while members of the audience dissolve into disgusting piles of primitive 3D goo. As bodies burn and puddles of orange muck and tattered clothing form along the venue’s flooring, Aya takes the stage while others flee the burning building.
A brief confrontation sees Melissa fleeing while Aya gives chase, trailing a series of burnt bodies and horrifying animals in the venue’s backrooms. Gross rats are turned into hideous monstrosities with slicked teeth and toughened muscle fibers, making them horrifying killing machines. With no time to question where they came from during the panic, Aya simply guns them down before pressing onward. Before Melissa escapes into the sewers, she morphs into a monstrous wasp-like creature with elongated arms, accompanying the transformation with a brand-new identity. Melissa is no longer here: all that remains is “Eve.” With Eve disappearing, Aya is left with only one piece of evidence to continue the hunt for this newly-formed threat: that her own mitochondria may be the key to saving humanity.
Since Parasite Eve plays like an RPG, you’d expect a grandiose adventure full of globetrotting locations, multiple characters with extensive backstories, side-quests, and a gradual escalation of stakes until the fate of the universe gets involved. You’d expect that, but that doesn’t happen.
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Instead, Parasite Eve is roughly the length of a modern single-player game: if you’re rushing through everything, it’ll take around ten hours total, give or take some hours if you’re having trouble. The entire game, minus the opera prologue, takes place over the course of six days, with each day primarily focusing on a single area that progresses the plot forward. Some diversions exist, though they’re few and far between. The warehouse found a good way into the game, and the Chrysler Building, which we’ll get into later, is the only truly optional area to go to. Otherwise, Aya can usually traverse New York City at her own leisure, freely revisiting previous areas as well as the 17th Precinct of the NYPD.
The 17th Precinct will act as your base of operations for most of Parasite Eve. Extra items, like spare medicine or extra ammunition, can be stored and acquired as you see fit, along with some miscellaneous upgrades to discover once you fulfill certain conditions. You can even talk to NPCs if you’d like, though their dialogue is notably limited. They’ll chime in on current events once or twice before quickly parroting their thoughts. It’s to be expected. Parasite Eve was an original PlayStation game, after all.
Being a PlayStation-era RPG, the surrounding gameplay is simple on paper. But there’s a layer of complexity that ultimately turns Parasite Eve‘s combat into something genuinely compelling.
Weapons, Bonus Points, and a Bit of Magic
Parasite Eve places some substantial alterations into the RPG genre. For starters, this isn’t your typical turn-based fare. Gone are the days of waiting patiently to attack the enemy while they get their licks in. Anytime Aya enters a battle, be it a static encounter you’re forced to deal with, or a random encounter while you’re exploring, Aya and a group of monsters will move to a fixed location before combat begins. Where these locations are will vary heavily based on the environment you’re in, with some offering a clear advantage or disadvantage over others. When the battle begins, both you and your enemies can freely move around. You’re able to reposition yourself and even avoid enemy attacks if you can anticipate them. Already, this gives combat encounters a sense of agency that carries over into how you complete them.
Despite eschewing turn-based combat, Parasite Eve still utilizes some hallmarks from other RPGs. Aya has three separate meters to pay attention to during combat: your health, which will end the game if it ever reaches zero; the Active Time Bar (ATB), which determines the time it takes for Aya to perform an action; and Parasite Energy (PE), which acts as a resource for supernatural abilities — aka, “magic.” Depending on the type of weapon you’re using, from standard pistols all the way up to high-powered missile launchers, your ATB will either fill up incredibly quickly or slowly, allowing Aya to either attack, use items, change equipment, or do whatever else is necessary to keep yourself alive once it’s filled up. Depending on the type of weapon used, you’ll be able to freely target multiple enemies for attacks as long as they fall within the weapon’s effective range. Just don’t get too trigger-happy.
Each ranged weapon also utilizes a magazine of bullets, which needs to be replenished once you expend enough ammunition. These bullets aren’t just a means to an end, they’re a consistent resource you’ll have to keep track of. You’re constantly reminded of their finite quantity throughout the entire game, with conservation becoming increasingly important as you approach the game’s climax. It’s a system that seems simple on the surface but can be broken down into multiple layers once you start to learn the ins-and-outs.
For example, your choice of weapon and their accompanying modifications will play an incredibly important role in how you approach the game’s many, many battles. Pistols, for instance, allow for the fastest ATB regeneration, allowing you to attack quickly in exchange for comparatively-low damage per bullet. Rocket launchers, a late-game weapon that provides the slowest ATB regeneration, thankfully hits for hundreds of points of damage in an area. Your weapons also carry a number of modification slots, allowing you to alter how they’re utilized. For instance, you can expect the typical RPG staples like inflicting elemental damage or other status effects. But one of the most crucial effects is “Burst,” which determines how many bullets you can fire off before your ATB needs to recharge.
On the surface, you would think that having as many bullets as possible seems like a positive thing. Depending on the type of weapon a Burst modification is applied to, however, you’ll come to an important realization. Sure, you get more shots, but each one does less and less damage. Assuming each bullet successfully hits, you’ll do higher damage total, but that’s a big ask — enemies could wander out of your effective range, you may need to reload your magazine, and they might take a swing at you as you’re squeezing the trigger.
Weapon and armor stats also play an incredible role in ensuring your survivability. This is still an RPG, after all, and you better believe that, at the end of the day, numbers matter more than anything else. While your equipment is treated as somewhat disposable early on, you’ll quickly catch onto how you can craft better and better equipment with “Tools.” These items allow you to effectively sacrifice one weapon in exchange for either directly improving another’s stats or transferring a special modification. These changes are permanent, meaning you’re encouraged to effectively manage these stat upgrades to keep up with the growing strength of your enemies. After all, there’s no currency to purchase upgrades or items with.
The only thing that can be considered an exception to this is your “BP,” or bonus points, which are doled out every time you level up. You can either spend these points directly upgrading Aya in multiple ways. You can increase her inventory size, allowing her to carry more items. You can lower the time needed to recharge the ATB, which becomes essential for fighting tougher bosses. While it’s not recommended, you can also put these points directly into upgrading the stats of a specific weapon, though the returns aren’t all that great for such a large investment.
Then there are the PE abilities. We’re not joking when we call it “magic,” as it’s essentially Parasite Eve‘s name for it. Aya’s mitochondria — for reasons we won’t spoil for you — allow her to utilize some spectacularly supernatural abilities. Aside from curing yourself of ailments or healing yourself to varying degrees, other notable staples include abilities like “Haste,” which boosts Aya’s movement speed and ATB regeneration, and “Liberate,” which turns Aya into a full-on mitochondria monster to deal massive amounts of damage. It’s not a perfect system by any means. Haste will easily become your most useful tool the moment you get it. Despite this, the way the PE is integrated into the story feels natural. As Aya’s abilities get stronger with every passing day, so too does Eve’s.
Parasite Eve Is a “Cinematic” Experience
Speaking of which, we have to address the story itself. Given the monolithic amount of time that typically goes into a typical RPG, the sequence of events that you undergo has to be, at the very least, somewhat compelling or interesting. Surprisingly, Parasite Eve‘s story is compelling not just because of its writing or characterization but because of its length.
The structure of Parasite Eve is eerily similar to a movie more than anything else. Chalk it up to Takashi Tokita’s declaration that Parasite Eve is a “cinematic RPG,” but how it approaches its story beats feels more in line with what a popcorn-flick offers compared to a grandiose fantasy. Shortly after the opening opera scene, Aya finds herself investigating Central Park before taking on Eve while riding on a runaway horse-drawn carriage. The horses are also on fire. Not even a full day after that, the stakes are amplified ten-fold as the 17th Precinct is assaulted by Eve and her monsters, culminating in a terrifying battle against a mutated police dog. There’s always “something” happening, broken up occasionally with some expository dialogue that, at most, lasts just a few minutes. It doesn’t feel rushed, but there’s so little downtime between major events.
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Most of the more bombastic moments are conveyed through extensive full-motion video (FMV) cutscenes, which work in Parasite Eve’s favor. They’re plentiful, they’re long, but they’re certainly gorgeous. Early 3D graphics maintain a certain kind of look to them that you can clearly see what they’re trying to present, yet always with a layer of strangeness to it. Maybe it’s the stilted animation, maybe it’s the glossy sheen that accompanies a lot of the textures, but it adds together into something slightly otherworldly. This, of course, adds to the horror of Parasite Eve. The intro sequence and the multiple other appearances of orange mitochondrial slime feel looks all the more viscous and vile as a result, along with some genuinely gnarly transformation sequences on a subset of the game’s bestiary. Aside from some odd character proportions here and there, they translate to the actual in-game character modes and settings fairly well. The only real issue is not being able to skip any of them, which does dampen the experience.
Parasite Eve does, unfortunately, suffer from some shortfalls. The pre-rendered backdrops that Aya runs around on are indeed beautiful but do occasionally become cumbersome to navigate. Sometimes, an item or an action you’re supposed to take is hidden in plain sight, occasionally leading you astray as you’re trying to navigate around. Cutscenes being unskippable can also lead to some boring downtime between deaths, as some boss fights are book-ended with an ungodly amount of exposition that isn’t easy to skip. The final battle, in particular, is a bit of a sore spot: a gargantuan four-phase fight that culminates in an extended chase sequence, where if you make the wrong choice on a left-or-right turn, you’re as good as dead. Yes, that means doing the entire fight all over again. Some may even find the lack of voice acting throughout the entire game to be slightly harrowing, making what is supposed to be the bustling city of New York feel uncomfortably barren.
But it’s this lack of constant, bustling noise that makes the few pieces of Parasite Eve’s music stand out. Yoko Shimomura’s compositions fill in the missing population of New York, making the city all the more solemn and engrossing as a result. The game’s main theme, “Primal Eyes,” combines a looped drum beat with a melancholic piano melody before cutting in with crunching guitar riffs, angelic choirs, and other electronic beeps. The battle theme, “Arise Within You,” kicks off with a single heartbeat before drawn-out chords, a mechanical beat, and minimalist piano keys make a surprisingly understated but no-less memorable track. Other tracks primarily consist of piano ballads or dread-laden ambiance, creating a foreboding atmosphere that remains unique from Shimomura’s lengthy discography. At points, the melodies even sound similar to the iconic theme of Halloween, with grandiose accompaniments that sell the scale of the mitochondria threat.
That’s the other major aspect of Parasite Eve as well: while it does refer to the events of the original novel, which took place in Japan, the entirety of Parasite Eve takes place in or around New York City. This focus is represented not only by hitting the major locations of NYC — Carnegie Hall, Central Park, the Chrysler Building, etc. — but through how these locations are depicted. Central Park is covered in a thick layer of snow, the sewers running beneath the streets are caked in grime and rot, and the tourist locations still shine with pretty colors despite being littered with broken scenery. As you head to new locations, cutscenes that take place inside a police cruiser reflect the city’s lights and dilapidated shadows underneath in a lightning-fast blur. It all makes for a hauntingly beautiful representation of the Big Apple, working with its graphical limitations instead of acting in spite of them.
Once you complete the game, you even unlock the ability to secure an additional ending via the Chrysler Building, the game’s most difficult challenge yet. Available only in Parasite Eve‘s New Game+ mode, “EX Mode,” it is comprised of a whopping 77 floors full of randomized monsters and boss fights, culminating in what can be considered the “true” ending of the story. Hopefully, you’ve been spending your upgrades wisely, as the Chrysler Building is easily the game’s longest and most difficult piece of content.
Parasite Eve’s Legacy
If Parasite Eve has all of these positive qualities, why can it be ultimately considered “forgotten?” It was re-released in multiple forms, sold enough copies to be incorporated into the PlayStation’s “Greatest Hits” label, and has since acquired a cult-classic status among horror enthusiasts around the world. It’s not so much that Parasite Eve itself is “forgotten,” but it’s what Parasite Eve brought to the table as an unconventional RPG that has been left behind.
Parasite Eve II would release only two years later, in 2000, bringing the franchise to Europe for the first time. Kenichi Iwao would take over as director, having previously worked with Capcom in drafting the script for the original Resident Evil in addition to working on Square Enix’s side-scrolling shooter, Einhänder. Naoshi Mizuta would simultaneously take over as composer in his first-ever soundtrack composed under Square Enix. Suffice it to say, the change in direction is palpable. Gone is the melding of RPG combat and tactical decision-making in lieu of a traditional survival horror game — except now it’s at the end of the PlayStation’s lifespan, where tank controls and other genre conventions have largely fallen out of favor with the general public. Aya returns with both endings of Parasite Eve seemingly not mattering all that much. Set several years later, Aya comes into contact with more mitochondria mischief in the middle of Los Angeles, having joined a dedicated task force to deal with them. Despite squeezing some impressive visuals out of the console, Parasite Eve II largely abandoned what made the original game unique in favor of making it more like other horror titles.
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Don’t even mention The 3rd Birthday to most Parasite Eve fans. A PSP exclusive released in the early 2010s, The 3rd Birthday isn’t so much another sequel as it is a re-imagined spin-off of the series. Gone are the mitochondria in exchange for the “Twisted,” a race of monstrous creatures that seek to take over the surface of New York City. Aya Brea, instead of being a blonde bad***, has been completely reworked into a character whose sexuality is emphasized above all else and whose heart-of-gold stoicism has been traded for far-less compelling submissiveness. Even the PE meter is gone, exchanged for the “Overdrive” ability that allows Aya to telepathically control her allies. The 3rd Birthday would essentially send the series back into hibernation after reviews critical of its story, gameplay changes, and characterization of Aya proliferated.
Thankfully, there’s some hope for a return to what made Parasite Eve so compelling to begin with. A blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo in the Final Fantasy VII remake saw Aya Brea reappear on a miscellaneous poster, and in a 2020 interview with professional wrestler Kenny Omega, it was revealed that there’s some interest in returning to what was Square Enix’s first-ever M-rated game. As for whether or not it’ll return to what made the series so unique, to begin with, or if it’ll fall more in line with the likes of the Dead Space and Resident Evil remakes, we’ll just have to wait and see.
Parasite Eve is available in a handful of storefronts. If you can get your hands on a Japanese PlayStation Classic system, Parasite Eve comes bundled as one of its pre-loaded games. Otherwise, grey-market copies of Parasite Eve are still available through third-party sellers.
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