Parasite Eve
Reviewed by Michael LoCascio
The PlayStation seems to have earned the reputation of being
the system to turn to if you're looking for great
role-playing games. From Final Fantasy VII to the more
recent Legend of Dragoon, Sony's machine has been reliable
for top-notch RPGs throughout its history. As much as I've
enjoyed these games, though, there's one thing that's really
bothered me about present-day RPGs. While I'm playing these
titles, I often feel like I'm spending far too much time
watching flashy cutscenes, rather than participating in the
action myself. So you can imagine what I was thinking when
Square dubbed Parasite Eve 'The Cinematic RPG. ' As if all
of these other titles weren't 'cinematic' enough, Square
was apparently releasing a game that actually focused on
scenes during which the player wouldn't even be involved.
Well, while Parasite Eve is quite 'Cinematic' and isn't
much of an 'RPG', it is a very enjoyable game with some
noteworthy, original concepts.
Maybe it's because I've never taken much of an interest in
biology, but I didn't find Parasite Eve's plot to be
particularly intriguing. Based on a novel that was released
in Japan, Parasite Eve raises the uninteresting question of
what might happen if our mitochondria decided to end the
symbiotic relationship that they currently enjoy with us and
attempted to become the dominant species of the world. Now,
I may not have enjoyed biology, but I did study it enough to
know that this idea is more than just a bit far-fetched. Ah,
well, I guess that's part of the reason why novels and video
games exist - to explore some of the more outlandish ideas
that we humans come up with.
The main character of this crazy little story is a spunky
young cop named Aya Brea. As Aya, your mission will be to
thwart the plans of the mitochondria and destroy Eve, the
strange, mysterious woman who acts as the ringleader of this
sudden rebellion. With the help of a stern-but-sensitive
detective named Daniel Dollis and an intelligent (albeit not
particularly witty) scientist named Kunihiko Maeda, you'll
have to chase Eve through New York City for six days and
uncover her diabolical plans. To delve any deeper into the
plot would truly spoil the game, as Parasite Eve is already
a ridiculously short and simple experience. Ten hours should
be more than enough time for decent, experienced players to
squash the mitochondria and restore order to the world.
Also, since you'll spend a tremendous amount of time
watching the story unfold via cutscenes, you may as well
learn about the plot for the first time as you play the
game. After all, there isn't much else to do when Square
decides to go 'cinematic'.
There are particular objectives that must be met before a
day will come to an end. You can fool around in the game's
various locations all you want, but until you go where
you're supposed to go and do what you have to do, the day
won't end and you'll never advance in the game. You'll
usually be specifically informed of where you should go, so
progress comes relatively easy in Parasite Eve. When Aya
leaves the police station, a map of Manhattan appears on the
screen (which is referred to as a 'World Map' by the
instruction manual). You can then select your next
destination from a number of different locations in the
city. A day's work usually consists of figuring out where to
go, learning new information about the plans of the
mitochondria, defeating some mutated creatures as you
explore a given area, and meeting up with Eve. The game will
take you through various parts of NYC, including Central
Park and the city's sewer system. You can save your progress
at various points during the adventure.
While Parasite Eve may be extremely linear for an RPG, each
location will offer numerous paths for you to explore. If
it's your first time through the game, you'd do well to
conduct as thorough an investigation of each location as
possible. It is crucial to closely examine every nook and
cranny of each area that you visit, as you never know where
you might stumble upon a powerful weapon or a valuable item.
Combat in Parasite Eve is rather interesting. Reminiscent of
the battle system in Final Fantasy VII, you'll need to wait
until a gauge fills up before you can attack. However, while
the bar is filling up, you can control Aya and move her
anywhere on screen that you wish (provided that other
inanimate objects aren't standing in her way) in order to
avoid the enemies' attacks. While this system is original
and innovative, it has its downsides. It's a bit annoying to
have to run around the screen waiting for a bar to fill up
before you're allowed to demolish your foes. These gauges
seem to work better (and make more sense) in standard
turn-taking battle systems. There's no logical reason why
Aya shouldn't be able to pull the trigger whenever she wants.
Your hand-held weapons aren't your only options in combat.
During the game, Aya will learn how to make use of various
types of 'Parasite Energy'. PE serves the same purpose in
this title as magic spells serve in more typical RPGs. Most
types of Parasite Energy serve to either heal Aya or injure
her enemies. Just as there is a gauge that lets players know
when they can attack, there is another bar that denotes the
amount of Parasite Energy that Aya has at her disposal. This
bar will slowly refill following each use of PE. However,
should you resort to the powers of Parasite Energy a little
too often, the bar will stall for a short period of time.
Following every battle in which she is victorious, Aya will
be rewarded with experience points. Upon advancing a level,
the game will grant you Bonus Points which you can use to
improve Aya's statistics or strengthen her equipment. Among
the things you can do with Bonus Points are improve Aya's
rate of attack and increase the total amount of items that
she is allowed to carry.
The element of Parasite Eve which I enjoyed the most was
'tuning-up' my equipment. There are various types of
weapons in the game, including rifles, shotguns, and grenade
launchers. Each weapon has its advantages; some guns can
hold a great deal of ammo, while others have excellent
range, and still others have high attack power. You'll more
than likely find one type of gun that you prefer to use in
most situations. If you're able to find some tools during
your adventure, you can take an aspect of one weapon and add
it on to another (sacrificing the weapon that you took
from). You can improve upon the basic aspects of your gun,
such as how much ammo it can hold and how much damage it can
do. You can also add various kinds of effects to your
weapon, including a 'burst' effect that will enable your
bullets to slice through multiple enemies. Tools can also be
used to improve your armor in a similar manner. Customizing
your own special weapons and suits can be a real blast; if
anything makes you return to Parasite Eve after you've
completed it, it will probably be the chance to experiment
with different types of weapons and create new attack instruments.
The graphics in Parasite Eve are very well-done. Not
surprisingly, the FMV cutscenes are nothing short of amazing
(I especially enjoyed the montage that shows when the game
is first powered-up). The enemies, particularly the bosses,
are large and detailed, although the dark backgrounds can
make it somewhat difficult to make out certain aspects of
particular villains. The character graphics could have used
a little more work; everything looks alright while Aya and
company are standing still, but things start to fall apart
the second they begin moving. For instance, instead of
simply turning their bodies, the characters will often begin
walking in place and slowly rotate towards the direction
they wish to face. This is a minor flaw and will probably
provide a bit of amusement more than anything else, but it
would have been nice if Square had polished up this one
glaring mistake in what is otherwise a very impressive game,
visually. The music is also superb, although it gets a tad
bit repetitive. You'll have to listen to the same few themes
over and over again during your quest. Sounds are basically
limited to gunshots and explosions. As is the case with most
Square games, there isn't any voice acting in Parasite Eve.
The length of the game will obviously be a sore spot for
many people. It's generally unacceptable for an RPG to last
for less than twenty hours, and many gamers will likely be
able to complete this adventure in just one or two sittings.
Still, it's important to keep in mind that Parasite Eve
wasn't intended to be a traditional role-playing game; if
you're looking for a typical RPG, you should look elsewhere.
It really is as simple as that. Besides, this game includes
far too many thrills to be overlooked just because it isn't
an epic. There is even a special bonus mode included which
can be accessed after you've completed the game. While this
mode basically consists of the same exact quest with tougher
enemies and one extra building to explore, it does add a bit
to the replay value of the game. Having played through
Parasite Eve a number of times myself, I can say that it is
an enjoyable, appealing game, even if it fails to excel in
every aspect. Definitely worth a look.
Overall: 8 out of 10
