By the time the PS1 came around, the role-playing game genre had been pretty well-defined, at least by the standards of JRPGs. Japanese developers took notice, and started experimenting with their mechanics and storytelling. A lot of great RPGs were released in the PS1 era, including the all-time great Final Fantasy 7, but some franchises feel like they never got the spotlight they deserved. In particular, the first Parasite Eve game feels like one of the most underrated games of the generation, escaping the confines of the RPG genre alone.

Parasite Eve is an action-RPG released in 1998 by SquareSoft. It takes place in New York City, and the player controls police officer Aya Brea over a six-day span in 1997. Aya is trying to stop Eve, a mutated woman who plans to destroy the human race through activating mitochondria in people's cells. The game is a pseudo-sequel to the novel Parasite Eve, written by Hideaki Sena, and contains many allusions to its plot and themes. This was SquareSoft’s first M-rated game, and it is fondly remembered for being an extremely polished experience, holding up even under modern scrutiny. There’s even a good case to be made that it would be a modern classic if it got a remake.

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Parasite Eve Is An All-Around Great Time

Parasite Eve Main Character Looking in the Mirror

Stating this game’s superior polish is no hyperbole. Parasite Eve is renowned for having a full suite of attributes that modern triple-A games are lauded for. The visuals are gorgeous, showing some of the best in-engine graphics capable on the PS1, alongside a host of memorable CGI cutscenes. The character designs for the humans are solid, but the monsters are where attention is drawn. Mitochondria-possessed animals and humans are twisted into horrific forms that stand alongside the best that Resident Evil has to offer. Music for the game was composed by Yoko Shimomura of Kingdom Hearts fame, and was widely adored for its sinister and alien vibes.

The story is also top-notch, and full of interesting (if fantastical, and rather cheesy) discussions of biology and strong characters. The female protagonist Aya Brea in particular is one of gaming’s stronger leading women, and serves as a compelling vehicle driving the story forward. Aya is a mature and independent character who leans on her friends for support when the supernatural becomes too much for her. She also has an interesting set of powers and abilities, and functions well in a wide variety of situations.

It says something about how well the writing was handled that the Parasite Eve novel's author Hideaki Sena approved of the game, stating that he was impressed how well the game makers translated his work.

A Game So Good You’d Play It Twice

parasite eve trademark uk new game square enix

The debate on Parasite Eve’s replay value is an interesting one, given that it is quite gameplay-focused. While it technically has less weapon, spell, and party member variety than the average RPG of its era, they’re still present (except for the party, as only Aya is playable). The battle system is fondly remembered for being the predecessor to Final Fantasy 7 Remake’s “real-time with pause” ATB system. Also, the game has a few hidden areas, with one especially large area hiding a secret ending. That alone is worth some extended play time, if one is interested.

Speaking of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Parasite Eve is perfectly primed for a remake as well. With its combat system being almost identical to Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Parasite Eve could even share the same engine and some of the development resources made for the game. The series died out after The 3rd Birthday tanked in sales, so a remake of the original game could remind the public of what made the series so special in the first place.

It would be great to see such a story-heavy game with voice acting (especially the moments that were clearly supposed to have singing or screaming, but didn’t), and having the soundtrack re-orchestrated and re-released would be wonderful for Shimomura fans.

When it all comes down to it, a Parasite Eve remake would allow the old game to finally get some recognition for what it did, and that’s a worthy cause. Being able to experience Aya Brea’s original and most iconic adventure again in modern fidelity would be a real treat, and one that could potentially be the start of other old Square and Enix RPGs coming back in the modern era.

Parasite Eve originally released on March 29, 1998, for the PS1.

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