As I've made very clear already, I adore PS1-era Squaresoft, and I especially love all of the more experimental titles they used to do. But out of their entire PS1 library, one game in particular stands as my absolute favorite. Even more than Final Fantasy 7 & 9, Chrono Cross, Einhander, IS: Internal Section, Threads Of Fate, Xenogears, Final Fantasy Tactics, Parasite Eve sticks out as my absolute favorite PS1 Squaresoft game. It's one of the most unique gaming experiences you could have, and after over 20 years, there is still nothing like it.
Parasite Eve is a game based on a sci-fi book that asks a weird but interesting question: If the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, what if it gained a mind of its own and took over the body in a desperate attempt at survival? It really is the best kind of cheesy sci-fi premise imaginable, one that actual scientific facts and pushes them to ridiculous extremes. Like with fellow survival horror Resident Evil, Parasite Eve perfectly captures that cheesy b-movie feel, but it treats its subject matter with so much sincerity that you get invested in the fight against these evil mitochondria. It's equal parts ridiculous and genuinely scary, tapping into that primal fear and paranoia of something killing you from the inside through striking mutations and spontaneous combustion.
But what really elevates the story for me are the characters, particularly the two leads and the antagonist. Aya Brea is an incredible protagonist, quite possibly one of the best female characters in all of gaming (at least in the first game, we don't talk about The Third Birthday). The opening perfectly and hilariously establishes her character when the crown in an opera she's attending spontaneously combusts, so she bumps her blind date out of the way and rushes into the fray to confront the culprit. Aya is so active and confident, she never rests on her laurels. She'll drive herself crazy going after Eve, but she'll also never lose sight of her friends. Speaking of which, Eve is a great villain too, super intimidating and the cat-and-mouse game she has with Aya is immensely compelling. But on top of that, Parasite Eve is also kind of a buddy-cop story as Aya spends a lot of time with her partner, Daniel. Compared to Aya who is always willing to do something reckless to stop Eve, Daniel is a fiercely protective paternal figure, which leads to a really interesting dynamic between the two of them.
As for the gameplay, Parasite Eve is a unique fusion between RPG and survival horror elements. The game primarily plays like any other survival horror game of the time. You wander around prerendered environments scavenging for the few scraps of equipment you can add to your limited inventory. There's limited ammo, a variety of guns each with their own strengths, and status effects like poison. However, like in a Final Fantasy game, you have full movement rather than tank controls, and enemies are fought in RPG-style battles. Parasite Eve's battle system is still the most unique aspect of this game, as it uses the ATB system from the Final Fantasy games, but takes place in a real-time arena where you can dodge enemy attacks and reposition yourself. Each weapon has its own unique range you need to get up close to enemies for better accuracy or even more damage, but you also need to know when to pull back to avoid taking damage. There's also a psuedo-magic system in your Parasite abilities like in Final Fantasy, but also reloading like in a shooter, it's such a natural blend between RPG and survival horror combat that works incredibly well. I also really like how each battle takes place within the overworld ala Chrono Trigger, so there aren't any long battle transitions, and the environment can be used to make each battle feel unique. Random encounters are also toned down, most battles you'll face in Parasite Eve are scripted at specific spots, but they'll still pop up less frequently if you backtrack to or hang around locations you've already visited.
Speaking of which, Parasite Eve's pacing is also incredible. As much as I love the RPG genre, I find that their crushing lengths mean I rarely end up properly beating them, but Parasite Eve is unique in that it's a lean 10 hours in length. Parasite Eve spans six days, each taking around 1-2 hours to beat, and then you're done. While at the time, many critics criticized Parasite Eve's short length, I think it's one of this game's greatest strengths because it means there's no filler or downtime. Parasite Eve is such a tight, focused experience that constantly offers you new setpieces. You'll visit tons of locations all around New York, boss fights are frequent, and you won't go too long without running into a memorable setpiece. But while Parasite Eve isn't too long, there's still a decent amount of replay value with its New Game Plus, hidden trading cards, and a lengthy optional dungeon in the Chrysler Building.
Being a prerendered PS1 game in the same vein of Final Fantasy, I wouldn't necessarily say that Parasite Eve looks particularly amazing nowadays, but I still have to praise its overall presentation for its incredible sense of atmosphere. Parasite Eve takes place in New York City on Christmas and in a similar vein to Die Hard, it's a perfect fit. The frost-covered streets, the juxtaposition of the bright Christmas decorations and the dark muted corridors you venture into, it all comes together to give Parasite Eve this unique chilling vibe. I also love how well Parasite Eve captures New York City, you get to visit a bunch of its most iconic landmarks like the Museum Of National History and Central Park. While the layouts of these locations are obviously not anywhere close to the real-life versions, these recreations capture the feel of New York City pretty much perfectly, it's the type of game that makes you appreciate the city more. I also have to praise Parasite Eve's FMVs which are quite possibly my favorites Squaresoft made during that era. Sure, they haven't aged the best but they still do a great job at depicting these truly terrifying and grotesque mutations and transformations. And of course, I can't talk about Parasite Eve without bringing up Yoko Shimomura's incredible electronic score. Despite being out of her comfort zone, Shimomura killed it as usual with the music with a masterpiece of a soundtrack that toes the line between sounding both cold and emotionless, and haunting and melancholy. It's definitely my favorite soundtrack in any horror game, with the highlights easily being Primal Eyes, Out Of Phase, Arise Within You, and Under The Progress.
Overall, Parasite Eve is just incredible, a great example of a unique experimental title executed perfectly. The decision to blend the RPG and survival horror genres is brilliant since they both focus on resource management, and the many great story, art and music direction choices help the game feel cinematic, atmosphere, and like a playable B action movie. And with its sequel veering more into standard survival horror, and The 3rd Birthday just being a generic action game (and also somehow pulling an Other M more insulting than Other M itself), there still aren't any other games like the first Parasite Eve.
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