28 Years Later, There's Still Nothing Quite Like This…

1998 was a legendary year for video games because it saw the release of some of the greatest and most enduring titles of all time. With a roster that includes the likes of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Metal Gear Solid, GoldenEye 007, Half-Life, and Resident Evil 2, among numerous other classics, 1998 was a truly special year for gaming. The experimentation and creativity seen in games that year continue to be impressive even after all this time.

One of the most innovative releases of the year came from SquareSoft (before becoming Square Enix). Having already produced several well-known titles, particularly in the JRPG genre, the studio then dropped Parasite Eve on unsuspecting audiences. Though it may not initially have had the same brand recognition and appeal as some of the other, more established IPs mentioned, Parasite Eve was critically acclaimed. In the generations that followed, it has remained one of the most interesting games of the time—one with a vision that hasn't quite been repeated.

Parasite Eve's Blend of RE's Horror and FF's Mechanics Has Yet to Be Replicated

While it had a familiar framework in many ways, Parasite Eve aimed for a more cinematic, serious presentation, according to director Takashi Tokita's vision. Hironobu Sakaguchi, of Final Fantasy fame, also served as producer and the project marked the first major collaboration between Japan and America for SquareSoft. Released for the PS1 in March in Japan and in September for the United States, Parasite Eve's arrival on the scene was a little out of left field, at least compared to some of its contemporaries. But it resonated well with players and critics, selling more than 950,000 copies in Japan in the course of the first half of 1998. It's now recognized as one of the most beloved games to come out of the era.

Parasite Eve was actually originally conceived as a sequel to the novel of the same name penned by Hideaki Sena, part of the J-Horror trend that was gaining popularity at the time.

Parasite Eve Features

A modern real-life setting of New York City, instead of the fantasy-flavored or futuristic sci-fi ones that were often seen in similar genre titles
A more mature plot (in fact, it was SquareSoft's first M-rated game at the time), exploring deeper scientific, philosophical, and existential themes
Freely explorable semi-open areas with traditional random encounters and setpiece boss battles
A hybrid of real-time and turn-based combat built around a variation of the Active Time Bar system

Parasite Eve Combines a Twisted Story With Pitch-Perfect Mechanics and Design

Parasite Eve sees players control Aya Brea, a rookie police officer in Manhattan. While attending an opera show on Christmas Eve, Aya witnesses a disturbing event in which the audience members begin to spontaneously combust in horrific fashion. As Aya recovers from the devastation, she questions the star of the show, Melissa Pearce, who seemed to be the source of the catastrophe.

Melissa tells Aya about the idea of "sentient mitochondria" that represent a new stage of evolution, revealing that they both possess strange and incredible powers related to their unique genetic traits. The two engage in a heated battle before Melissa transforms into a monstrous bio-mass heavily reminiscent of Resident Evil's creatures and declares herself to now be "Eve" as she escapes into the city's sewers.

Over the course of the following week, Aya and her partner Daniel Dollis race to unravel what's happening and stop Eve. She seeds chaos through the city by controlling other organic lifeforms and forcing them to combust or mutate. As they investigate further, the two encounter a pair of scientists with integral knowledge of how this all came to be, each with their own ulterior motives for being involved.

Though some of the details offered can arguably veer towards the absurd, Parasite Eve treats them with a down-to-earth somberness that maintains the stakes, and the plot unravels at a pace that keeps everything engaging. The story culminates in an epic battle set on the destroyed remains of the Statue of Liberty as Eve is preparing to birth the "Ultimate Being" that will overtake the entire world, ending on something of an ambiguous note.

There is an alternate ending attainable on New Game Plus that offers more closure.

On the mechanical side, Parasite Eve's battles are fluid, channeling Final Fantasy's tactical gameplay with an array of options available for players to optimize their strategies in each encounter. Combined with cutscenes that make great use of the above-mentioned cinematic flair, Parasite Eve's heady mix of Resident Evil's body horror and FF's finely-tuned systems, along with its own original idea,s created an experience that was unlike many others.

At Least One Modern Game is Attempting to Recapture Parasite Eve's Magic

While both franchises that it drew its main inspirations from would continue as staples of the industry, Parasite Eve found itself as something of a black sheep. Though the series received two more entries, Parasite Eve 2 and spin-off The 3rd Birthday, neither was as well regarded nor praised as the original, and the series largely faded into the background following those.

Just recently, however, a new title has cropped up that looks to carry Parasite Eve's torch into the present. Over on Steam, Parasite Mutant's demo has been gaining popularity. Indie developer IceSitruuna has stated Parasite Eve as its biggest influence, and the similarities are readily apparent in what has been shown of Parasite Mutant so far. It's a welcome sign that Parasite Eve's legacy has not been relegated to bygone relics, but instead can still provide great inspiration to build upon all these years later.

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