RPGs and Horror Games are my favourite genres and Vagrant Story might just be my favourite game that I played last year. Parasite Eve is a blend of all 3 and to no surprise, I enjoyed every second of it.

Everything about this game slaps. The story is really enjoyable in the same way a B-horror movie is and once I learned to just not take the biological jargon about the mitochondria and sperm too seriously, I had a blast with it. I quite like the characters too, Aya is a badass and a lot of the dialogue feels really natural and compelling, especially the exchanges early on between Baker, Daniel and Aya. The game also bolsters a really cool aesthetic and a lot of CGI cutscenes, with my favourites being the scenes of the animals mutating since they feel like they're ripped straight out of a John Carpenter film.

I also really like the gameplay. The combat is a bit similar to Vagrant Story only with way less menu management and an emphasis on dodging attacks and minimizing an enemies' damage after learning their attack radius was pretty satisfying (even if some attacks feel impossible to dodge). You can also take apart weapons in order to give other weapons a variety of perks so old weapons mostly have a use and experimenting with different setups and abilities was quite enjoyable. The game also has RE style exploration and I enjoy it here more than I usually would since instead of exploring one huge area for the majority of the game, Parasite Eve instead has you exploring a variety of much smaller areas and I personally much prefer this approach.

I don't really have any big flaws with the game. I guess the ending is a little lacklustre, the instant kill parts can be annoying, the game isn't very scary at all and the sewer area is pretty frustrating not just in the way the area is designed, but also due to the bat enemies that constantly blind you. For me though, the problems mean very little in the grand scheme of things.

The game is a very short (for an RPG) and tight package that felt like it was tailor-made for my tastes and it instantly clicked with me in a way that very few games do. It might be a little early to say this, but I think this is one of my favourite games of all time

Parasite Eve innovated a few things that haven't really been replicated in modern RPGs. I love the idea of a short, cinematic RPG. What it lacks in length it makes up for with its great pacing and fun battle system. The writing is a really fun mix of paranormal and psuedoscience and plays out like a great episode of the X-Files. The music is also incredible. Even though it's short there's a really cool New Game Plus mode that includes a huge bonus dungeon. I'd like to see more RPGs like this that just have a simple, 4-5 hour story that's full of memorable scenes and moments with very little fluff and a fun mechanics.

This would be 5 stars but I'm knocking it for its bullshit finale. You move abruptly into the point of no return with absolutely no warning and I could see someone who's unfamiliar with this game getting themselves into an unwinnable position for the final battle. After that final battle you're put into an instakill chase sequence which would require trial and error for anyone not looking at a guide or map. Oh and after you get caught you have to do the final battle all over again. In particular I found myself getting caught on the last hallway despite moving in the right direction at the right time. If you're emulating this will be less of an issue, but it's executed so poorly that often times when I replay the game I just stop at that point.

Great soundtrack, Interesting yet somewhat confusing story, fantastic gameplay and all around loveable cast
Parasite eve is honestly one of the most interesting games ive played with its battle style and story. The game had a pretty big dip in quality with the sewer section however made up for it very quickly with the museum and the entirety of day 6,
The ending was very very disappointing however the EX mode ending was quite wholesome and sweet and id very much like to perceive that one as the "true ending" after the events of the og ending.
The characters are also very great with Aya being one of the more badass female protagonists ive seen
P.S. Liberate is one of the coolest skills ive ever seen in any videogame
all around solid snappy game and i highly recommend playing if youve never experienced it