When I played this in 1998, it felt like I was getting a science lesson in the middle of my horror game, which was so unique at the time. No longer satisfied with being the powerhouse of human cells, mitochondria have decided they are going to take back the world and reshape it in their image. You find out that the actress from the opera is the host to “Eve,” possessed by self-aware mitochondria that have mutated. The plot that unfolds feels completely unique in the RPG space, leaning on sci-fi horror with a grounding in reality. All of this feels more at home in a Resident Evil game than one from the company that brought you Final Fantasy, making for a sequence that grabs you by the guts right out of the gate. Things only get stranger as you enter the backstage area to see a rat gruesomely mutate in front of your eyes and attack. It’s a terrifyingly beautiful scene that contrasts the actress’ continued elegant performance with the chaos of the crowd running for their lives as people burst into flames. As she locks eyes with Aya, the other actors on stage spontaneously combust, a horrifying phenomenon which quickly spreads to the audience. In a lavishly directed pre-rendered cutscene, you see the beginning of the opera, which is interrupted by a sinister change in the lead actress. You’re introduced to modern day NYPD officer Aya Brea, who’s attending the opera with her unnamed date. Parasite Eve’s opening chapter is an all-time favorite of mine. On top of the great visuals, Yoko Shimomura’s score for the game is excellent, combining influences from opera and electronica music into something very unique and fitting for the tone of the game. Even though those models look dated now, there’s something to the indistinct and fuzzy nature of the PS1 graphics that leave just enough to the imagination to allow it to be uncanny. The in-engine character models forgo FFVII’s exaggerated, blocky look for more realistic proportions, something Square would continue in FFVIII. While they don’t look quite as impressive in 2023, the sequences have extremely cinematic direction, creating a very polished identity that still manages to shine. Parasite Eve pushed the boundaries of pre-rendered CG cutscenes in the same way that Final Fantasy VII did, but in the modern and familiar setting of New York City. Immediately upon starting the game, it’s apparent that there’s a huge emphasis on production value. The game, produced by Hironobu Sakaguchi and directed by Takashi Tokita, was notable for being the first M-rated game from Squaresoft, as well as having a development team that consisted of members in both Japan and the United States. Parasite Eve is a sequel to the Japanese novel of the same name by novelist and pharmacologist Hideaki Sena. Even now, 25 years after the initial Japanese release of Parasite Eve, I’m hard pressed to think of an RPG that feels as unique and striking as the PlayStation classic. Trading a traditional fantasy setting that usually comes with the genre for a Resident Evil-style bio-horror plot, Parasite Eve immediately grabbed me with its compelling setup and clever twist on the FFVII battle system. After Final Fantasy VII, I was hungry for more, and Square’s next RPG was one that was surprisingly up my alley. Super Mario RPG introduced me to the genre, but, like many people my age, Final Fantasy VII was the one that wowed me the most. I’m a big RPG fan now, but that wasn’t always the case.
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