The 3rd Birthday

The Parasite Eve franchise was a nominal hit for Squaresoft in the PlayStation 1 era, blending survival horror and action RPG in a slick, well-presented fashion.  Over a decade later (and following the merger with Enix several years prior) a third game on the PSP was announced that would allegedly continue the long-dormant tale of Aya Brea.  But was the 3rd Birthday worth the wait, or was this one franchise best left at the relatively high point it ended on?

The start of my time as a devoted RPG fan can be traced back to a very specific era - the mid-to-late 90s, when technology was rounding a very big corner.  CDs were the new standard storage medium, 3D graphics were rapidly becoming the new norm and companies were finally stepping away from the stodgy tropes of the roleplaying genre, which up to that point had mostly been cookie-cutter D&D clones set in samey looking dungeons with only the barest minimum of a Find the Macguffin plot between a lot of monotonous stat crunching and monster bashing.  They were fast becoming epic movie-like productions, with inventive gameplay mechanics, imaginative settings not bound by any prior genre tropes (and actively avoiding them at every turn), and amazing stories with rich characters told by the small handful of people with the talent to write them and the tech and artistry to make them spring off the screen.  Squaresoft was undeniably an enormous part of that change too, with games like Final Fantasy, SaGa Frontier, Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy Tactics keeping me hooked for hundreds of hours as I learned all their mysteries, explored their amazing universes and followed their captivating storylines. 

Parasite Eve may not have been the most acclaimed game of theirs from that era, but I still had quite a lot of fun with it as both a "cinematic RPG" and a clever blend of action-RPG and horror elements, with an alternate campaign and some seriously in-depth weapon customization adding a fair bit of replay value.  I wasn't as fond of its sequel for a number of reasons, but it was a decent survival horror game and continued the story and themes in a logical way.  Then came this wretched abomination on the PSP nearly a decade later, which not only disregards the scientific basis and unsettling mood of the first two games (and the original novel), but actively makes a mockery of everything else fans liked about them too.  Aya has her personality completely removed in favor of becoming a submissive soldier to two arrogant schmucks who constantly feed her objectives, and who are about as emotive as robots themselves owing to the amazing VA direction.  The clever blend of action and RPG elements is discarded in favor of the worst kind of mundane third person cover shooter gameplay - mowing down wave after wave of bullet-sponge enemies for hours on end with virtually no variety or tactics to employ.  The only idea that approaches uniqueness is the ability to "Overdive" into an AI-controlled character to swap positions on the fly and gain access to a fresh supply of weapons, as well as occasionally "Liberating" into an enemy to deal a big burst of damage, but it never factors into the tactical aspect of the gameplay in any significant way, unless you really care about racking up an arbitrary level ranking and grinding out zillions of points to unlock new completely combat-inappropriate outfits.  Which you really shouldn't.

But it gets worse. The monster designs just look stupid and overdesigned rather than frightening ("oh, they're called the Twisted because they're all wrapped up like Twizzlers!  Ha ha ha, we're so clever!").  The story and writing couldn't be further removed from the adult themes and body horror of the original, and is instead exactly in line what you'd expect from the same era of Square Enix that brought us Final Fantasy XIII - a constant barrage of glittery visual effects, shitty one-liners and trite power-of-love-and-friendship tweeness as a desperate bid to distract you from it having more gaping plot holes, ugly art design and one-dimensional characters than Battlefield Earth.  Just to punctuate my point, even the game's writer has stated on multiple occasions that he has no explanation for the opening shootout that drives the plot; if you can't even give a reasonable explanation for the fundamental driving force behind your story, you have no business writing one, period.  And of course, the big twist is also the biggest insult of all - they kill off Aya in the most half-assed way imaginable and  reveal Eve's actually been inhabiting her body the entire game, ensuring there will never be another entry in this franchise again.  Did I also mention there's multiple shower scenes and her clothing gets more damaged as you take hits, so they've been about a half-inch away from whoring out a twelve-year-old the entire game?  Yeah... stay classy, Square Enix. 

I like to consider myself an optimist; I do my best to find something positive, or at the very least redeemable, in even the worst games out there.  In the 3rd Birthday's case, though, I simply can't; I've played thousands of video games in my life, but it's one of the few I can think of that's wholly without merit of any kind.  Not only is it a bad, terribly un-fun experience, but it's actively insulting to fans of the franchise it's spawned from and the intelligence of gamers in general.  Everyone involved with this dumpster fire - the board that approved its pitch, the designers, the artists, the developers, the committee of pretentious schmucks that wrote it, the QA team that spent months of thankless work slogging through it over and over again to get it to pass compliance, the producers that approved its gross-ass content, the publishers that bought ad space to promote it and shipped copies of it to stores, and every single person they suckered into shelling out $50 for it - wasted their time and money.  It may not be the worst-playing game Square Enix has ever produced, but it certainly is the most disrespectful to their audience and emblematic of every single thing wrong with the company during the period it came out in. The only silver lining is that it barely missed the era of handheld platforms that support integrated microtransactions and loot boxes, because you know they wouldn't hesitate to cram that shit in too if they could.  Even so, giving it the lowest possible score on my rating scale can't adequately convey how heinous it is, so I'm doing something I've never done before: I'm awarding every other game I've ever reviewed on RPGreats a retroactive extra half-star, because even the worst of them don't deserve to be on the same level as the 3rd Birthday.  

I feel gross even posting these screenshots but I think it'd be cowardly not to show you just how low this game stoops.

Developer: Hexadrive
Publisher: Square Enix
Released: 2010
Platforms: PlayStation Portable 

Recommended Version: N/A

Parasite Eve II

While the original Parasite Eve found its feet as an action-RPG drawing cues from popular horror titles of the time, its sequel very much takes the opposite approach, becoming a straight survival horror experience with a few RPG elements mixed in.  But does this end up making it a better game in the end, or does it just lose what made the franchise unique?

Parasite Eve, billed as "the Cinematic RPG", was a surprise hit for Square, combining their strength - RPGs - with elements of action and survival horror games like Resident Evil and Dino Crisis, allowing them to put their own spin on the genre while keeping to their norms of storytelling and deep customization to provide a distinct and memorable game experience.

Rather ironic, then, that its sequel would take almost the exact opposite design philosophy.  Parasite Eve 2, while it continues the story of the first game and even carries over some design cues from it, is now much more of a traditional survival horror title.  Fixed camera angles, limited ammunition, a heavy emphasis on item-finding and puzzle-solving, and of course the infamous "tank controls" that require the player to press up to move forward and left or right to rotate, which felt a bit dated in an era where analog controls were rapidly becoming the new standard.  While some elements of the RPG genre are maintained, like spells, MP and even a shop system (more on each of these below), there is definitely a much greater emphasis here on maintaining resources and mastering the finer points of the controls than there was in the first game.

As mentioned, the game does at least retain some RPG elements.  The most prominent of these is an experience system - by defeating enemies, the player earns experience, which in turn can be used to unlock new Parasite Energy abilities (essentially spells) for a variety of effects.  Some of these return from the first game, like the ability to restore Aya's HP with Healing or do extra damage with bullets with Energy Shot, but many are new as well.  In fact, in another odd-change up from the first, these all fit within the four Greek elements of fire, water, earth and wind, and rather than simply being single-target effects, actually have zones of effect somewhat similar to spells in games like Diablo.  Combustion, for example, causes two waves of fire to launch out in front of Aya at an angle, then close in, burning any enemies they touch, while Energyball creates three electrical orbs that rotate around Aya, damaging any enemies they touch.  Each element has three spells, each of which has three levels of power, and by buying or upgrading any of them, Aya's maximum MP will be increased.

In another changeup, however, Aya's HP and damage output are not affected at all by experience levels.  These are determined solely by the equipment the player chooses to equip Aya with, with weapons they find varying significantly in overall damage, fire rate, and special effect (such as having different ammunition types that deal more damage).  As a general rule, though, pistols are the weakest weapons but use common ammunition and frequently get critical hits, making them ideal for weaker enemies but virtually useless against bosses.   Shotguns have a spread effect that can hit multiple enemies in close quarters, machine guns and submachine guns can deal heavy damage but eat ammunition quickly, and grenade launchers are very powerful but ammunition for them is hard to come by and relatively expensive to purchase, making them best saved for stronger enemies and bosses.  Weapon modification still exists, but is limited to predefined attachments that grant added bonuses like extra ammunition capacity or adding a bayonet for a powerful melee attack - a far cry from the in-depth customization of the original that let you build some amazingly destructive weapons.

What weapons the player uses throughout the game is ultimately a matter of preference and personal strategy, but the single biggest determinant factor for what play style they undertake is the armor they choose.  Different suits of armor grant different benefits, such as extra HP, more quick-slots for accessing items mid-battle, or resistance to certain status effects.  Those inclined toward a more traditional, Resident Evil styled experience can go for choices that grant extra HP and boosted fire rate, for example, while those who wish to have a more "mage character" style of gameplay can go for armor that bolsters MP and grants benefits like MP regeneration over time.  Some items can also be equipped to quick slots to add extra benefits, like a slight boost to maximum HP, extra weapon damage or resistance to a particular status, in turn adding a bit more strategy.

The game is not completely steeped in survival horror's emphasis on conserving resources, however.  While many items are found in the field, the player also has the option to purchase ammunition and upgrades by collecting "Bounty Points", earned by defeating enemies.  Boxes littered throughout the game also contain an unlimited supply of basic 9MM ammunition, allowing the player to use pistols and machine pistols as much as they wish provided they are relatively diligent about revisiting said boxes to keep their supplies up.  In another odd reversal from survival horror norms, avoiding enemies is actually discouraged - you actually lose BP if you leave a screen without killing all the enemies, which in turn encourages you to stand and fight any foes you encounter rather than try to avoid them.  In fact, enemies will frequently respawn in visited areas after story events, allowing the player to backtrack and clear them out again to rack up more BP - all but essential if you're going for the highest rankings, which require a high amount of points to be earned.

As is standard for the genre, inventory  management is a significant part of Parasite Eve II's gameplay as well.  While inventory space isn't as limited as most of the Resident Evil titles, you do still have a limited number of inventory slots to contend with, and storing useful items for the later, tougher stages of the game becomes a key part of one's overall strategy.  Befitting this, there are numerous areas in the game where items can be dropped off and retrieved later; however, you do not keep access to all of them throughout the game, meaning that leaving items in some areas and then moving on to the next chapter of the game can result in them being lost, so care must be taken to transfer useful items over before moving on.

In another nod to survival horror norms, Parasite Eve II is not a particularly long game, clocking in at roughly twelve hours once the player figures out how to get through the various puzzles.  However, replay value is introduced by unlocking new content each time the game is completed.  New equipment becomes available depending upon the rank the player attained in their previous playthrough, with new weapons, armor suits, attachment items and the like being unlockable.  One particularly humorous addition here is Squall's Gunblade, which can be unlocked under certain conditions.  While it can fire bullets and use a melee attack, both are rather weak; however, with a combination of a swing and a timed press of the trigger button one can inflict massive damage, mirroring the timed attack mechanic from Final Fantasy VIII.  The game now also allows the player to skip cutscenes, which makes subsequent playthroughs much faster.  In a flip from games like Resident Evil, though, your final rank is not determined by things like how often you heal and how quickly you complete the game, but solely based on how many points you score, so eliminating as many enemies as possible (and playing on higher difficulties) will determine what items you unlock.  More game modes are also gradually unlocked, including Bounty Mode (stronger enemies and more frequent GOLEM encounters), Scavenger Mode (Aya is weaker and the gameplay is much more centered on finding random items from enemy drops) and Nightmare Mode (an extreme challenge with low HP, powerful enemies everywhere and very few shops).

As was standard for Square games of the time, Parasite Eve II looks amazing for a PS1 title, with character models looking much less plasticy than the first game's, immaculately detailed prerendered backgrounds, and even some amazing details like seeing characters reflected in windows and polished marble floors.  The cinematics - one of the first game's selling points - remain as stellar as ever too, allowing for some grotesque transformation sequences and even a very clever opening sequence where a Aya walks toward a building, scrolling a prerendered FMV beneath her as she goes to great cinematic effect.  The soundtrack, while not quite as effectively chilling as the first, also fits within survival horror's sensibilities, lending subtle tension to the horror of the environments and scenarios the player encounters.

In the end, Parasite Eve II is a bit of an odd duck, taking what made the first game distinct and discarding most of it in favor of a more traditional and popularized format.  While it is a more polished game in some respects (with less potential to make game-breakingly powerful character builds), whether it's a better game than the first is a matter of preference that boils down to which the player likes more - RPGs or survival horror games.

Developer: Square
Publisher: Square
Platform: Playstation 1, Playstation Network
Released: 2000, 2011
Recommended version: The Playstation Network version is a direct emulation of the Playstation 1 game.

Parasite Eve

On a platform that became famous for having games that delved into dark themes and used its media-streaming technology to effectively convey horror through video and high-quality sound, Square throws their hat into the ring with an Action-RPG inspired by games like Resident Evil.  But does this title manage to provide some fun of its own, or is this combination just too unwieldy for its own good?

Resident Evil was arguably the Playstation's most important game, kickstarting the trend of "survival horror" games which gave the player a very limited supply of resources as they attempted to solve puzzles, defeat boss monsters and make their way to safety.  This, paired with a creepy atmosphere made possible by the video and audio-streaming technologies of the Playstation, truly made the player feel as though they were trapped in a bizarre horror movie, staying alive only by the grace of quick thinking, avoiding danger whenever possible rather than trying to take it head-on and always being fearful of what dangers would come for them next.  Even with its cheesy acting, unwieldy inventory system and awkward "tank controls", it proved to be a massive success and helped steer gaming into a new era, spawning numerous copycats, spinoffs and eventually becoming Capcom's highest-selling franchise, as well as one of the best-selling video game IPs of all time.

Naturally, with a hit that big on the public consciousness, there would be many copycats of varying quality.  Square threw their own hat in with Parasite Eve, which they touted as a "cinematic RPG" that would combine elements of horror, science fiction and action into one title, as well as provide a movie-like experience with the high quality CGI that brought them fame with their earlier hit on the platform, Final Fantasy VII.  It also drew some clout by being the sequel to a well-received horror novel of the same name, continuing its themes of body horror with a supernatural bent (though the original story would be relatively unknown in the west until it was translated several years later).

The survival horror influence in Parasite Eve's design is clear from the start, with the player moving about on prerendered backgrounds, scavenging a limited supply of items from chests and locations in the environment, and having to solve the occasional puzzle in order to proceed, such as hunting for keys or finding fuses to repair a fuse box.  Of course, there are also segments that fall into predictable video game cliches, such as the similar-looking sewer maze and the story getting increasingly silly and implausible as it goes until by the end it resembles a kaiju movie much more than a survival horror title.

The overall gameplay, however, bears only a moderate resemblance to the survival horror genre.  While this is evident in the exploration aspect of the game (lacking the iconic "Tank controls" that dominated the genre), it's much more prominent in the combat system.  As in most Japanese RPGs, the game often breaks away from player wandering to take them into a combat phase with its own set of mechanics.  Parasite Eve's combat operates somewhat like a Final Fantasy game, with the player getting turns each time an "active time bar" fills up, allowing them to take a shot at an enemy with their weapon, use an item or cast one of several "Parasite Energy" spells with varying effects.  Between turns, however, the player has free movement around the field, which is important as it allows them to move about and evade enemy attacks.  These can even unfold a bit like a shoot-em-up game at times, as the player has to carefully  move their position between two enemy laser beams or position themselves behind an enemy to avoid a sweeping attack, for example.  Thus, the overall game is less about survival and much more action-driven than most games of this kind (at least until games like Resident Evil 4 became the norm).

Parasite Eve's combat finds a decent middle ground between the scripted fights of Chrono Trigger and the random battles of most RPGs of the era.  Battles occur on set screens, though the enemies within them are somewhat randomized, and another fight will not occur until the player leaves that screen and returns, giving them a bit of reign to freely explore the area and search for items.

Of course, being a Square RPG, the game puts heavy emphasis on character and equipment customization.  There are various types of weapons and armor found throughout the game, each with slightly different effects.  Pistols, for example, have decent power and ammunition capacity, but overall poor range, while rifles have longer range but much slower firing time and grenade launchers, while rather slow and only average in terms of damage, have additional effects like having a burn or freeze effect, making the more effective against certain types of enemies (and less so against others).  Armor similarly comes in multiple varieties, which have effects like "pockets" (giving the player extra inventory space), granting resistance to status effects or giving a bonus to one's maximum Parasite Energy when equipped.  Each of these can also be augmented with upgrade items one finds throughout the game - weapons get bonuses to damage, range or ammo capacity while armor gets extra defense, PE bonuses and resistance to critical hits.

The customization aspect comes in the fact that one can remove these properties from weapons and armor and snap them onto others via the use of Tools.  So if you find a new piece of armor with an effect you like but aren't impressed by its stats, you can take that ability off of that armor and attach it to your current one, effectively getting the benefits of both.  Leveling up earns the player "bonus points" that they can spend to further upgrade weapons, giving them a single point in a category of their choice at the cost of 100 points. The tradeoff to this is that when properties or bonus points are removed from a piece of equipment with a Tool, that gear is destroyed; thus, a significant part of the game's strategy is figuring out which pieces of gear are worth keeping in the long run and which ones should eventually be scrapped in favor of something better.  In instances where one piece of gear has multiple effects the player wants to carry over, they can use "Super Tools" to transfer them without destroying the original piece of gear; however, these are very few and far-between (with only two to find in the main game), so they should be used wisely.

Parasite Eve overall is a rather short game, particularly for an RPG; it clocks in at about ten hours for a first playthrough.  However, it does have another nod to its survival horror inspiration in that it attempts to introduce some replay value by unlocking new features once the main game is completed.  This comes in the form of the "EX Game", allowing the player to carry over their bonus points, keep one weapon and armor of their choice from their previous playthrough, making the enemies significantly stronger, and unlocking a new area to explore.  This comes in the form of the Chrysler Building, a 77-floor dungeon with numerous boss fights and powerful gear to collect, as well as sporting a slight "roguelike" feel in its randomized floor layouts.  The top floor is also home to a secondary final boss, and defeating them will unlock an alternate ending to the game's storyline.  This affords some extra fun for both power-gamers interested in maxing out their character's stats and more casual ones who just want to see an alternate ending for the game's story.

In the end, Parasite Eve is an odd middle ground between a survival horror title and an RPG.  While it doesn't prove to be exceptional in either area, it is nevertheless an entertaining experience and a fascinating look at the odd, experimental nature of Square and gaming as a whole in the era of its release.  If you're looking for an unconventional take on the horror genre or just a decent action-RPG title with a horror bent, give it a look.

Developer: Squaresoft
Publisher: Square Electronic Arts, Square Enix
Platform: Playstation, Playstation Network
Released: 1998, 2010
Recommended version: The Playstation Network version of the game is a direct port of the original Playstation release, so all released versions are essentially identical.