

- #GAME LIKE PARASITE IN CITY FULL#
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Cerebrospinal fluid inexplicably gushing from eye sockets and muscle sinew being torn as a rat’s skeleton grows beyond the confines of its body are some of the tamer visuals seen in just the opening hours. Parasite Eve remains one of the few examples of the body horror making its way into a video game. It’s a perfect addition to a horror game all about disempowering players with an anxious roll of the dice. Make a small tactical error, and the rookie on your team could be down the gullet of one Eve’s minions. In the strategy RPG Valkyria Chronicles, for example, soldiers that fall in battle potentially die permanently if not resuscitated in time. Add in permadeath to the mix, and there’s a gravitas to every action that wasn’t there before. Imagine if Aya were to lead a SWAT team into battle and worry about their safety in addition to her own. Veering Parasite Eve straight into the strategy RPG lane could improve the established mechanics while amplifying the tension immensely. There’s a good base here but given how it leans into tactics, a slight subgenre shift might spice things up in all the right ways.
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Sure, it’s still turn-based, but Aya is free to move about the battlefield with the only restriction being the parasite energy meter that replenishes after an attack or special ability is spent. Parasite Eve’s combat system is more akin to strategy RPGs than it is Final Fantasy.

Trudging up to an enemy will yield high damage in your favor, but it’s tougher to avoid melee and projectile attacks. The closer Aya is to her target, the more damage her guns will do, and the inverse is true for enemies. Battles are fast, proximity dependant, and rely on being mindful of all chess pieces on the board.
#GAME LIKE PARASITE IN CITY FULL#
Getting more acquainted with citizens only to have them later wiped out by the mitochondria could add to the emotional weight of the story too.Ĭombat, on the other hand, makes full use of Aya’s capabilities as a police officer. Districts would add some personality to the city and up the immersion since a police officer should, you know, actually spend time on duty patrolling the streets. They’re dense with various activities, side quests, and NPCs to interact with. Don’t turn it into an open world or anything like that, rather think how the Yakuza or Persona games flesh their worlds out with districts. Parasite Eve should’ve taken advantage of the fact that it was set in a major metropolitan area, and a new installment could easily remedy this. Waiving off the beaten path wasn’t encouraged outside finding hidden items or the endurance test that was the Chrysler Building climb. While the original game let players visit New York landmarks like the Statue of Liberty there wasn’t much in the way of actual exploration. So, just saying, the City of Angels is still open to the potential of a mitochondria uprising. Parasite Eve 2 opened on Los Angeles but immediately ditched the city for, you guessed it: a dilapidated ghost town. A new Parasite Eve doesn’t need to specifically return to New York, but it should maintain a juxtaposition between the safe and recognizable, and the mitochondria’s ability to burn it to a cinder. Central Park might be where people walk their dogs or build a snowman with their kids, but once Eve comes through, all that’ll be left is charred bodies and malformed beasts. or spending time with friendly police dogs grants reprieve, and accentuate horrific moments when those safe havens become a hell on earth.Įnvironments are at the will of Parasite Eve’s antagonist, Mitochondria Eve (just ‘Eve’ for short), spreading chaos through New York as she goes. Having a chat with your fellow officers at the N.Y.P.D. The perversion of the familiar is what the game goes for, and that tone should return for a new installment. Opening on a stage play at Carnegie Hall during Christmas Eve where our protagonist, police officer Aya Brea, bears witness to a songstress’ ballad that causes the audience to erupt in flame. A grounded setting, tactical combat, and emphasis on body horror make up the powerhouse of the cell that is Parasite Eve.ĭilapidated ghost towns and spooky mansions were the go-to settings in survival horror’s early days, but Parasite Eve opted for the very real New York City.
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Though if the series were to return (and there’s some hope), there’s plenty of ways to improve it without sacrificing the core tenets that made the original special. Square-Enix took their experience with RPGs to create a unique spin on the survival horror formula, rather than make yet another Resident Evil clone. Sure, the tale of a New York City cop chasing after a malevolent swarm of mitochondria may not be the most recognizable Christmas story, but hey, if Die Hard counts then so does this. Spontaneous human combustion isn’t synonymous with yuletide cheer quite like hanging stockings or drinking eggnog are, despite Parasite Eve suggesting otherwise.
