Parasite Eve

 PlayStation
User Score
8.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 201 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 179 out of 201
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 201
  3. Negative: 5 out of 201
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. skullketsu
    Jun 25, 2023
    10
    Probably one of my favorite games I've ever played. The RPG elements are super fun, and story is deep and interesting. The atmosphere is also so perfectly built as well with its stellar soundtrack and beautifully rendered environments. Its just a fun experience overall. It may be a bit outdated, but that's what made it feel so refreshing to me personally. It truly needs a port for ps5.
  2. tonberry_ftw
    Jun 24, 2023
    10
    Aya Brea was super cool in this game. Got less cool in 2nd one and 3rd birthday... no comment. Nostalgia value for extra score.
  3. joglow
    Feb 27, 2023
    6
    Played the game because of the female prognostic and never got disappointed.
  4. philzlz
    Jan 13, 2023
    8
    Years ago when Parasite Eve released I could never finish it, I was too young to understand the idea of transferring weapon and armor skill points from one to the next. What I had never forgotten was the haunting piano soundtrack and the incredible looking FMV scenes, that stuff blew my mind back then. I always wanted to finish it again and waited for December to fit the theme.

    While I    Years ago when Parasite Eve released I could never finish it, I was too young to understand the idea of transferring weapon and armor skill points from one to the next. What I had never forgotten was the haunting piano soundtrack and the incredible looking FMV scenes, that stuff blew my mind back then. I always wanted to finish it again and waited for December to fit the theme.

    While I did not expect it to be so short I had a great time with the game, the story keeps you hooked and I was surprised by how disturbing some of the cutscenes were. The music alone was great, I still love the piano soundtrack today.

    Combat was disappointing some mechanics are almost impossible to dodge, if you die you cant skip cutscenes or dialogue and sometimes have to wait five minutes to try again. But the worst happens twice in the game, an insta-death mechanic if you do not know exactly where to run (Once after a 15 minute boss fight). Very frustrating! Inventory management is terrible, key items are not always discarded automatically and clutter the space.

    Overall I am glad that to have revisited the game and wish more were set in present day and not fantasy scenarios.    … Expand
  5. Onlyclassicvg1
    Sep 21, 2022
    10
    olid Snake returns in Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance, the expanded edition of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty with all-new game modes, hidden characters and storylines. Top-secret weapons technology is being mysteriously transported under cover of an oil tanker to an unknown destinatio
  6. nirvana11
    Aug 10, 2022
    8
    Great story (sci-fi), the fights are nice (a little turn by turn with atb gauge) but rather repetitive and easy, the game is short, a lot of cutscenes quite nice, only downside some passage a little long (sewers and museum especially) but a very good game especially for the story.
  7. miles90
    Jun 28, 2022
    10
    Amazing game, 90 to early 00' was the golden age of games and Squaresoft delivered great games. Also shame to critic reviews bombing the score after 20+ years.
  8. Zloyad
    Jun 15, 2022
    8
    Unfortunately, the game is obsolete. A good story, but a lot of holes. The gameplay is boring. Many of the mechanics are filler. Was one of the best games in its day. But by 2022 it's hopelessly outdated.
  9. guiletheguiles
    Feb 16, 2022
    7
    Parasite Eve is definitely a sea of great ideas that I've been meaning to dive in for a long time. After spending over 9 hours with it, I can say that it surely shines, but not as much as I hoped it would.

    The story of Parasite Eve is quite mature. It's lovely to see how far a game can go when the writing is strong like this one. It takes a while to grasp everything going on, but by the    Parasite Eve is definitely a sea of great ideas that I've been meaning to dive in for a long time. After spending over 9 hours with it, I can say that it surely shines, but not as much as I hoped it would.

    The story of Parasite Eve is quite mature. It's lovely to see how far a game can go when the writing is strong like this one. It takes a while to grasp everything going on, but by the end of the game I felt fulfilled. In addition to being an elegantly well told tale, it also packs memorable characters and a great protagonist. Aya Brea is very well designed, from her style to her profile, and the fact that she's tied with the main villian (who's also quite memorable, by the way), just enhances your time with her, making her one of the main reasons why the story and setting will stick to your mind.

    And it all just immerses you more and more as you go through it. Part of the reason why this game vibes so well with its theme is due to its beautiful renders, amazing environments and epic cutscenes that, while they don't hold up to today standards, they can still pack quite a punch. On top of that you have Yoko Shimomura composing the sountrack, hitting you with beautiful, classy, intense and diverse songs that refuse to leave my mind even after the credits rolled. Indeed, a genius of video game music.

    As for the core gameplay, it's a unique mix of RPG and Survival Horror. Not a perfect hybrid, but a very good one, I must say. I had a lot of fun with the combat. It's a near perfect marriage of Vagrant Story and Resident Evil 2. And, yes, I know it sounds weird to say it, but it just works. Great enemy variety, challenging bosses, good collection of magics and tons of guns for you to manage your way to the end.

    The problem with this game lies in how archaic it is. Regardless of the time it was made, I just felt like things should flow a bit better and, definitely, faster.
    Aya's movement speed is probably the worst thing in the game. She's slow when outside combat and extremely clunky during fights where mobility is key. In a game where you have to backtrack to get everything you want while taking the least amount of damage as possible, movement is essential and it just doesn't work well.

    In fact, many other things doesn't work as well as it should. The gun tuning system is very rough, the UI takes a bit to get used too, for an RPG the game can be extremely short (which usually doesn't bother me, but now it somehow did), cutscenes are unskipabble and inventory management is a HUGE mess. Why didn't they just add an item box instead of forcing a very repetitive trip back to the police department?
    And while the boss fights are very well done, I have to say that the final boss is an unnecessary difficulty spike. A pseudo-bullethell shooter with a toothless chase afterwards.

    Parasite Eve is a pleasant and nostalgic trip back to the 90's. It works great, brings new ideas to the genre, manages to be a unique hybrid and introduces Aya Brea, whith a great soundtrack to boot.
    But it's archaic design, slow pace clumsiness breaks part of the experience.

    A great game, nonetheless. Just not one of the best RPGs of an era filled with wonderful RPGs.    … Expand
  10. Gal0_Ninja
    Feb 1, 2022
    8
    O jogo é incrível, o roteiro e seus personagens são bem construídos e possui belos gráficos, mas o combate é lento e desinteressante, os cenários são apertados o que torna muito difícil desviar dos inimigos.
  11. megaman_mx
    Feb 23, 2021
    10
    gran historia un gameplay muy novedoso para su tiempo. excelente mezcla de RPG, terror y estrategia. todo un clásico y joya de la corona.
  12. Spokey34
    Jun 20, 2020
    10
    I like how the camera is zoomed out in battles. Gives me a great view of the battle. OST is just great.
  13. Panchogul
    Jun 12, 2020
    9
    La historia es muy buena, la jugabilidad no tanto, los combates se hacen molestos y toscos y no es un juego que den ganas de jugar más de una vez ya que no ofrece gran cosa luego de haberlo terminado, pero el hecho de mezclar el género rpg con el survival horror fue un gran acierto.
  14. Flurs
    May 6, 2020
    10
    This game has some really insane story. I only play emulator and can't wait to play on ps2 backwards compatible I hope .
  15. GoFrozen
    Apr 10, 2020
    10
    The game is amazing, one of my favorite on ps1. The atmosphere, story and battle system in this game is just great!
  16. SporadicDeviant
    Dec 16, 2019
    10
    One of greatest fusions of multiple game genres; RPG, horror, and action. The battle system is strategic taking Quest 64 style of combat for fights that utilizes item management as well as character/enemy placement all in real-time/turn-based fusion. The level of customization with weapon/equipment mods is surprisingly deep for a JRPG of its time The story is great, never going to far withOne of greatest fusions of multiple game genres; RPG, horror, and action. The battle system is strategic taking Quest 64 style of combat for fights that utilizes item management as well as character/enemy placement all in real-time/turn-based fusion. The level of customization with weapon/equipment mods is surprisingly deep for a JRPG of its time The story is great, never going to far with the melodrama, and sporting one the most underrated main characters in all of gaming; Aya Brea. The music is also superb, some of Yoko Shimomura's greatest work as a composer. This game is perhaps one of the PS1's greatest games and also one of the best JRPG's of all time.… Expand
  17. Yury_Vashurin
    Nov 13, 2019
    9
    One of the greatest JRPGs of all times and also a very unusual one. It's very rare to see a JRPG in a non-fantasy setting. The story is very intriguing, with interesting scientific background and that peculiar athmosphere that is common for games made in Japan. The music is just perfect. As for the gameplay, I like its realization overall but there are a couple of flaws - e.g. some enemyOne of the greatest JRPGs of all times and also a very unusual one. It's very rare to see a JRPG in a non-fantasy setting. The story is very intriguing, with interesting scientific background and that peculiar athmosphere that is common for games made in Japan. The music is just perfect. As for the gameplay, I like its realization overall but there are a couple of flaws - e.g. some enemy attacks are too unobvious in terms of dodging, so often it depends purely on your luck if you can evade them. The most notable and annoying disadvantage of this game (if you play it on PS1 and not using an emulator) is the unskippable cutscenes. Watching them time after time is very frustrating, that's why the best decision is to play Parasite Eve on an emulator where you can save states.
    I really hope that sooner or later this masterpiece gets a modern remaster with improved combat.    … Expand
  18. sebastianali
    Jul 7, 2019
    5
    Gran idea. Mala ejecucion.
    La falta de rejugabilidad, los combates tediosos y que requieren mas suerte que estrategia, el inventario limitado, subir de nivel y que los stats apenas suban y la dificultad desbalanceada hacen de parasite eve un juego muy malo.
    Encima no entiendo los encuentros aleatorios, es decir que mier... esas probabilidades al super azar!
  19. ralphpugsley
    Jun 24, 2019
    9
    A genuinely unique game for its time, and amazingly, there is really nothing like it today either.loosely following the events of the award-winning novel of the same name, the story is really something that veers from ingenious to ridiculous absurdity, yet is never less than compelling. The graphics, even for the time, leave something to be desired in terms of human character models. ThisA genuinely unique game for its time, and amazingly, there is really nothing like it today either.loosely following the events of the award-winning novel of the same name, the story is really something that veers from ingenious to ridiculous absurdity, yet is never less than compelling. The graphics, even for the time, leave something to be desired in terms of human character models. This is made up for however, by fantastic art direction and creature design that rival the works of Stan Winston.and Rob bottin. The combat is where the game really shines.… Expand
  20. Renzokuken
    Dec 26, 2018
    10
    A fantastic blend of story telling, biological horror and RPG elements, makes parasite eve a gripping and enjoyable adventure even in 2018. The equipment system and secret dungeon give the game far more replay value than you'd expect.
  21. ECB19
    Dec 24, 2018
    9
    This is one of the best games for the first playstation, the way of telling the story is very good, something that should be highlighted , when that scientific terms were used correctly when the characters had to talk.
    Very interesting story, in my opinion the battle system was innovative but a bit clumsy.
  22. Leontorres7
    Nov 13, 2018
    10
    Legendary game, play it, this game changed my life for good, all I have for this game is LOVE
  23. XV_
    Aug 18, 2018
    9
    I had a blast with Parasite Eve, I didn't play it when it came out and I'm really glad, this game is an instant classic and deserves a lot more attention, I think that it has aged better than Resident Evil. Even the cliche dialogue and characters didn't break my experience and I really like Aya as a protagonist and also the story was good and interesting, the music is amazing (YokoI had a blast with Parasite Eve, I didn't play it when it came out and I'm really glad, this game is an instant classic and deserves a lot more attention, I think that it has aged better than Resident Evil. Even the cliche dialogue and characters didn't break my experience and I really like Aya as a protagonist and also the story was good and interesting, the music is amazing (Yoko Shimomura always delivers I guess) and the combat is what I really enjoyed the most. Is not brutally difficult but is also not that easy, it has a nice balance. My only issue is that at the very end you have to rely on luck in a crucial thing, and I wasn't lucky 2 times so... give yourself a favor and choose left and then up, you're welcome.… Expand
  24. maure88devil
    Jul 26, 2018
    10
    Just my favorite game ever. I feel nostalgic playing at it and Aya Brea is the perfect incarnation of horror games heroines. Simply loving it.
  25. stgrunu
    Apr 15, 2018
    8
    This is A DEMO. A demo that I would argue and say it's better than the game it went on to be.
  26. marcelus
    Mar 17, 2017
    10
    Aya Brea Best Snowy Waifu .
  27. chrisjb1983
    Mar 6, 2017
    10
    Parasite Eve was really a breath of fresh air for the genre when it released. Story may be convoluted, but it is very interesting. Characters are well developed, each haven't their own unique perspective/roles/side stories throughout the 7 day campaign. Boss battles were unique and end game content/new game + offers replayability.

    I really enjoyed the free roam aspects (attack timer)    Parasite Eve was really a breath of fresh air for the genre when it released. Story may be convoluted, but it is very interesting. Characters are well developed, each haven't their own unique perspective/roles/side stories throughout the 7 day campaign. Boss battles were unique and end game content/new game + offers replayability.

    I really enjoyed the free roam aspects (attack timer) during battle instead of the traditional turn based mechanics. It really brings a breath of fresh air to the genre. All in all, Parasite eve has a 25 hour campaign and the Chrysler building (end game on new game +) that adds well over another 4-7 hours of additional content on first playthroughs. A true joy to play for fans of the genre.    … Expand
  28. SoulBackUp
    Dec 7, 2016
    10
    Beats me why this franchise never got going. Parasite is a phenomenal and unique combination of RPG and survival horror, not to mention it was way ahead of it's time. What I wouldn't do to play a state of the art Parasite Eve game...
  29. llamayarmybar
    Nov 18, 2016
    7
    Parasite Eve, a tedious, early quasi-three-dimensional cinematic, action-rpg from what some might say was the year that the original Playstation peaked and its time was coming to an end. So why so many positive reviews one might wonder. Nostalgia? "John Carpenter's Thing" fans? Or are their actually people that found a shallow roleplaying game with a few bizarre animated CGI clipsParasite Eve, a tedious, early quasi-three-dimensional cinematic, action-rpg from what some might say was the year that the original Playstation peaked and its time was coming to an end. So why so many positive reviews one might wonder. Nostalgia? "John Carpenter's Thing" fans? Or are their actually people that found a shallow roleplaying game with a few bizarre animated CGI clips enjoyable? Whatever the reasons are, you can bet that rose tinted glasses are worn by most people giving this game such high praise. First off, the plot is dull science fiction nonsense. It comes off like a bad B horror film with some elements of science fiction thrown in to keep people preoccupied with how awful everything else is. The dialogue is a total joke, to the point where I wasn't sure if I was reading text that was so poorly translated that it just came off as terrible, or if the Japanese actually wrote lines like that. Like the kind that sound utterly ridiculous. I understand this was "loosely" and "based" on a real book about a really far fetched, as well as impossible scientific theory based around mitochondria in human cells. However, it just doesn't translate well here. Gameplay is centered around turn based combat and set pieces. The kind of early ugly stilted level design or "set pieces," that look like background tapestry, or a garbage covered matte painting. The kind of set pieces that are so ghastly to look at that you forget that the developers have also added actual ITEMS that you have to find throughout them, items that you can easily miss because of how awful everything looks on screen. Making annoyance number two on the list of things this game gets wrong- item hunting. You can literally go one chapter, find say four new guns, then get to the next chapter and find one gun that's better than all of those guns, but the thing is, you didn't know that before you upgraded one of those other four guns. That's because the game expects you to be a total freaking genius and be able to tell the future at the same time. The inventory system is woeful. Twenty slots? Twenty slots fills up fast when your "Parasite Eve" magic skills don't do jack diddly and you have to rely on bottles of "Medicine 1" and "Medicine 2" or how about the infamous "Medicine 3?" The inventory system is one that you'll constantly be managing, not because you have to worry about ammo or healing items, but because you will constantly run out of room picking up ten new items that you'll never use ever ever. Did I mention the combat yet? Oh boy. So you can wait, then shoot, then you wait again, but after awhile, its okay- cause you can shoot again. Riveting stuff obviously. I don't really see the point of running around in such a muddy looking pre-rendered room with what are essentially revolting "3D" objects bumping into each other. Its arguably unnecessary and any classic turn based system would've sufficed, but that's just my opinion. The stilted animations already looked dated in 1998, so you can imagine what they look like now. Where I seem to have the least problems with Parasite Eve however, is the soundtrack. The soundtrack is great, even though ninety percent of it is basically reused in every chapter, but whatever, its really good. Its very low-key, its got a good ambient sort of electronica sound to it, its never overbearing, or obnoxious, and though some of the loops are super short, its very difficult to find it actually repetitive. It typically fits the mood they were going for. The sound effects are pretty minimal however, you'll hear the main character's lady shoes clopping all over the place. That's what she gets for wearing high heels everywhere she goes I guess. Gun shots sounded muted and cartoonish, but this was the Playstation 1 we're talking about. The one thing that really drives me nuts and I think has a great deal to do with WHY people have such a hard on for this game, is the cutscenes. The cutscenes are very well directed, they are absolutely great looking and probably drove a lot of people to buying Parasite Eve to begin with. However, that isn't what I remember the game for, sure I recall the first time I saw the rat transformation, the melting crowd, the museum boss fight, and those were all memorable. No the one thing I remember the most however was how boring the game was, it was tedious, the upgrade system still doesn't really make sense to me, the plot was blah, the characters were uninteresting and to top it all off, the game looked terrible for 1998. Trust me, Square could've made a much better looking game. Final Fantasy VIII came out in 1999 and that looks loads better than Parasite Eve, so something tells me that they had a smaller budget for this project. Overrall, its an average rpg with a few memorable moments, but the praise this game gets is unjust considering all of its flaws.… Expand
  30. TheObservant1
    Nov 4, 2016
    10
    Having just recently played this game again after having not played it in a few years I must say that it still holds up rather well. There are many things that Parasite Eve does right from story, characters, ost, gameplay and so forth. Even though I rather enjoyed the game and am biased towards it that doesn't mean Parasite Eve is a perfect game and it does have some minor annoyances thatHaving just recently played this game again after having not played it in a few years I must say that it still holds up rather well. There are many things that Parasite Eve does right from story, characters, ost, gameplay and so forth. Even though I rather enjoyed the game and am biased towards it that doesn't mean Parasite Eve is a perfect game and it does have some minor annoyances that will undoubtedly annoy people while playing it. There's really nothing more I can add that others haven't brought up before but I do recommend checking this game out if you haven't already.… Expand
prev
Page:

Awards & Rankings

15
#15 Best PS1 Game of 1998
8
#8 Most Discussed PS1 Game of 1998
9
#9 Most Shared PS1 Game of 1998

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. PSM Magazine
    60
  2. Gaming Age
    92
    Parasite Eve has been one of the only RPGs since Final Fantasy 7 to genuinely deserve any kind of hype, or at least anticipation.
    Read full review
  3. Gamezilla!
    90
    It was nice to play a RPG-type game that was set in a real-world environment instead of some faraway mystical land.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »