4/5 ★ – Brendan88's review of Parasite Eve.

[This is based off a second playthrough. My first playthrough was about 10 years ago.] Parasite Eve is one of those weird experiments that hardly anyone bothers to try making anymore. Its a video game sequel to a book (and movie) that had only been released in Japan at the time. It plays like a mix of survival horror and JRPG, made by the JRPG king of the time, Squaresoft (you can tell it's a Squaresoft game because of all the opera in it). The insane part is that it all kinda works. The developers found the common ground between series like Resident Evil and Final Fantasy (insane monsters and high melodrama) and wisely ran with it. The story is crazy, but unfolds at a deliberate pace that matches something like a movie. Even the melding of RE and FF in the gameplay works well, and you can see how its basic formula has been used in many of their later games, even up to this day. You can only take an action (attack an enemy, use an item, cast a "Spell") when your ATB gauge fills; until then, you have to dodge enemies and get into position in real time. The one problem with it is that Aya's movement speed is really, really slow, so dodging some enemies is entirely up to luck (there is a Haste ability that helps, but it doesn't last very long). The weapon, armor, and character progression systems are also really interesting, and not like any other I've seen before. A couple things mar the experience slightly. I think the story gets a little too hard to follow near the end for its own good, some areas go on too long, and a few parts where the game seems out right mean (Three tough boss fights in a row? Followed by an escape sequence with an instant-kill monster chasing you?! C'mon!), but none outright ruin the game, or even get close. I was charmed by this game when I first played it 10 years ago, and honestly I was charmed all over again this year. A real little powerhouse of a game.