As a big fan of Square games, I’m actually kinda surprised this one never made it to my pile, but I think it’s mostly because I only owned the first Playstation for a brief amount of time and couldn’t afford games like I can these days. So when it came up for #VideoGameClub’s #VGCDec2025, I figured it was time to right that wrong.
The opening cinematic scene actually impressed me as I was fully expecting the memories I had of playing Playstation games and their overall blocky and clunky appearance. Think about Squall being the best looking guy here meme and that’s pretty much exactly what I had in my head. Once the cinematic finished and we got into the game… there it is. Right back into those graphics… whew, for a second there I thought I had missed out on a truly stunning visual adventure.
In Parasite Eve, you’re playing as Aya, a NYC cop who witnesses a horrific event where everyone in the theatre suddenly bursts into flames and dies before her very eyes. Nothing like a massive tragedy to kick start things off and get you wondering why she survived without a scratch and how this was possible in the first place. The story unfolds over the next 6 days, each day revealing more and more about who this Melissa/Eve character is, her backstory, and why Aya has these regular flashbacks to the hospital.
I’ve got one word for you… mitochondria.
As the days pass, you’ll witness events like entire audiences turning into a gelatinous goo, a beloved pet turning into the hell beast Cerberus, and even a baby being born. All of that wrapped up in a quick-ish 10 hour playtime. The story itself was engaging enough to where I kept wanting to play, even if I did roll my eyes at how frequently the word mitochondria was used. However, the actual mechanics of gameplay left quite a bit to be desired. The biggest frustration is the pinpoint accuracy you need to interact with things in the world. Right out of the gate, I spent probably an extra 20-30 minutes running back and forth through the theater in the opening act, trying to figure out how to proceed further. I finally had to look it up in a guide and found, that even though I checked the spot they were talking about, I didn’t check it super exactly in the way you needed to. I had thought this was a one off, but nope, you’ll find even interacting with chests/save points/etc… all take laser specific accuracy.
As I wrapped up the game and started to reflect on my experience, I felt satisfied in the game’s completion, but no desire to continue in the world of Parasite Eve. I don’t feel like I missed out on anything when this came out originally, but it is nice to say I’ve checked this one off the list.