A Deep Dive into the Parasite Eve Series (Plus the Novel and Film)

Parasite Eve is an odd duck of a series. Each entry goes in a totally different direction. It's a fascinating, and frustrating series as a result.

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Parasite Eve had two back to back titles within a couple of years followed by a third title over a decade later.

Each title would take a different approach to its gameplay. The first Parasite Eve took a JRPG-first approach, with dashes of survival horror. A title with stellar pacing from beginning to end. It was playing to the strengths of its developer Square, with tweaks to their formula. The end result was one of the best games of its year, from what may be the greatest year in gaming, 1998.

Parasite Eve 2 would pull more heavy influence from Resident Evil. It brought the survival horror elements to forefront, with the JRPG elements secondary. While it brings some great ideas to the table, it suffers from pacing issues. It throws away several elements that made the first game so memorable. Depending on how you look at it, it's a solid Resident Evil clone, or a betrayal of what made the first game great.

And the Third Birthday? Well, good thing it's not called "Parasite Eve 3", for it's an insult to the name Parasite Eve. The gameplay moves even further away from the series strengths. A cover shooter with JRPG elements. While the combat system does have its merits and brings interesting ideas to the table, it's not suited for the series. On the narrative front? Without hesitation, it's the worst plot I've covered on this channel. One of the worst plots and cases of character assassination that I've come across. An ending so bad that once the credits began to roll, I booed at the screen.

There are few series that sway in so many directions in so few entries. Which makes it a fascinating series to dive into. Before making this video, I had only played the first game. I was curious to see how Parasite Eve 2 would handle its survival horror elements. I was aware of the reputation of the 3rd Birthday and had a morbid curiosity with how it would unfold. We'll go through each title and what they bring to the fold.

Of course, you can't talk about Parasite Eve without its source material. The series isn't an original IP from Square. Instead, the games act as a loose sequel to the 1995 Japanese Sci-fi horror novel, Parasite Eve. In this video, I'll give my thoughts on the novel. As well, I'll cover the 1997 Japanese film adaptation of the book.

00:00 - Prelude
03:03 - Parasite Eve
45:03 - Parasite Eve: The Novel
53:01 - The Film Adaptation of the Novel
58:23 - Parasite Eve 2
1:45:46 - The 3rd Birthday
2:26:58 - In Conclusion of Parasite Eve

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