Parasite Eve
|
|
Parasite Eve is the name of a Japanese novel by Hideaki Sena, first published in Kadokawa Horror Bunko, which has been adapted into a 1997 film and a 1998 video game for the Sony PlayStation by Squaresoft. A sequel to the game was released in 2000, also for the PlayStation. This article will focus on the video games, the first of which has a survival horror theme, but the gameplay of a role-playing game. The sequel plays as a more traditional survival horror game.
The story of the novel and movie revolve around a genetic scientist whose research in mitochondria causes him to take extreme measures to revive his wife, and eventually leads to the creation of a new threat to all mankind.
The story of the game takes place after the events of the novel/movie and revolves around a detective (Aya Brea) and an opera singer (Melissa Pearce), who mutates into a powerful monster known as Eve as a result of her highly advanced mitochondria. The presentation of mitochondria in the game varies from reality, but this is mostly artistic license. The basis of the plot revolves around the mutated mitochondria in Pearce's body, which have attained a sufficient level of evolution to become self-aware. They then take over her body, and manipulate it on a cellular level, allowing the body to change shape and perform supernatural feats, such as flying. The new being is then referred to as Eve. The mutated mitochondria spread out from Eve and infect hundreds of other people and animals, mutating them into monsters which spread terror and havoc. One characteristic of the mutant mitochondria is that they can produce extreme amounts of heat energy, much like spontaneous human combustion. For reasons (Aya received awakened mitochondria ) revealed later in the story, NYPD Detective Aya Brea is immune to the powers of Eve, and actively fights against her. There is a side story at the second time you play the game, in which Aya's sister Maya, who also received awakened mitochondria is the final boss.
In 2000, Square released Parasite Eve II. This game followed the traditional survival horror mold, and bears little resemblance to the original game. This installment is set several years after the events in the original game. Aya is now based out of Los Angeles, working for an FBI division that suppresses and neutralizes Neo-Mitochondrion Creatures (NMCs) in the various regions of L.A. The story eventually leads to an underground bunker in the Nevada desert and the discovery of a vast conspiracy. This game was much less popular than the original - many criticized the fact it was no longer a role-playing game but instead a survival horror game, which (while possessing many RPG elements) played very similar to the Resident Evil series.
External Links
- Film on IMDB Parasite Eve (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119860/)
- Game Info at Square Enix Square Enix, Inc. (http://www.square-enix.com)ja:パラサイト・イヴ