Parasite Eve
Release date
March 29th, 1998 (Japan)
September 9th, 1998 (North America)
March 15, 2011 (PSN)
PlayStation (available in PlayStation Store for PS3, PSP and Vita)


The game is labelled as a PSOne Classic and was re-released on the North American PlayStation Store on March 15, 2011. It is not available on the European PlayStation Store, possibly because it was never released in Europe.

The game is a detached unauthorized sequel to the novel Parasite Eve which was written by Hideaki Sena. Sena notes that he had no input on the video game.[1] It is not necessary to read the novel or watch its film adaptation to comprehend the story of the video game, although it adds backstory to the incident of Eve mentioned in Japan.

The story follows an intelligent half-white half-Japanese New York City police officer named Aya Brea, and her struggle against an ancient evil called "Eve" threatening humanity, animals, and all life on Earth. The horrifying bond between Aya and Eve will continue until one of them dies. The player, as Aya Brea, must hunt down the biological entity known as Eve, as well as mutated monsters along the way. The player must upgrade Aya's weapons and hidden mitochondrial powers to save New York City.

The game received two sequels, Parasite Eve II and The 3rd Birthday.



Aya Brea, an N.Y.P.D. rookie.

The worst foe lies within the self.

Parasite Eve takes place over a six day span in New York City in 1997. The incident starts on December 24 and ends on December 29.

Day 1: Resonance

The first day begins with Aya Brea, an N.Y.P.D. rookie who happens to carry a loaded handgun in her purse even off-duty, attending an opera at the Carnegie Hall with an unnamed date on December 24, 1997.

Aya and her date watch a medieval-style opera focused on a man named Edward in love with a "witch" named Eva. Edward's father's forbids him to marry Eva due to having evil powers, claiming those who fall for her beauty by a curse. Edward decides to die with Eva so she won't be burned at the stake alone. During the opera, Eva's actress, Melissa Pearce, locks eyes with Aya and suddenly, the cast spontaneously combust on fire, except for Aya, her date, and Melissa. The audience initially believes it to be part of the show, but when an actor on fire jumps off the stage into the audience, the audience panics and flee as the audience themselves are set on fire.

Aya would eventually learn that a mutated strain of sentient mitochondria, which had lain dormant in Melissa's kidney transplant for years, awakened and began seizing control over humanity. Aya was granted great power due to the fact that she possessed Maya's mitochondria (transferred to her body during a corneal transplant as a child), but they either evolved differently to be symbiotic due to geographical separation or they were unable to take control of her as it did Melissa because of Aya's evolved cell nuclei.

After the audience has left or died, Aya confronts Melissa on stage who tells Aya she is immune to the combustion. Aya and Melissa fight; during the fight, Aya learns she can use mysterious powers known as Parasite Energy. Melissa fights using targeted energy beams, but Melissa eventually levitates away. Outside Carnegie Hall, police arrive, but do not enter because of the danger (their bodies feel heat even outside the building) and can only supply Aya ammunition for her handgun.


Melissa mutating into Eve.

Downstairs, Aya witnesses a rat mutate into a monstrosity known as a Neo-Mitochondrial Creatures or NMC. Aya also finds a diary that reveals Melissa overdosed on immunosuppressants and despite feeling sick, Melissa avoided going to a doctor and mentioning her illness to others in fear that it would cause her to give up her lead role. Aya confronts Melissa backstage who is playing the piano, and Melissa says that Aya's mitochondria need more time to develop. Melissa then mutates into a flying beast known as Mitochondria Eve and descends into the sewers, declaring that her name is now Eve. After a short trek in the sewers and fighting mutant frogs and an alligator, Aya arrives outside Carnegie Hall where she learns she is the sole survivor of the incident as everyone else burned to death (although it is unclear if her date survived or not). Aya's police partner, Daniel Dollis, escorts her away from the scene.

Over the course of the next few days, Eve begins to transform humans, animals and organisms into NMCs. Aya kills NMCs in order to end their suffering and eliminate the danger they possess.

Day 2: Fusion


Baker and Aya in the conference about Eve.

The next day on Christmas, the police attempt to suppress Eve's existence from the public, due to the lack of clear details and eyewitnesses, as well as to prevent mass hysteria and panic. In the following press conference, captain Douglas Baker covers up the incident with lies, claiming a flammable chemical began the fire. Reporters wonder if Eve is an alien or the work of a terrorist. After Baker answers a question directed at Aya, a reporter says, "I'm asking HER the question!" Aya then reveals the truth, despite Baker telling her to be silent. After the conference, Baker yells at Aya for speaking up. Aya defends herself, saying that what she said is the truth, but Baker retorts that it does not matter if it's the truth, claiming most people won't believe Aya and the truth will only cause panic, as if preventing panic is more important than people being correctly informed and potentially saving lives in the future.


Eve turning the audience into slime.

Aya and Daniel visit a scientist named Dr. Hans Klamp at the American Museum of Natural History to learn more about the mitochondria Eve mentioned. Aya recognizes Klamp from her memories, but isn't sure why. Klamp informs Aya and Daniel about mitochondria and Mitochondrial Eve. After Aya reveals the suspect of the case called herself "Eve", Klamp seems surprised and refuses to answer any more questions. Later that day, they hear that Eve is in Central Park and Aya pursues her while Daniel stays outside the park due to the danger of him being immolated. At Delacorte Theater, Eve turns the audience into an orange slimy mass.


Eve takes Aya for a burning horse ride.

Aya and Eve battle during an immolated horse ride, but Aya is knocked unconscious during the fight. Daniel discovers that his son, Ben, was at the park, but escaped being turned to slime. His ex-wife, Lorraine, was less fortunate.

Manhattan is evacuated due to the threat that Eve poses. While Manhattan is being evacuated, a Japanese scientist and an expert in mitochondria, Kunihiko Maeda, manages to sneak into Manhattan after dealing with a rather xenophobic cop. He finds Aya unconscious and takes her to a vacated apartment.

Day 3: Selection


Kerberos in the police station.


The three visit Dr. Klamp again, and he tells Aya that the nuclei in her cells are fighting Eve’s mitochondria. After he asks a few questions of her, they leave and return to the police station, which has been attacked by Eve. Aya, Maeda and Daniel rush to save Ben and Baker from a mutated police dog named Sheeva. They are successful, however, one officer named Torres Owens is killed.

Day 4: Conception


Eve telepathically turning pilots into slime.

Aya and Maeda head for St. Francis Hospital, where Maeda thinks Eve may try to get sperm for the Ultimate Being. When they arrive, they find that Eve is already there and the hospital is overrun with NMCs. Aya tries to save the staff and patients who have not evacuated yet due to difficulties. While exploring the basement, Eve traps Aya by cutting off the power to the elevator. Aya restores power using fuses. While exploring the hospital, Aya discovers her mother's and sister's records. On the roof, Aya encounters Eve who telepathically kills pilots in fighter jets. Eve has already taken the sperm and flees. Aya kills a giant spider called Spiderwoman. Aya jumps off the roof before the roof is struck by the planes. Aya reunites with Daniel and Maeda, informing them Eve has taken the sperm. Daniel informs Aya that Melissa was witnessed visiting the museum, prompting a visit to Klamp the next day.

Day 5: Evolution


Aya witnesses the slime enter the city's water supply.

While investigating the sewers due to evidence of mutant slime being there, Aya witnesses the orange mass of people from Central Park enter the city water supply, prompting Aya to use a control panel to pump it away, preventing it from infecting the city's water reservoir.

She visits Dr. Klamp in the museum again, and discovers that Klamp has engineered special sperm for Eve so that she can create the Ultimate Being. Aya tries to arrest Klamp, but he insults her by telling her she is reciting "meaningless laws in the human domain". Klamp tries to attack Aya with a scalpel, but Daniel shoves him away. Klamp asks Eve to "take him" and he is "ready". Klamp then bursts into flames and collapses. Aya helps him by putting out the fire in his final moments to which he questions the logic and reason for her compassion, but Aya simply says that it is what she as a human being must do. Klamp's cold view and opinion of humanity is unchanged as he dies.


Eve pregnant with the Ultimate Being.

After killing some vicious reanimated dinosaurs, Aya finds a pregnant Eve in another part of the museum. The slime mass has become a giant slime monster. It smashes the museum's wall and surrounds Eve, forming an impermeable shield to protect her while the Ultimate Being gestates in her. The slime carries Eve away with its giant hand.

After several failed attempts to attack Eve, the military asks Aya to attack her from a chopper, as she is the only one who can get close without combusting. The plan works and Aya also destroys the giant slime monster, but Aya has to personally finish the fight on Liberty Island beside a now-wrecked Statue of Liberty, where Eve finally succumbs.

Day 6: Liberation

Ultimate Being

Ultimate Being

Aya facing the Ultimate Being.

Aya rests on a naval vessel. Maeda and Daniel are relieved Aya is safe. However, the Ultimate Being is born and attacks the surrounding ships. Aya battles the Ultimate Being, but its mitochondria causes it to evolve at an alarming rate, and even fuse with objects onboard the vessel. Aya sets the vessel's boiler pressure dangerously high, so as to destroy it with the Ultimate Being onboard. She then jumps off the ship and the cruiser explodes, killing the Ultimate Being.

Pe ending 1

Maeda, Aya and Daniel at the harbor.

At the harbor, Aya says she doesn't understand why she was immune to Eve. Maeda says a part of Maya is inside of Aya, and when Aya's mother and sister died, a part of Maya was transplanted into Aya as a child, due to Aya being born with a defect in her right eye, and what Aya was seeing was Maya's last memory burned into her cornea at her death. Maeda theorizes that the mitochondria in Aya's body underwent a different evolutionary change than Eve, living symbiotically with Aya's mitochondria.

Maeda posits a misanthropic stance, comparing humanity to a cancerous parasite who are killing the planet, its environment and animals, saying, "Starting with the incident in Japan and now with this... I wonder if this is a message to all mankind... If the earth is a single human being, we humans that invade the earth become like viruses out of control. We, in essence, are upsetting the natural balance of the body. This is definitely... utter destruction. You see... humans are, in essence... parasites... You can say that we are parasites and the world is our host."

Parasite Eve Ending

Parasite Eve Ending

Aya, Daniel, Maeda and Ben go to Carnegie Hall.

After the events in the game transpire, Aya and her friends go to the opera at Carnegie Hall again. During this time, Aya communicates with the entire audience's mitochondria and their eyes begin to glow a pinkish red. The meaning behind this ending is ambiguous. One theory is that this is what Eve meant when she told Aya: "The more you use those powers, the more you become like me." It is possible this Carnegie Hall ending scene is non-canonical due to the events of the EX-Game which the player can receive to prematurely "end the game", though it is presumed that the events of the rest of the game continue.

EX-Game Chrysler Building

Parasite Eve Chrysler Building (Floor 77 Boss Truebred Eve)

Parasite Eve Chrysler Building (Floor 77 Boss Truebred Eve)

Aya fighting Truebred Eve.

The EX-Game ending is an alternate way to end the game on a New Game Plus. Aya ascends the Chrysler Building, where powerful NMCs around the city have gathered. On the 77th floor, Aya discovers a cocoon containing what seems to be the body of her deceased sister Maya.

"Maya" claims she is the "original Eve" and explains to Aya that Klamp cultivated the cells of the original Eve in Maya's body to analyze. When Melissa was giving birth to the Ultimate Being, the original Eve created a nest there, using the NMCs in the building to protect it. In case Melissa and the Ultimate Being failed, the purebred would remain. The original Eve lets Aya speak with her sister through her body. Their reunion ends when Eve's consciousness dominates Maya. Aya holds Eve at gunpoint, angering her, and they engage in battle.

After the purebred is defeated, the mitochondria inside Aya begin to rebel against Aya. Aya's mitochondria have now reached a higher evolutionary stage than Maya’s, but Maya's personality has suddenly become dominant and begun to fight off the Eve persona. Maya eventually wins, purging the Eve persona from herself, protecting Aya by preventing the original Eve from taking her over.

Aya loses her mitochondrial powers but comes to terms with her sister's death. Aya claims her body is back to normal before Eve came along. However, this directly contradicts Parasite Eve II and The 3rd Birthday which shows that Aya still possesses them, meaning that this scenario may be non-canon or that her powers returned over time. Aya leaves the building by herself, saying it's time for her and Maya to return home.



New York City, the world map of Parasite Eve.

Parasite Eve is a survival horror with many RPG elements. Movement in the various environments is free. Movement in the "world map" (which is a map of Manhattan) is limited to specific destinations:


Rat Fireball

Aya being hit by a mutated rat and losing 7 HP.

Parasite Eve PS1 Final Boss

Parasite Eve PS1 Final Boss

Boss gameplay of the Ultimate Being.

Battles are encountered somewhat randomly via "hot spots". A sound of a heartbeat occurs and the screen flashes and inverts black-and-white. Enemies materialize suddenly and there is no shift to a separate battle screen. Aya is bound within a perimeter of unseen barriers until the battle is over, either by defeating all enemies or using the Escape command.





One of the principle RPG elements of the game is that experience-based levels are present. Each time the player's level increases, their attributes go up and BP (Bonus Points) are given. These points can be distributed to the ATB, item capacity, or attributes of a weapon or armor.


Bonus Point

Bonus Points (BP) received after a day can be distributed into Active Time and Item Capacity, as well as buff armor and equipment.

When the game is cleared once, a new mode appears, called the "EX game" which is essentially a New Game + (Plus). It is different from the normal game in various aspects:

  • The player has access to every item stored in the police station (plot items, like keys and the charms Maeda gives you, will be gone).
  • The game begins with the final weapon and armor the player chose before ending the first game.
  • Enemies have slighter more HP (see here)
  • Aya is level 1 again
  • You'll get more bonus points when you level up, plus you also get a set amount of bonus points at the beginning of each day - 800 on Day 2, 1200 on Day 3, 2000 on 4 and 5, and 3000 on 6. Just playing through to the end of the Museum will get you at least 10,000 BP.

The Chrysler Building.

However, the biggest difference from the normal game is the Chrysler Building, a progressive endurance test. The Chrysler Building test allows the player the chance to save only every ten floors and only after defeating a boss. The items, weapons, power-ups and enemies are generally of a higher class. The best items, armors, and weapons are here along with the trading cards that allow the player to make customizations to the weapons and get the tool and super-tool kits. Every floor (except floors 1, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70-77) are completely randomized so each floor is like a maze. The boss in the last floor of the building (77) is the true final boss of the game and has the form of Aya's deceased sister, Maya.


Aya fighting a giant fire-breathing spider.

The boss of each floor are:



Parasite Eve Original Soundtrack

Main article: Parasite Eve Original Soundtrack

Yoko Shimomura composed the game's soundtrack. A score met with great critical acclaim, it is known as one of her more original soundtracks, using influences from both opera, piano, techno and electronica. The ending song Somnia Memorias is performed by Shani Rigsbee.

Judith Siirila Paskowitz provided opera vocals for songs such as:

A separate Parasite Eve Remixes album was also released, containing 10 tracks remixed and remastered from the original game by various DJs.


Parasite Eve received positive reviews from critics upon its release in 1998. It received a score of 76.72% on GameRankings and 81/100 on Metacritic.

IGN gave it 7.4/10, citing its beautiful graphics and cinematic sequences (at the time it was released), but noted the game's linear plot structure and limited replay value.[2]


Parasite Eve suffers from early 3D.

In addition, some aspects of the game haven't aged well such as its low-polygonal in-game models and low-resolution 320x240 pre-rendered backgrounds. The low-resolution can also make some text in the game difficult to read (such as damage on enemies), prompting an unofficial font hack. Parasite Eve also contains no voice acting, except for a few battle grunts from Aya. Parasite Eve was also released on two discs, since CDs at the time could only store a limited amount of data.

During the game, Maeda gives Aya three "good luck" charms. Some players were annoyed by this, as the game never explicitly tells the player the use of the charms and they take up inventory space, and there is a debate whether or not they actually do anything (apart from the third being used to reserve one inventory slot for a story event). Due to the game's complicated code, no one has been able to datamine the game to see if they actually do anything, and there are rumors about the charms with some players saying it helps them get rare items and the like. Some players get rid of them as soon as possible, while others keep them just in case. It could be seen as a brilliant commentary on superstition, or a mean joke.

Near the end of the game, Aya will gain the Parasite Energy "Liberate", which is known for being overpowered. Some have praised the ability for making the final bosses easy for those who just want to complete the game ASAP so they can move onto the next game, or for those who never got the game's weapon/armor customization system - others note it can make the final bosses easy and ruin any challenge the final bosses provide. Some claim that a "No Liberate" run is how Parasite Eve should be played, although it is up to each player whether or not they should use Liberate.



Parasite Eve Diva: N.Y. Shi no Utahime.

Main article: Parasite Eve (manga)

There was also a two-part manga released exclusively in Japan called Parasite Eve DIVA: N.Y. Shi no Utahime. The subtitle translate to "Diva of Death".

For the most part, it follows the locations and events listed in the game, however there is an alternate spin with three new characters (one being Aya's romantic interest) and characters live or die in this version that didn't in the game. Due to this, the manga is non-canon.



"Merry! Merry! Christmas!... Goodbye!"


Parasite Eve is commonly played on December 24th.

  • Playthroughs of Parasite Eve become popular in December, due to the setting of the game. Usually, it becomes most popular on December 24th (as this is when Parasite Eve begins on Day 1) and ends on December 29th (Day 6), with the daily goal of playing each "day" in the game per day. Usually, Days 1 to 4 tend to be an hour or two long. Day 5 is typically the longest day, and is around 3 hours long, due to the long nature of the sewers and museum, so the player should find time on December 28th. Day 6 is typically the shortest, and can be beaten in 40 minutes. Parasite Eve is also popular among New Yorkers, for obvious reasons.
    • Subsequently, if a player wants to play the sequel Parasite Eve II, they could wait until the next September 4th. However, Parasite Eve II is set over a span of 4 days and attempting to play Parasite Eve II in sync in real time is more difficult, as it could require 3-5 hours a day.
    • For The 3rd Birthday, it would also begin on December 24th like Parasite Eve. The 3rd Birthday is also divided into 6 chapters and it is possible to play each chapter per day. However, the chapters are full of time travel, but The 3rd Birthday still ends in December.
  • Parasite Eve was Square's first M-rated video game due to disturbing imagery, body horror, sexual themes, and violence.
  • Parasite Eve was developed in California with Japanese collaboration.

Aya on the Brooklyn Bridge with the Twin Towers in the distance.

  • Parasite Eve is about a catastrophic event in New York City that will change the world and humanity forever. The game's intro movie depicts a scene of a plane crashing into a pair of two tall buildings (not the Twin Towers), causing an explosion.[3] Considering how Parasite Eve was released a few years before 9/11, this makes an eerie coincidence - however, many people think humanity can receive messages from the future - others have found strange parallels over the years in media, such as in The Simpsons for example.[4] Some artwork for the game includes Aya overlooking the Twin Towers. The first two games were released in September in North America. In the True ending of Parasite Eve II, the game skips ahead over a year and happens to end on September 1, 2001, a mere 10 days away.
  • The game's save points are landline phones and payphones scattered throughout New York City. Aya calls the police to report her updates and progress. Oddly enough, Aya either doesn't use or have her own mobile phone as a police officer, as police officers in the late 1990s still used phones and radios to communicate, possibly because the developers didn't want an excuse to save anywhere.
  • The dome displaying Aya's attack range during combat is a pentakis icosidodecahedron.

External links


Trailers and cutscenes





v · e · d
Parasite Eve
Aya Brea - Daniel Dollis - Kunihiko Maeda - Melissa Pearce - Mitochondria Eve
Maya Brea - Ben Dollis - Lorraine Dollis - Hans Klamp - Douglas Baker - Torres Owens - Wayne Garcia
Armadillo - Bacterium - Bat - Bear - Cat - Centipede - Chameleon - Crow - Dogman - Flyman - Frog - Mixedman - Mole - Monkey - Parrot - Plant - Pterodactyl - Rat - Ratman - Spider - Scorpion - Squirrel - Snake - Treasurebox - Troodon
Alligator - Bee - Cockroach - Crab - Eve - Giantworm - Kerberos - Spiderwoman - Triceratops - Truebred Eve - T-Rex - Ultimate Being
American Museum of Natural History - Carnegie Hall - Central Park - Chinatown - Chrysler Building - N.Y.P.D. - Sewers - Soho - St. Francis Hospital - Subway - Warehouse
Weapons - Armor - Items - Gameplay - Soundtrack - Remixes Soundtrack