Parasite Eve II is a 1999 action role-playing game released for the PlayStation. The game was created and published by Square. It was first released in Japan in 1999 and later in North America and PAL regions in 2000. This game is the sequel to Parasite Eve and the second in the series.

The story takes place three years after the events of the first game. Aya Brea, the main character from the original, returns as a playable character in this game. She becomes involved in a new outbreak of Neo-Mitochondrial creatures. The gameplay is different from the first game: battles happen in real time, and players can move more freely in the game world. The style is similar to traditional survival horror games, but some role-playing elements are kept. The game was written and directed by Kenichi Iwao, who also created Resident Evil (1996).

Critics gave the game positive reviews, but some criticized its control system, which many considered outdated.

Gameplay

Parasite Eve II is an action role-playing survival horror video game. It uses tank controls: Aya can move forward, backward, and turn left or right. The camera view is limited, usually showing only one room or area at a time, and players cannot change the camera angle.

Unlike Parasite Eve, there is no Active Time Bar that controls the order of actions during battles. Battles happen in real time, so players can choose when to act. Another difference is the absence of the "range dome" from the first game, which allowed players to attack enemies not in view. In Parasite Eve II, players can shoot enemies not directly visible and fight from a safe distance. There are no random battles; enemies are seen walking around openly, letting players avoid fights or plan strategies. Aiming is done by selecting targets within Aya’s range.

Aya has locked abilities from the original game and must "rediscover" new abilities powered by parasite energy (PE). These abilities are unlocked by earning experience points (EXP) from defeating enemies. Unlike the first game, which used a leveling system to unlock abilities at specific levels, Parasite Eve II lets players choose which abilities to prioritize. These abilities are grouped into four categories: fire (offensive skills), water (health-related skills), wind (status effects), and earth (skills affecting damage). Each category has three abilities, and each ability has three levels (level 1, 2, and 3), with level 3 being the strongest and requiring the least energy.

There are 48 different enemies in Parasite Eve II’s "bounty roster," each with unique attacks, strengths, and weaknesses. Thirteen of these enemies are bosses, which deal more damage and have more health than other enemies.

Equipment can be obtained by finding, buying, or crafting items like armor, weapons, ammunition, and tools. Many items serve two purposes. Players can use them directly from their inventory or attach them to Aya’s armor. To learn how items work, players should check the game’s "items" page for details. Unlike most survival horror games, ammunition is rarely scarce. While Aya can only carry a limited amount of equipment, unlimited ammunition boxes are available in most areas and can be used as needed. This encourages players to fight instead of running, which is necessary to gain experience and grow stronger. While equipment can be customized, the options for changing weapons and armor are limited. Armor reduces damage taken and increases carrying capacity, with the option to add up to ten extra item slots.

After completing the game, players can access bonus items in Replay mode. Players receive a ranking based on the total EXP earned during their first playthrough. This ranking adds three new items to the shop in Replay mode, with higher rankings offering better items. Other modes, such as Bounty Hunter and Scavenger, become available after completing the game. The most difficult mode, "Nightmare," is only accessible after finishing the game in Scavenger Mode.

Plot

In September 2000, about three years after the first game, Aya Brea, an FBI agent working in the secret Mitochondrial Investigation and Suppression Team (MIST), is sent to Akropolis Tower, a shopping mall in Los Angeles, to help the LAPD SWAT team. This is because people reported seeing Neo-Mitochondrial Creatures (NMCs). As Aya and her partner, Rupert Broderick, investigate the tower, they find a new type of NMC that can look like a human. This NMC killed the first SWAT team members who responded. While trying to stop the NMCs, Aya discovers the building is set to explode. She faces No. 9, a dangerous NMC called a GOLEM, who injures Rupert. Aya fights No. 9 and escapes with Rupert just before the building is destroyed.

After the raid, Aya is sent by MIST director Eric "Hal" Baldwin to investigate Dryfield, a small town in Nevada, because people reported strange animals. At first, Aya is unhappy about the assignment, but she learns from MIST’s technical expert, Pierce Carradine, that an implant taken from one of the new NMCs contains sand found only in the area near Dryfield. When Aya arrives, she finds the town filled with NMCs. She meets Gary Douglas, a survivalist and dog owner named Flint, and Kyle Madigan, a private investigator who says he has a similar mission. Kyle tells Aya about "The Shelter," an underground facility that might explain the NMC outbreak.

After spending time in Dryfield and facing No. 9 again, Aya and Kyle find an entrance to the Shelter in an abandoned mine. Inside, Aya discovers scientific labs and learns the Shelter was built to carry out the "Second Neoteny Plan," a project to create Artificial Neo-Mitochondrial Creatures (ANMCs), which are humanoid beings. Aya also finds out the mutant mitochondria used to make the ANMCs is actually her own DNA. With help from Pierce, she learns the Shelter obtained her genetic material from Baldwin and MIST, which are secretly linked to the Shelter’s conspiracy. Aya discovers the Second Neoteny Plan is nearly complete, with a massive cocoon containing an ANMC that could create a virus to turn all humans into ANMCs.

Haunted by visions of a mysterious girl, Aya enters the Neo Ark, a zoo-like building inside the Shelter. Originally meant to display ANMCs, the Neo Ark became the center of the NMC outbreak and is now filled with NMCs. Aya disables two power generators to reach the Shelter’s depths, where she finds the mystery girl, Eve. After defeating Eve’s ANMC guardian, Aya learns Eve was cloned from her DNA to be the key to the Second Neoteny Plan. As Aya, Eve, and Kyle escape, they are attacked by No. 9, who kidnaps Eve.

Chasing No. 9, Aya faces an army of his GOLEMs, genetically enhanced cyborgs, but is rescued by US Marines, who were alerted by MIST. The Marines inform Aya that Gary Douglas has been evacuated and Dryfield is sealed off. Aya returns to the Shelter to rescue Eve and finds her with No. 9 and Kyle, who appears to be working with him. No. 9 tries to use Eve to hatch the ANMC, but Kyle betrays him, revealing he was a spy sent to infiltrate the Shelter. Kyle allows No. 9 to be eaten by the ANMC cocoon. At the same time, the US President orders a Satellite Weapon to destroy Dryfield and the Shelter, causing the ANMC to hatch early. Aya kills the ANMC but is unable to save Eve, who is consumed and creates a new form of Mitochondria Eve. Aya destroys this new form and rescues Eve, ending the Second Neoteny Plan. Kyle disappears after the battle.

After the events, Aya adopts Eve as her younger sister. Rupert becomes the new leader of MIST after removing corrupt members. Pierce begins planning to reveal the existence of Neo-Mitochondria to the public. One year later, Aya and Eve visit the Natural History Museum in New York, where they reunite with Kyle.

Development

The development of Parasite Eve II was managed by Square, the company that created the original Parasite Eve. The game was directed and written by Kenichi Iwao, who had previously worked on the 1996 survival horror game Resident Evil. Because the first Parasite Eve was popular, Square decided to make a new game that followed a similar style. Originally, the game was planned as a spin-off of the first game with Kyle as the main character, which led to changes in the story and gameplay. Later, during development, the team decided to make it an official sequel to Parasite Eve, changing the main character to Aya and removing Kyle as a playable character. The development team for Parasite Eve II was based in Osaka and included many former members of the Resident Evil team. Using feedback from the first game, the team made changes to improve the game, such as making the transition between exploration and battle smoother and adjusting the controls to be easier to use. The character Aya was created by producer Hironobu Sakaguchi and designed by artist Tetsuya Nomura for the first Parasite Eve. For Parasite Eve II, a different artist was chosen to design Aya, using the original design as a guide. However, the new designer left before the game was finished, so Nomura was brought back to complete the design. Since the character model was already created, Nomura kept the existing design but added his own details. After Parasite Eve II was completed, the development team was merged with the teams working on Brave Fencer Musashi, Mana, and Chrono Cross to create Final Fantasy XI. The music for Parasite Eve II was composed by Naoshi Mizuta, who joined Square in 1998 after leaving Capcom. Mizuta had one and a half years to create the soundtrack and was given freedom to compose based on the game’s completed story. The music is described as more calm and atmospheric compared to the first game. The sound effects were inspired by futuristic and science fiction themes. The Parasite Eve II Original Soundtrack, containing 66 tracks, was released in Japan by DigiCube on December 20, 1999, and in North America by Tokyopop on September 12, 2000.

Release

Parasite Eve II was released in Japan on December 16, 1999. It was released in North America on September 12, 2000, and in Europe on August 25, 2000. The game sold more than 220,000 copies in Japan during 1999. By February 2004, the game had shipped 1.09 million copies, with 0.43 million sold in Japan and 0.66 million sold in other parts of the world. In late 2000, the game was re-released as part of the Square Millennium Collection. This collection included a figure of Aya and a portrait of her character model, Yumiko Shaku. The game was also re-released in Japan in 2002 as part of the PSone Books best-seller line by Sony.

In early September 2010, posts on Twitter related to a game called The 3rd Birthday suggested that Parasite Eve 1 and 2 might be added to the PlayStation Network’s game download service. On October 28, these reports were confirmed. Parasite Eve was released on the PlayStation Network in Japan on November 4, and Parasite Eve II was added on November 24. Parasite Eve II became available on the North American PlayStation Network on August 23, 2011.

Reception

Parasite Eve II received "generally favorable" reviews, according to the review website Metacritic. Greg Orlando reviewed the PlayStation version of the game for Next Generation, giving it a rating of four stars out of five. He wrote, "Square seems to have taken to heart most of the criticism from the original. Eve II is scary good fun."