is a 1999 action role-playing game released for the PlayStation. The game was developed and published by Square, published in Japan in 1999 and in both North America and, unlike the previous game, in PAL regions in 2000. It is the sequel to Parasite Eve and the second game in the series of the same name.
Parasite Eve II is set three years after the events in the original game. The protagonist from the first game, Aya Brea, also features in this game as the playable character. She becomes involved with another outbreak of Neo-Mitochondrial creatures. Gameplay diverges from the previous game: battles take place in real time and the area of action is less restrictive. The approach is more typical of traditional survival horror games, although some role-playing elements are retained. The title was written and directed by Kenichi Iwao, who wrote Resident Evil (1996).
The game was well received by critics, although it was criticized for using a control system that was seen as being outdated.
Gameplay
Parasite Eve II is an action role-playing survival horror video game. It uses tank controls: Aya is able to move forwards, backwards, and pivot left and right. Camera movement is limited, generally being confined to a single view of a room or area, and cannot be altered by the player.
Unlike Parasite Eve, there is no Active Time Bar that governs the order of actions during a battle. Battles take place in real time, so the player is free to act as they see fit. Another contrast is the absence of the 'range dome' seen in the first game, allowing the player to shoot at off-screen targets and engage targets from a safe distance. There are also no random battles; enemies will be found wandering in plain view, hence allowing the player to avoid confrontations and plan strategies. Aiming, as with most other games of this genre, is accomplished by cycling through the various 'lockable' targets within Aya's range.
Having locked her abilities gained in the original game, players have to "rediscover" abilities available with Aya's parasite energy (PE). This is done by using EXP gained from defeating enemies. However, whereas the first game used a levelling up system, in which abilities are unlocked at certain levels, the sequel allows players to choose freely which abilities they want to prioritise. These are categorised into 4 elements and can be summarised as follows: fire for offensive abilities, water for health-related abilities, wind for status-related abilities, earth for abilities that affect damage stats (given or taken). There are 3 abilities in each element category, and each ability has three tiers (level 1, 2 and 3), with level 3 being the most powerful and costing the least MP.
There are 48 enemy variations in Parasite Eve II’s ‘bounty roster’, each having their own unique attacks, strengths, and weaknesses. Thirteen of these enemies are bosses, dealing more damage and having higher health totals than the rest of the roster.
Equipment can be obtained through various methods, including finding, purchasing and 'creating' items such as body armor, weapons, ammunition and tools. Many items fulfill two roles. The player has the option to either utilize them directly from their inventory or attach them to Aya's armor. To figure out both of the effects these items can have, players are advised to consult the game’s ‘items’ page for a detailed overview. The game was directed and written by Kenichi Iwao, who had previously worked in those roles for the 1996 survival horror game Resident Evil. Due to its popularity at the time, Square decided to design a new Parasite Eve game which emulated that style. The game was originally intended to be a spin-off of the first game with Kyle as the main protagonist; this was the main reason for the shift in genre and gameplay. During development, it was decided to turn the game into an official sequel to Parasite Eve, making Aya the main protagonist and removing Kyle as a playable character. Production was handled by an entirely new development team based in Osaka.
After the game was done, the team was merged with those behind Brave Fencer Musashi, Mana and Chrono Cross to make Final Fantasy XI.
Music
The score for Parasite Eve II was composed by Naoshi Mizuta, serving as his first work at Square after leaving Capcom in 1998. It took Mizuta a year and a half to compose the soundtrack. He states he was given quite a bit of freedom in his composition, and drew most of his influence from watching the game's already completed scenario. The 66-track two-disc Parasite Eve II Original Soundtrack was released by DigiCube on December 20, 1999, in Japan. The soundtrack was released 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 over 220,000 copies in Japan during 1999. It shipped 1.09 million copies by February 2004, with 0.43 million sold in Japan and 0.66 million sold in the rest of the world. In late 2000, the game was re-released as part of the Square Millennium Collection along with a figure of Aya and a portrait of her character model, Yumiko Shaku. The game was re-released as part of the PSone Books best-seller line by Sony in Japan in 2002.
In early September 2010, posts made on Twitter in relation to the spin-off title The 3rd Birthday suggested that Parasite Eve 1 and 2 would be added to the PlayStation Network's game download service. On October 28 these rumors were proven to be correct, with Parasite Eve being given a November 4 release date and Parasite Eve 2 arriving on the PlayStation Network in Japan on November 24. Parasite Eve II was released on the North American PlayStation Network on August 23, 2011.
Reception
Parasite Eve II received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.