E132: Parasite Eve
Retro Spectives9 Juli 2025

E132: Parasite Eve

Resident Evil changed everything. When originally released in 1996, what was once a niche genre for enthusiasts was now a blockbuster staple in every second home. All of a sudden people were craving zombies, horrifying monsters and disturbing themes. It was so popular that Square, far more known for its more traditional JRPGs, decided to throw its hat in the ring and make Parasite Eve.

On the surface, the game appeared to be textbook survival horror. But dig a little deeper and you could see that Square was unable to escape its roots. Turn based mode happened in a sphere similar to Vagrant Story, upgrades were plentiful and incremental, and the storytelling had more cutscenes than gameplay at least in the early stages. Thematically this was still horrifying…but under the hood was a different story.

Was this blend of genres ultimately successful, giving survival horror a fresh new perspective? Or is it impossible to reconcile grim resources management with the power fantasy that RPGS almost always offer?

On this episode, we discuss:

Story

How does Parasite Eve use real world science to lend an air of credibility to the horrific changes that are happening all over Manhattan? Does it execute the smaller details well even if the larger picture is a bit silly at times?

Combat

How enjoyable is the moment to moment real time combat of Parasite Eve? The game requires you to dodge attacks, and pick the best moment to strike. Is this too simplistic or does it work well?

Progression

How do the weapon and armour upgrades work in Parasite Eve? Does it provide the player with a satisfying sense of progression, or is it all just a confusing mess?

We answer these questions and many more on the 132nd episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!



Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K

Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another

Parasite Eve OST: Yoko Shinomura

What crazy weapon upgrade paths do you like to use? Is the NG+ mode worth playing? How is Parasite Eve 2 different from the original? Come let us know what you think on our discord server!

Come let us know what you think or recommend us a new game on our community discord server!

If you would like to support the show monetarily, you can buy us a coffee here!

Avsnitt(140)

E130: Vanquish

E130: Vanquish

Third person cover based shooters were all the rage in the late 2000s.  Unveiled in 2003 in Killswitch  and later popularised with Gears of War, they became an essential part of most third person acti...

23 Maj 20251h 17min

E129: Recettear

E129: Recettear

Video games usually place you in the role of the plucky adventurer.  You are the wizard, the warrior, or the rogue, and it's your duty (and often destiny) to save the world.  On your journey, one of t...

25 Apr 20251h 17min

E128: Baldur's Gate

E128: Baldur's Gate

In 1998 Bioware changed the gaming landscape with Baldur’s Gate, a Dungeons and Dragons inspired adventure.  Taking cues from second edition D&D and the many stories written about it, Bioware wrote a ...

20 Mars 20252h 45min

E127: Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

E127: Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

The Ace Attorney games were an insane success, far beyond what Capcom could have predicted.  After 4 mainline games in the series though, it was time for something new, and creator Shu Takumi refused ...

11 Feb 20251h 26min

E126: Tachyon: The Fringe

E126: Tachyon: The Fringe

Space Sims used to be a vibrant and well populated genre.  Back in the 90s they command shelf real estate, right next to the latest and greatest RTS and Point and Click Adventure games.  Coming at the...

20 Jan 20251h

E125: Mailbag 6

E125: Mailbag 6

With another year done and dusted, Pat and James crack open another batch of listener questions. After curveballs like Killer 7 and Deadly Premonition, these should be a breeze.Right..? On this episod...

29 Dec 20242h 54min

E124: Crysis

E124: Crysis

But can it run Crysis?  This was the motto that surrounded every single PC build for literal years after the release of the game in 2007.  Crytek were not satisfied with what they had achieved with Fa...

9 Sep 20241h 15min

E123: Resident Evil 2

E123: Resident Evil 2

After their magnum opus that was Resident Evil 1, Capcom were not going to sit on their heels.  Coming out just two years after the first in 1998, Resident Evil 2 sought to have everything the origina...

30 Juli 20241h 8min

Populärt inom Fritid

somna-med-henrik
uggla-ugglas-podcast
man-i-grupp
roda-vita-rosen
svenska-fpl-podden
rss-livsreglerna
travpodden
elbilsveckan
bilar-med-sladd
spokhistorier
rss-max-tant-med-max-villman
avsuttet-med-elsa-johanna
sexet
kontrollbehov
rss-okrystat
nordigt
rss-vara-klassiker
rss-horrujeje
rockhyllan
rovdjursjagarna