Parasite Eve II leans more toward action than the first entry, with gameplay closer to Resident Evil. Aya Brea in the NOAH complex then a deserted town. Less RPG but more accessible and tense. An excellent PS1 action survival horror and worthy sequel to the first entry.
Your verdict
Category
Survival1 player16+
Description
Square sequel with Resident Evil-leaning survival horror gameplay, where Aya Brea investigates Neo-Mitochondria in the Mojave three years later. Created by Square, released in 1999 in Japan, in 2000 in the United States, Europe, Canada, Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Asia with multilingual versions under the Parasite Eve II title. Resident Evil-style fixed third-person view, over fifteen hours of sci-fi scenario and Naoshi Mizuta soundtrack. European multilingual editions.
Parasite Eve II review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
4/5
Story
★★★★★
"Captivating"
The sequel trades Manhattan for the Mojave desert: the abandoned filling station of Dryfield, a dusty motel, scorched canyons and the sterile corridors of the Neo Ark facility. Fixed cameras and richly detailed pre-rendered sets create a daylight horror, rare in the genre, where the sun crushes as much as it reassures.
Naoshi Mizuta writes a survival horror score built on restraint: electronic drones, held strings, long silences and bursts of percussion at the exact moment a creature appears. A few more melodic themes follow Aya, and the discreet recall of motifs from the first game ties the two investigations together.
Three years after Manhattan, Aya Brea works for a unit dealing with mitochondria born creatures and investigates a massacre deep in the Californian desert. The trail leads to a cloning programme and to a child who resembles her far too closely. The story swaps the first game's fantastical opera for a colder brand of science fiction.
The Japanese and Asian version of Parasite Eve II, rarer than its Western runs and sought by those wanting the first pressing of this Square survival horror in its original language. This native edition appeals to fans attentive to the provenance of a singular horror series from the publisher. Its local run supports a value above the PAL and American versions.
Memorable bosses
Closer to survival horror than its elder, this sequel trades urban wandering for confined settings peopled with nightmarish artificial creatures. Ammo to manage, weapons to upgrade and tough guardians call for a measured, tactical approach. The oppressive atmosphere and the variety of the fights assert a hybrid identity, between snappy action and carefully sustained horror tension.
Is Parasite Eve II still worth playing in 2026?
Released in 1999 on PS1, Square's sequel notably shifts the saga's identity toward a more classical survival horror inspired by Resident Evil. Ammo management, the investigation across Los Angeles and the desert, and the mitochondrial skills acquired along the journey redraw the formula. The dark art direction and Naoshi Mizuta's music install a gripping atmosphere. Tank controls and an abrupt difficulty curve demand effort. Recommended today for survival horror fans and for Square admirers curious about the studio's most experimental hybrid signatures at the end of the original PlayStation era globally.
