Part 2: Episode 2: I am an Opera Singer

Episode 2: I am an Opera Singer

Last time, someone shouted fire in a crowded theater. This time, Action Cop Aya Brea confronts the malcontent.


We head up to the stage to demand our money back. Or, I guess, our date's father's money back


The singer/actress/pyromancer is floating inches above the stage. Have we been Mindfreaked?!

: Hmph...You're the only one who seems to be fine...
: Wha..What are you talking about?!


: They're...calling out...


Oh, we're fighting now.

The battle system in Parasite Eve is both unusual and very simple. The blue AT meter slowly goes up, and when it fills, Aya can take an action. This includes attacking, using items, and even changing equipment in the heat of battle. You can move around freely within the battle area regardless of AT meter, so most battles rely heavily on constant movement and dodging. HP is exactly what it is in every other game.

The Opera Singer is circled by glowing sparklies like all Opera Singers are 100% of the time.


When the AT meter fills up, you can press X to attack. Then, time stops and this comes up. The green wireframe dome is Aya's attack range. She can hit anything within the dome easily, but anything outside will either be missed entirely, or hit for significantly less damage. The range changes based on your weapon; rifles will have a very large range, but melee weapons require close proximity. We have a pistol, so we're currently in the middle ground in terms of range.

Those two bullet icons represent how many shots Aya can get off in a single turn. This also varies from weapon to weapon, and you don't have to hit the same enemy with both shots. However, I find it's usually a better idea to get one enemy down fast, rather than two down slowly. The number of bullets beneath them tells you how many shots you have in your current magazine. When it runs out, Aya will reload automatically, assuming you have bullets to spare. She's completely stationary while doing so, however, so be careful.

This is more of a tutorial than a real fight, so after we hit her once, this happens:


: What's happening...? My body!... It's...! It's getting hot!

Jesus fuck, look at all those ellipses.


Aya is showered in her own sparklies
: ... Just as I thought...
: What...is this? What did you DO TO ME?!


Well, Aya, she just gave you magic powers. PE, or Parasite Energy, is basically MP and PE Powers are just spells. The difference is that PE refills gradually by itself during combat, making it far easier to use frequently. But, the more you use it, the slower it refills. This resets after battle, though, so it only really becomes and issue during boss fights.

Heal 1 is the only power we have available at the moment. We can use it outside of battle, which is nice, but PE only refills during combat, so we're not invincible.


This is our status, by the way. Offense and Defense both do exactly what you think they do, and PE energy determines how much PE you have to spend. StatusRecover is how long pesky status effects will bug you: higher number, shorter duration of negative effects. Active Time speeds up your AT bar as it goes up, and Item Capacity increases the size of your inventory. Item Capacity will prove to be the most important/annoying stat later in the game.

I'll explain Bonus Points later.

And yes, Aya did bring both her sidearm and a bulletproof vest to a quiet night at the opera. Don't you?


Just normal Opera Singer lasers. Ho hum.

A few 9mm slugs to the chest later...

: ...WHAT?! Communicating what? What do you want?!
: The more you use that power, the more you will become like...me...
: Power...? What power?!
The Christ-like healing touch you just got, Aya. Pay attention!
: Who ARE you...?!


The game's called "Parasite Eve" not "Parasite STEVE"!
: I'm surprised you don't know me, Aya...you should know me well...
: What?... (Yes, there are ellipses there. No, I don't know why.)


Whoa, flashback!


Might be hard to see through the fog of time, but there's a small blond girl in blue laying on the left gurney


Aya, please try not to reminisce about your mysterious past in the middle of a fight. Thanks.

: Hahaha...


: Whoop, whoop, whoop!


You're not getting away that easy, Steve!


Oh, dang.

:...I know she's down there...




Well, let's go see if we can't get some help. Or at least a decent pair of shoes. Must be hell running around in those heels.



Man, the janitor is gonna be soooo pissed come Monday.


Pointing guns at what could be a survivor of a horrible fire. New York's Best.

Well, okay, I guess she is holding a gun.

: What?!
: Hold on! I'm going to take out my badge...Don't shoot.



Aya pulls her badge out of her...boobs, I guess, and the cops relax.

Let's talk to the paramedic first.

: Who knows, huh?! Heh heh! Ya think we'll be on TV?! Hope this becomes a TV movie or somethin'...! Lemme patch you up.

This chucklefuck can heal you for free, but that's completely unnecessary for this section.

Next Up

: Don't ask me. That's something I wanna know.
: Everyone's gotten burned...a lot of them...probably won't make it...
Given the crack medical team standing over there, I am shocked to learn that being completely engulfed in flame is dangerous.

This last dude is the reason we came out here, though


Sweet. Limited ammo is one of the survival horror elements Parasite Eve borrowed. Of course, there's tons of ammo in the game if you know where to look. You can do talk to this dude ten times to snag a free 60 bullets, for example.

Okay, now that we've got back-up, let's go get that crazy floating wizard lady!


Guys? Anyone? Just gonna send the 100 lb woman in the dress to go fight the lady with laser hands? Alone?




: Fuckin' dicks.