Part 3: Episode 3: Rats Off TO Ya!

Episode 3: Rats Off TO Ya!

Last time, we learned that New York City's Emergency Response teams are incompetent. This time, we should probably go find that dual-classed Actress/Mage.


We return back stage to that massive hole that Eve...made? Hey, she can shoot lasers, so whatever.




We'll just hop down and...oh, hey.




The girl just giggles and walks off.




...and disappears. That...uh...Let's just move on.
: That girl...! It couldn't be...
We're moving on, Aya! Moving on!

Gloom and Doom


Up ahead, we find a long corridor lined with fancy red doors. Let's just try the nearest one.


Okay, next one then.


Uh...


Fuck you, game!


Moving to the next screen, a sudden noise catches Aya's attention


Aww, a cute widdle rat


Poor little guy needs some antacids, I guess.






I'm no cellular biologist, but I'm pretty sure that's not supposed to happen.


Say "Cheese"!


Oh God! I'm sorry for the cheese joke!







So, we meet our first real enemy of the game: Rats. Horrible, gooey, demon rats. They're not any sort of real threat, mind you, but still. Look at that thing. Holy shit!


Yeah, they can shoot fire. Why wouldn't they shoot fire?

Bullets still work fine, so a short while later...





All our stats go up, but Active Time lags behind a bit. Also, the rats drop bullets. Dunno why or how they had them, but it works for me!

Speaking of Bullets, let's talk about game mechanics real quick.


To reload, you simply select either you current weapon or your ammo box and pick reload.


From here, you can manually load your gun. Good idea to do this between battles. You can also empty your gun into your ammo box, which is handy to avoid letting bullets rot in obsolete weapons.

And yes, your ammo box and equipment all take up inventory space. Like all survival horror protagonists, Aya's pockets can hold far more than they should be able to, but still less than you'd like. Funny how that works.


: How does a rat even get heartburn?

Anyway, let's pop in the first door on the left. It's unlocked, unlike the last screen. That jerk.


Gross.


Let's loot the joint


Oh, I was, uh, just making sure the lockers worked. Yeah, that's all.


Aya, do you not remember the paramedic from last time? I don't think anyone can treat being turned into beef jerky, and that dude wasn't exactly Dr. House.

: M...Melissa...she's a...monster...
: Don't try to talk now. Melissa? ...Melissa... You mean the main actress?
Don't try to talk! Answer my questions!

: She's probably got to Suzanne...too. You'll have to...stop...her...
: No...! Please! Wake up! Hang in there...!




Yoink.


Across the hall, we go into another unlocked door.


Shoothimshoothimshoothim


Damn

: You're the one that scared ME, lady! I was just getting ready. You know, only STAFF are allowed back here...
: There was an incident here. You'll have to evacuate.
Yes, please leave.
: What?! You're KIDDING, right?! Hey, I'm not dying here tonight! SEE YA...!

So the horrible clown leaves, and we loot this room, too. There was only a single six-pack of bullets in a locker, though. Hey, did you guys hear something? Sounded like it came from back down the hallway.




Guess it was nothing, then. Never mind.


Only one unlocked door left.


Hmmm, clothes, desk, dead guy...Ooh, a phone! We'll just shove the dead guy out of the way and...


Phones are save points in Parasite Eve. No ink ribbons or anything, just find a phone, make a call. All phones in New York City are also marked by bright blinking red lights. All of them.

How about you, dead guy, got anything useful?


Oh, cool, thanks.


Let's just check out this room first for no real reason


Doesn't look like any thing useful here...IS THAT A BIRDIE?!


Huh?




Birdie, no!


: Who brings a parrot to the opera, anyway?!


To end this update, I wanted to talk about the monsters in Parasite Eve. Basically, they kinda rule. That rat cut scene is exactly what sold me on this game when I first played it, and I still think it's one of the most memorable enemy intros in gaming history. But you guys don't want to hear me gush about blood-soaked mutants, so I got a friend of mine to tell you all about the enemies we encounter over the course of the game.

: Heya kids, it's me, Rattigan Johansen, here ta tell all youse about my fellow hideous monster types! Let's get started!


: Hey, it's my cousin, Ratso! He's a great guy, I tells ya, but he can be kinda cheesy! Ha! Geddit? Us rats gots ta stick together, y'know, so we'll almost always attack in groups. We're social fellas, so we'll even come at ya with other monsters! Da more, da merrier, right? We gots those crazy teeth for biting, but we prefer shooting a fan o' three fireballs atcha wit' our tails. Sure, it's easy ta dodge at a distance, or by just movin' to our sides, but hey, it sure looks neat!


: Polly wants a crack'a...at youse! Ha! Y'know, when we rats mutated, we got fireballs an' a crazy three-pronged tail. Dese poor fellas just lost a leg. At least da one dey do got is really big! Dey mey be quick little boidies, but dey can't do much more den scratch atcha. Kinda got da short end o' the stick, ta be honest.

: Well, dat's all we've seen so far. So until next time, remembas: Ain't no one as handsome as Rattigan Johansen! Ha!



_{Monster scans generously provided by KoMPepperochu of deviantart. He is a cool dude.}