Parasite Eve 2 Part #4 - Episode 4: Monkeying Around

Part 4: Episode 4: Monkeying Around

Previously on Parasite Eve 2...

SWAT got their shit completely wrecked. Betcha one dumbass flashbanged the whole team before they ever left the spawn point. Fuckin' hate it when that happens.

Looks like it's up to super cop/profession kicker of monster ass Aya Brea to save the day.

First things first...

...pretend to be surprised that the dudes without magic powers got fucked up by the monsters.

: The stench of gunpowder and blood. Bodies lying atop each other.

Well, none of them seem to be burned, so that's a good sign, at least.

Oh, hey, a phone. Well, we can just call in and report...

GAH!

ohgodwhatisitwherediditgoholyfuck

: Yeah, you better run, ya little schmuck.

Let's use the phone to let our boss know that the NMCs have weaponized jump scares.

: You're there, good. This is Baldwin.

: I know, it said so on your dialogue box.

: What was that?

: Uh...nothing. Nevermind. By the way, SWAT got fuuuuucked.

: How fucked are we talkin' here?

: Ever see Aliens?

: I see... It's unusual for NMCs to do this kind of damage. We need more information. Just use sufficient caution.

After that pep talk, we move and find the has adopted Resident Evil's button press stairs. I know a lot of people don't like the tank controls, but I'm an unashamed RE fanboy, so it doesn't bother me any. The stairs thing is annoying though, but given the battle mechanics of this game, I can see why it's here.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Aya notices something on a nearby bench. Specifically, she notices the key to our success on a nearby bench.

An ammo box! And not just any ammo box...

It's some sort of magical bullet TARDIS! We'll find several of these wonderful magic boxes scattered throughout the game, and they will help a great deal in our quest to kill all sons of bitches.

: I'll just borrow some of these.

Most of these boxes only contain the weakest and most basic 9mm ammo, largely for balance reasons, but we'll make do.

Examining any corpse in this room but this guy gets you Aya's initial shocked reaction. This guy is different because...

We can rifle through his pockets and steal his prescription.

Remember kids, grave robbing is okay if you feel bad about it.

Oh, by the way, here's the armor Aya has equipped by default for this little adventure. I guess this is Aya's leather jacket from the first game? Either way, resistance to Paralysis is very good, since Paralysis is easily the most annoying and dangerous status effect in the game.

But I don't think any enemies in this area can inflict Paralysis, so...

Well, we should probably start looking around, and I can't think of a better place to start than the door next to phone _{because everywhere else is locked}

It's another elevator hall. By the way, Parasite Eve 2 has an "Always Run" option, which is fantastic for people who don't feel like holding a button down for 90% of gameplay.

Suddenly, a voice calls out. I mean, really. This one line is actually voiced. I have no earthly idea why, but it is. There's at least two other extremely brief lines later that also have voice clips. Aya also has your standard grunts and groans when she gets hit, but I still don't understand why they decided "Yes, the one second line of a guy saying 'Freeze' needs audio."

This game is weird with sound design sometimes.

The lone SWAT dude relaxes and slumps down next to some sort of weird level geometry. Dunno what's up with that. Anyone else feeling thirsty?

: I'll be okay.

Uh, really, Aya?

: Didn't you see them? Those things... They killed everyone.

: Everyone?

: EVVVERRRYYYYOOOONNNEEEEEEE!

: If I wasn't wounded... Please... You gotta go save her!

: What, really? What is she doing, just reading the newspaper and having a cappuccino while all the guys with guns get ripped to shreds?

: Look, lady, do you want to save someone's life or snark at me?

: Eh, I could go for either.

The helpful fellow gives us a cafeteria key. I don't think it's a good idea to lock civilians in small rooms during horror scenarios, but what do I know.

: Go! Hurry...

: Seriously, lady, this is kinda urgent.

Okay, let's go do a thing.

I paused here, because I swear there was a short scene where the door to the SWAT guy locks behind us, but it never happened. I seriously ran in and out of that door like five times because I'm positive that happened.

But it didn't. So, I decided to look at our map.

Out objective is marked with a red glowing dot, and Aya will helpfully remind us what we're doing if we need. Also, the map fills in automatically as we explore, until we find a full map of the area.

Right, so past the ammo box, and down the steps.

Everything seems in order down here, except for that weird crunching noise. What is that anyway?

Oh.

He's so happy!

Whoops, time for our first fight!

Here's how it works: Press the Square button to make Aya lock on to an enemy. Then press R1 (or R2 for alt fire) to shoot the ugly bastard.

Like so. You can move freely around the area, and like the first game, dodging is your main method of defense. This first basic mook can only try to lunge at you or bite you at close range, so he's no big deal.

Pressing the Triangle button freezes time and brings up our Magic Menu! We only have Pyrokinesis right now, so we'll use that. The green wire-frame is the spell's effective range, although it will stop once it hits something. We can also see from the lower left corner that Pyrokinesis is a measly level 1 and will cost us 8 MP to use.

So, what does Pyrokinesis do?

It shoots motherfucking fireballs! It does some pretty good damage, but it's not nearly as efficient as sticking to our guns at the moment. Fun, though!

If you attack certain enemies in certain ways, you will do critical damage. For example, after knocking this little guy over, hitting him while he's down equals a crit. Getting shot with a hadoken while curling into the fetal position tends to hurt, y'know.

After victoriously trouncing our tutorial foe, we reap the rewards. Every enemy rewards you with a set number of Experience Points, which we use to upgrade our magic, and Bounty Points, which we use to buy shit, if you'll remember. We also get back a small number of MP, as well.

MP doesn't regenerate during battle anymore, instead only being refilled by items or post-battle bonuses. This is likely because nearly every spell we'll have available to us can be wonderfully overpowered in its own special way, so they need to limit our super-natural mayhem for the sake of balance.

Now that that's done, let's check on ol' Stumpy over here.

: Jesus fuck, you're alive?!

: Hey, don't worry. Medical technology has come a long way! I got a cornea transplant when I was a kid. I'm sure they can do something for your...your everything.