Parasite Eve 2 Part #24 - Episode 24: Aflac

Part 24: Episode 24: Aflac

Last time, Aya had a little episode and Kyle shrugged off 3rd degree burns like they ain't no thang. Now, we're thrust into an escort quest. Fortunately for us, it is one of the least painful escort sections in the history of video games.

You may notice that Kyle still has his gun, so he's entirely capable of holding his own in combat. Granted, all he can do is plink slowly away at enemies with his peashooter, but its better than nothing. There's also no friendly fire, so there's no need to worry about "accidentally" shooting him in the spine or electrocuting him with your mind powers. There's no way to heal him if he gets hurt, though, so keep at least a casual eye on the goofy bastard.

As one might expect, there's always more flavor text!

Maya is Aya's twin sister who died in a car accident when they were kids, in case you forgot. She's also the true identity of the monstrous Eve (sort of) and the source of Aya's mitochondria powers (again, sort of).

: That girl... She looked just like Maya.

Huh, so that weird hospital scene WAS a dream Aya was having. Wonder what the deal with that is?

Anyway, that's all there is to see here, unless you like watching Kyle stand around awkwardly.

Really? Just that easy? You sure we don't need to find a wrench on the other side of the fucking map again? Just checking.

Okay, everything looks in order out here...

whoops, there's a killer scorpion

Uh, Kyle? Kyle, where are you going?

: See ya later, shitlords!

Okay, so the downside to Kyle having a gun means he gets a little over zealous about the whole monster killing thing. He also doesn't really understand how guns work, so he seems to think bullets can only travel a rough three inches before dissipating into the wind. While Aya was dealing with this scorpion, Kyle has sprinted directly up to one off screen and is carefully lining up his aim. By the time Aya's killed the on-screen foe, Kyle has begun to seriously consider pulling the trigger.

I have no patience for his buffoonery, thus lightning.

Despite Kyle's unique battle tactics, he manages to escape the battle unharmed. This is because the enemies will still choose to focus on Aya more often than not, presumably because she's a much bigger threat.

Taking a look at the map, we see Hot Zones have sprung up goddamn everywhere!

Everywhere! One of the largest complaints against this game is the grindy nature of clearing out Hot Zones, but I never really saw it that way. Even tracking down every last Hot Zone is nothing compared to Junk Collection in Parasite Eve 1, or worse yet, the Chrysler Building. A Hot Zone is basically just a big flashing sign that says "Hey, wanna blow up some shit? Here's some shit that needs blowin' up!"

But, whatever, time to more on.

: Hi.

No big changes here.

OH FUCK MOTHS

Well, that's all there is to see here. By the way, our destination was Aya's car is you remember. Which is right outside this door. So, we're pretty much done with a two screen long excort mission. Told ya is was no biggie.

lookin' pretty pimp, Aya

wait

shit

A laser sight now? Jesus, Kyle Madigan was Leon S. Kennedy before it was cool.

BAM

Now alerted to our presence, the horrible bio-mechanical jackrabbits turn their attention from wrecking Aya's car to wrecking her face.

The murder-bunnies, called Scavengers, are annoying but not really threatening. They're very quick, and can attack by lunging and even grabbing hold of Aya and gnawing on her leg until you kick them off. If you're not careful, their quick attacks can add up quickly for lots of damage, but if you keep on the move you should be okay.

Aya, on the other hand, is armed with the righteous fury of a woman whose sweet car was just totaled. Guess which one wins.

Rest in peace, you stylin' convertible.

: I'll make your ass a wall hanging, Madigan.

: So...

Well, at least we got some BP!

Aya has more to say in memorandum of her ride.

: Now it's covered with tooth marks and NMC spit... I still haven't paid off my car loan...

Yeah, no shit.

Aya's not kidding.

Look at this shit!

: The sign's fallen over... Did they do this, too? Amazing destructive impulses...

Aya immediately switches from mourning for her car to unleashing as hell philosophical musings. Hey, this is still a Squaresoft game, after all.

Let's save.

Diabolical!

Well, we're stranded in Dryfield, so we'd better beat feet to a phone so we can inform HQ. The closest save point now that the Gas Station payphone is trashed is the one in our hotel room.

Also, horses.

Other than the devastation at the gas station, Dryfield is largely unchanged at night. The ambient music and change of lighting does give it a suitably creepy atmosphere, though.

The Scavengers will be our most commonly occurring enemies for the next chunk of the game. Which is slightly irritating, but a welcome change over the much more dangerous Chasers.