Parasite Eve is an action RPG with survival-horror elements that Square released in Japan on March 29, 1998, and in North America on September 10, 1998. It is a sequel to Hideaki Sena's 1995 horror novel Parasite Eve and is set in New York City. Takashi Tokita directed the game; its heroine, Aya Brea, was created by Hironobu Sakaguchi and designed by Tetsuya Nomura. Yoko Shimomura composed the soundtrack, and the ending theme "Somnia Memorias" was her first vocal theme.
The North American edition was the first release of the Square Electronic Arts joint venture and Square's first game rated Mature by the ESRB. Europe never got the game, so there is no official version in any European language.
Finishing the story unlocks the EX Game, which adds the 77-floor Chrysler Building and a final battle against Maya. The game later came back as a PS one Classic on PlayStation Network, and in 2018 it was part of the Japanese lineup of the PlayStation Classic mini console.12
Names and releases
| Region | Title on the box | Platform | Date | Publisher | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | Parasite EveFirst release under the Square Electronic Arts joint venture; later reissued under the Greatest Hits label. | PlayStation | Sep 10, 1998 | Square Electronic Arts | 1 |
| NA | Parasite EvePlayStation Network re-release (PS one Classic). | PlayStation 3 | Mar 15, 2011 | — | 1 |
| JP | パラサイト・イヴParasaito Ivu | PlayStation | Mar 29, 1998 | Square | 1 |
| JP | パラサイト・イヴPlayStation Network re-release (PS one Classic). | PlayStation 3 | 2010 | — | 1 |
| JP | パラサイト・イヴIncluded in the Japanese lineup of the PlayStation Classic mini console. | Other | 2018 | Sony Interactive Entertainment | 1 |
Also known as: パラサイト・イヴ JP1Parasaito Ivu JP1PE JP3
Box art by region
NA Parasite Eve 
JP パラサイト・イヴ
Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.
Translations
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English Official
Square Electronic Arts1998PlayStation · Japanese versionReleased · complete
The English North American release is the game's only official localization; Parasite Eve never came out in Europe.2
Reception
Parasite Eve has a Metacritic score of 81/100. In Japan it sold about 994,000 copies in 1998, making it the sixth-best-selling game of the year, and worldwide shipments reached 1.94 million by February 2004. Critics praised the graphics and cinematic presentation but criticized the linear structure, load times and short length.1
Sources
Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13
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