If Parasite Eve passed you by back in the day, I feel truly sorry for you. Released on the original PlayStation back in 1998 (a huge year for video games, by the way), it was a truly bizarre fusion of action-RPG and survival horror.
It should never have worked, frankly. Yet Square Enix made it work. Parasite Eve blended a smart real-time combat system and thoroughly modern RPG elements with some of the most disturbing horror ever seen in a video game.
Parasite Eve was an instant cult classic. But aside from a sequel a few years later and a loose PSP spinoff, the series has been on ice for nearly two decades. Out of every Square Enix IP, it's definitely not one we'd ever expect to see return. But it turns out a revival might just be on the cards after all.
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We're journeying deep into rumour/speculation territory here so make sure you've got a healthy pinch of salt to hand, okay? A Twitter user who distributes a number of classic Square Enix ROMs has provided a pretty compelling argument that the company is gearing up for a Parasite Eve revival.
FantasyAnime claims they've been sharing ROMs for games like Chrono Trigger, Parasite Eve, and Front Mission for nearly 22 years. They also claim that Square Enix has only just sent them a cease-and-desist warning to remove these ROMs.
Obviously Square Enix asking someone to stop distributing its games without consent is not particularly convincing on its own. However, FantasyAnime says that a number of more obscure Square Enix properties were not included in the takedown. Only series with games or remakes known/rumoured to be in active development (such as Final Fantasy and Chrono Cross) were flagged.
There's an argument to be made, then, that Parasite Eve being included in the takedown suggests that someone somewhere at Square Enix is working on something to do with the cult horror game.
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Whether that would be a remake or a brand-new entry remains to be seen, but this is certainly an interesting development. Watch this space, and join me in praying that Parasite Eve finally gets the comeback it deserves.
Featured Image Credit: Square EnixTopics: Square Enix
