Square Enix has been big on re-releases of late. Sometimes they take the form of remasters, like the modern releases ofLegend of ManaandSaGa Frontier Remastered, as well as the upcomingDragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake. Sometimes they come in collections, like theFinal Fantasy Pixel Remasteranthology or theCollection of SaGa: Final Fantasy Legend. There have also been sometop-to-bottom remakes likeFinal Fantasy 7. Square Enix is doing a great job updating its back catalog for newer players, but it feels like one major franchise is still missing in action:Parasite Eve.
Parasite Evewas one of Square’s star PS1 titles in 1998, providing a thrilling, fantasy-infused adaptation of the horror novel and film of the same name.Parasite Evewas Square’s first M-rated game, and its sci-fi writing combined with great gameplay, visuals, and music to kickstart a short franchise.Parasite Eve 2released the following year, andThe 3rd Birthdaywas released on PSP in 2010. That was the last fans heard from the franchise, but now feels like the ideal time for this trilogy to come back.
RELATED:Parasite Eve Remains One of the Most Underrated Games of Its Generation
Parasite Eve Would Be Great in a Remaster
The two PS1Parasite Evegames would be excellent in remastered form. Both hold up fairly well in just about every aspect beyondPE2’s plot pacing. A visual touch-up wouldpreserveParasite Eve’s almost photorealistic backgroundsand horrific monster designs, and2isn’t far behind despite adopting a moreResident Evil-styled environment. Yoko Shimomura’s soundtrack would also sound good as ever with some remastering. There are a lot of little touches a remaster could apply to make these games shine.
A larger and possibly more controversial change would be to their controls.Parasite Eve 1’s real-time battle system still holds up and may have partially inspiredFinal Fantasy 7 Remake.Parasite Eve 2takes afterResident Evil’s shootingand tank controls, and a persistent complaint has been that its restricted movement is unnecessary. Changing gameplay would significantly alter the experience, but an option to use regular omnidirectional movement instead of tank controls would be preferable to many. Still, these first two titles can get by without many changes.
The 3rd Birthday Needs a Console Port
The often-cited worst game in this set would benefit most from a multiplatform remaster. Unlike the other twoParasite Evegames,The 3rd Birthdayis a third-person shooter. Many of theFinal Fantasy-like elements are scaled back in favor of gunplay and teleportation. While this style was competently executed,being locked on the handheld PSPdid not help its controls. A console remaster ofThe 3rd Birthdaywould allow its aiming controls to be revamped for modern controllers, alleviating some of the frustrations players no doubt had with the original.
The 3rd Birthdayis also the title most in need of a visual overhaul. While some environments in the first two games still impress today,3rd Birthdaycan immediately be pegged as a PSP game. Its somewhat dull urban architecture has not aged well, not to mention the state of Aya’s clothing is meant to give players visual indicators of her health. Cleaning up the models and possibly adding new ones for main characters like in some of Square Enix’s 3D remasters would makeThe 3rd Birthdaymore palatable for modern-day audiences. There’sno fixing3rd Birthday’s controversial plot, but the rest of the game can be polished into a more endearing state.
Parasite Evewas originally released on Jul 31, 2025, for the PS1.
