Parasite

Parasite is a survival horror roguelike set in a modern city. You are a small creature of unknown origin that cannot survive long alone: every move costs energy, and when it runs out, you die. To survive, you attach to a human and take control of them, using their body as a battery and disguise as well as their skills, keycards and weapons. By probing hosts’ brains, you can learn their names, knowledge and experiences. Their memories hold clues to your origins, which you must piece together before those who already know the truth find you.

Take over hosts

You attach to a host, subdue their resistance and invade their body. Hosts tire, deteriorate and die, so you can use them up quickly or try to keep one for the long term. Probing a host’s brain reveals names, skills, knowledge and clues, but drains their energy and health; probe too deeply and they collapse and never wake up. If you stay in one host long enough, they can become accustomed to you and cooperate. You can then speak to other people through them.

Evolve and hide

You research improvements and grow them on your hosts. These include neurotoxin needles, hallucinogen gas, camouflage and false memories planted in a victim’s mind, among other tools for survival. You can also establish a habitat in the sewers beneath the city or in a cave in the mountains. There, you can assimilate hosts, restore energy with biomineral, post a watcher against ambushes or lay an ovum that lets you be reborn if you die.

Investigate the city

You gather clues throughout the city to build a timeline that runs backwards from the present to the beginning of events. The city is fully 3D and generated anew each game, with downtown, residential streets, slums, corporate headquarters, research labs, military bases and wilderness beyond. A regional map lets you travel between areas through the sewers.

Evade your pursuers

People notice suspicious activity, police respond and districts grow more heated. You can hide in a dumpster, escape through a sewer hatch or avoid attention by taking over someone else. The Group, a government conspiracy that deals with forbidden information, has a file on you. Its teams track you, locate your habitats and lie in wait inside them. By probing its agents for enough intelligence, you can pursue the Group’s leader.

Build the Cultus Carnis

You can found a cult of human followers and recruit people whose jobs provide combat, media, legal, corporate and political influence. Run ordeals, equip your followers and summon them when needed.

Game modes and options

Choose a story scenario or an open-ended sandbox. Each system has a separate difficulty setting that you can adjust as you encounter it. The game also includes an in-game encyclopedia and mod support.