ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies Reviews
Zero Parades: For Dead Spies is a narrative espionage RPG that weaves a complex web of interests and lets you approach it in creative ways.
ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies is a strong story-first RPG about Hershel Wilk, CASCADE, trying to survive Portofiro’s lies as much as her own past. Fatigue, Anxiety, and Delirium make failed rolls sting, and the writing gives every conversation a clear purpose. Some unclear stat feedback, stutters around Portofiro, and voice/text mismatches hold it back slightly. If you like RPGs built around reading closely and living with ugly choices, this is game is for you.
Even beneath the enormous shadow cast by Disco Elysium, Zero Parades: For Dead Spies succeeds in delivering an engrossing espionage narrative that can stand alongside its obvious inspiration. Although the game occasionally struggles to step out from Disco’s influence, its exceptional writing, distinct yet familiar atmosphere, and striking visual direction prevent it from feeling like a hollow copy. Lightning rarely strikes the same place twice, but Zero Parades still manages to capture some of that electricity, even if its spark burns within a slightly smaller vessel.
Zero Parades is about being failed. It’s about how your failure affects people you love and how their failures shape you, but beyond that it’s about how the framework we live in prevents us from success.
Zero Parades: For Dead Spies arrives with high expectations following the success of Disco Elysium. It must not have been easy for ZA/UM to live up to the immense anticipation surrounding its latest work, especially given the complicated production circumstances. The spy story starring Agent Cascade is intriguing and offers approaches that are as varied as they are entertaining and absurd, but you can sense the meticulous attention to detail in both the narrative and artistic aspects. A few too many bugs might raise an eyebrow during your playthroughs, but they certainly won’t detract from one of the most interesting experiences of recent times.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Ultimately, Zero Parades: For Dead Spies does manage what looked unthinkable: it stands on its own, turbulent development cycle aside. It was never going to completely step out from the monolith that is Disco Elysium, but viewed strictly on its own merits, it emerges as a very intricate, atmospheric espionage RPG.
If you enjoy narrative role-playing games that let you immerse yourself deeply in a world, I can recommend "Zero Parades: For Dead Spies." However, if you're not keen on reading a lot, you're better off staying away from this game.
Review in German | Read full review
Zero Parades: For Dead Spies makes no attempt to be accommodating, and it is in this stubborn refusal to compromise that both its most obvious limitation and its most valuable quality lie. It is a game that demands of the player the same emotional and intellectual investment that it demands of its protagonist, aware that the value of the journey is measured by the quality of the questions it poses, not by the speed with which it provides the answers. The new mechanics demonstrate a concrete desire to go beyond mere replication, to take an already extraordinary playful language and develop it in a direction that fully justifies its independent existence.
Review in Italian | Read full review
A messy, ambitious, occasionally clunky, and often fascinating hybrid of ideas, with enough sharp edges and personality to stand apart from the games it will inevitably be compared to.
Zero Parades is neither a disaster nor another Disco Elysium. Instead, it succeeds in the impossible by being its own rough, unpolished, and fascinating thing. Not all the ideas are fully formed yet, but for fans of smart and challenging thrillers, Zero Parades is an essential experience.
"Lightning rarely strikes twice, but against all odds, Zero Parades is a spiritual successor worthy of taking the torch from Disco Elysium and running with it. This spy thriller is a slow burn, but one that slowly blossoms over time. It's rich in detail, abundant with memorable moments, and elevates the rudimentary RPG systems of old. It may have some minor tweaks to make for the inevitable 'final cut'. But, no matter how you feel about this new iteration of Za/Um, their new IP is every bit as captivating as that which came before."
ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies delivers a psychological RPG experience focused on espionage, investigation, dialogue, and exploration, offering a rich narrative set in a mysterious world with strong writing and well-crafted characters. It reaffirms ZA/UM’s ability to create distinctive narrative-driven experiences after Disco Elysium, while maintaining the same identity and level of quality.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies delivers a dense and engaging narrative experience, standing out through its strong writing, memorable characters, rich world-building, and the freedom it gives players to approach challenges in different ways. Its unconventional take on espionage stories, combined with a melancholic atmosphere, striking visuals, and Hershel’s distinctive personality, creates a captivating adventure from beginning to end. However, the experience is held back by an overreliance on luck, occasionally vague progression, underexplained mechanics, and a sense of familiarity in some of its ideas and structures. Even so, despite living in the shadow of its predecessor, the game proves it has enough identity and quality of its own to deserve recognition and appreciation.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Zero Parades: For Dead Spies is an excellent CRPG spy thriller that dares to step out of Disco Elysium’s shadow and carve out an identity of its own. Beneath its painted, melancholic surface lies a rich web of espionage, psychological tension, and deeply human characters that reward patience and thoughtful exploration.
Review in Unknown | Read full review
The shadow of its predecessor looms over every second of gameplay. And despite being a good game, with good ideas, good moments, and an interesting story, it falls short when compared to Disco Elysium. This creates a bitter taste for those who were left wanting more from ZA/UM's previous title.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies is a fantastic, dark, but also funny sci-fi spy story that hooks you and doesn’t let go. It gives you a lot of room to solve situations and build your own Sick Crew, for better or for worse. The new action sequences keep you on your toes, and every narrative turn locks you in for the ride. ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies proves ZA/UM can still create meaningful, deep experiences.
"A psychological spy experience with heavy narrative ambition" Zero Parades: For Dead Spies offers a narratively heavy RPG experience that relies more on psychological depth and decision-making than any other element. The game succeeds in building a comprehensive system that connects the character's mental state to all gameplay mechanics, creating a cohesive and unique experience. The slow pace and complex systems may pose a barrier for some players. Nevertheless, it remains an ambitious and well-crafted experience.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
On its own this is a truly special title for fans of unconventional RPGs. One that should be seen as an artistically valuable contribution from a dedicated development team, setting aside studio conflicts. ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies not only looks fantastic but also tells a thrilling spy story with characteristic NPC characters, countless twists and interesting mechanics that constantly bring you back down to earth whenever you get too cocky. A few snippets of dialogue felt a bit too obvious to me and there are a some areas that could use some patching. But overall the game had me laughing out loud time and time again, the story kept me hooked until the end and I had a damn good time with everything the game had to offer.
Review in German | Read full review