A highly detailed story-driven RPG, predominantly text-based gameplay, and an artsy visual style to rival the old masters — Zero Parades is Disco Elysium 2.0 in everything but name. Playing as operative Hershel Wilk, you must choose the best course of action, pass skill checks, and explore your surroundings from an isometric perspective to survive in a hostile world.
Despite the similarities, it may be wrong to call Zero Parades a spiritual successor to Disco Elysium, which is widely considered to be one of the best games of 2019. Due to a corporate takeover a few years earlier, ZA/UM Studio’s upcoming espionage RPG, then known as “Project C4,” was shrouded in controversy from the moment it was announced.
In late 2021, roughly two years after its release, Disco Elysium‘s lead designer Robert Kurvitz, art and design lead Aleksander Rostov, and writer Helen Hindpere were forced to leave ZA/UM following a major share purchase that resulted in new leadership. A heated legal battle ensued as Kurvitz, Rostov, and Disco Elysium‘s executive producer Kaur Kender claimed that the development studio had been acquired in a fraudulent way, whereas ZA/UM’s new CEO, Ilmar Kompus, claimed that Kurvitz and Rostov were fired due to misconduct, a story which has been investigated in detail by YouTube channel People Make Games. Although the charges were eventually dropped, the comments beneath Project C4’s reveal trailer show that most Disco Elysium fans are still of the opinion that the intellectual property was stolen from its original creators.
While attending an exclusive Gamescom presentation, I got the impression that ZA/UM’s current team wants to distance themselves from Disco Elysium by emphasizing that Zero Parades “uses a completely new IP [intellectual property], which is not in any way related to Elysium.” However, even if the story isn’t a continuation of Disco Elysium, or even set in the same universe, it’s clear that the game’s format is very similar.
Watching the protagonist explore the open world, I got a glimpse of a dystopian sci-fi city painted in ZA/UM’s signature grim, splashy style resembling an oil painting. As the protagonist ran through a market, jumped down a ledge, and spoke with one of the many citizens, walls of text popped up on the right side of the screen. Almost every action was accompanied by a choice: What do you wish to say? Do you dare to jump down? How will you open this door?
The chance of success is dependent on skill checks. For example, while stumbling upon a locked gate, the player is faced with different options: break the lock, vault over, or walk away. Breaking a lock has a far higher chance of success if the player invested some skill points in their strength.
Asking the developers about the differences between Disco Elysium and Zero Parades, they point to the pressure system, which represents the physical and psychological toll on the protagonist. There’s also a conditioning menu, which shows how choices affect skills. As visible in the dialogue options, actions can have positive or negative effects.
“It’s like smoking,” the developers explained. “You’re taught not to smoke because it’s bad for your health, so you won’t do it. But then you go to a party, and you get the choice to smoke with other people to gain information. You might accept the negative effects to gain something else.”
Another deviation from Disco Elysium is the protagonist. Instead of an amnesiac, you’ll play as a brilliant but deeply flawed spy named Hershel, who’s on a quest to bring her former team back together, as she needs them to complete a mysterious mission. The only issue? They kind of hate her.
This is in line with the developers’ goal of creating an anti-glamour story, where the protagonist is seen as an ordinary, imperfect human being rather than a great hero. “Hershel is no James Bond,” I am told. “Big gadgets and action aren’t her thing.”
Setting aside the controversy around the studio, there’s plenty to like about Zero Parades. I wouldn’t call the troubled spy an overly original type of protagonist, but the complex world full of belligerent factions (communists, bankers, techno-fascists…) might make up for that. I also like the idea of “failing forward,” a key design choice, which means you won’t necessarily be unable to proceed if you make the wrong choice. And, rather importantly, I spotted plenty of cheeky lines among the dialogue options.
Given the situation, however, it feels as if this game is struggling to be Disco Elysium 2.0, while at the same time trying not to be Disco Elysium 2.0. I feel bad for the creatives who’ve worked on this game with — undoubtedly — a lot of passion, especially since they’ve had no hand in the controversy at the higher levels of the studio, but perhaps it would’ve been a better choice to steer further away from the Disco Elysium concept. Then again, Zero Parades feels as close to a worthy successor as we’ll likely get.
Zero Parades doesn’t have a release date yet.
