ZERO PARADES: A Spy’s Journey to Decode Hidden Memories

ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies is a highly promising detective story role-playing game (RPG), developed and published by ZA/UM – the studio behind the multi-award-winning masterpiece Disco Elysium.

Step into an underworld full of deceit in the port city of Portofiro and experience a unique psychological shaping mechanism

Developed and published by ZA/UM, the game is an indie, isometric CRPG that follows a story about spies and detectives. It is scheduled for release on May 21, 2026, for the PC (Steam) version, with the PlayStation 5 version expected to launch later this year.

Although it shares many similarities in art style, psychological depth, and dialogue mechanics, the developer asserts that this is neither a sequel nor a spiritual successor to Disco Elysium, but a completely new IP

In ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies, you will play as Hershel Wilk (codename: CASCADE), a brilliant but mentally exhausted intelligence agent suffering from heavy guilt. Five years ago, Hershel led his team into a tragedy (known as "the abyss") and has been perpetually haunted by those failures. Now, you are summoned back to execute one final, mysterious mission in the port city of Portofiro.

The city of Portofiro is caught up in a power struggle among three major cultural and ideological factions. There, you must reassemble your shattered intelligence network, untangle conspiracies of lies, and confront informants, loyalists, and instigators to complete your mission.

As it happened in Disco Elysium, you resolve situations and conflicts through dialogues, skill checks, and logical deduction rather than loud, hectic gunfights.

The game also features a new element: the psychological shaping mechanism (Conditioning). This mechanism is a direct inheritance and upgrade from the "Thought Cabinet" system of Disco Elysium, allowing players to realign Hershel's mental rules and reinforce thoughts to shape his identity, change his approach to the world, and unlock new paths.

The game also allows you to pause time to evaluate your next steps, or even "glimpse into the near future" to make precise decisions during tense confrontations.

A notable highlight of the game's mechanics is that you have complete freedom, with multiple options to solve problems. You can approach objectives through subterfuge, violence, or pure deductive reasoning, with each choice carrying long-term consequences and profoundly altering the storyline.

The game boasts a distinctive art style along with diverse user interfaces. The development team has divided the game into two parts: the objective outer world (the city of Portofiro under an isometric view) and the subjective inner world within the character's mind. The art style is inspired by the Italian comic book artist Gigi Cavenago.

The Journal menu is designed int he form of handwritten pages with blank spaces for notes, while the Inventory is designed like a disguised scrapbook—inspired by the game Metal Gear Solid V.

Overall, ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies is a highly anticipated game that has already received very positive scores ahead of its launch. The game is highly praised for its excellent writing, a dark yet witty detective plot, deeply layered characters, and top-tier voice acting. Remember to use our comparison tool to pre-order ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies at the best price.