ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies Review: ZA/UM Delivers A Sharp Espionage Thriller

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Let’s be honest, I never actually played Disco Elysium, the popular game made by ZA/UM. It wasn’t a lack of interest – it just came out in a year with so many other great games. Over time, I often considered starting it, but I never quite got around to it.

I’m bringing up Disco Elysium to give you some context for my perspective on ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies. I won’t be spending much time comparing the two games; this review is written as if I’ve never played anything by ZA/UM before.

ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies is a really enjoyable game that I plan to play again. While it’s not flawless and has a few issues, it truly shines in many areas. Keep reading to find out what the game does exceptionally well, and where it could use some improvement.

Become a Spy in This Corrupted World

In the game ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies, you play as CASCADE, a secret agent who suddenly awakens with amnesia. She doesn’t remember her current mission. Next to her is her handler, but he’s unconscious, leaving CASCADE to discover the details of her assignment all on her own.

Through exploration and conversations with people in town, you’ll eventually discover your main objective – and it’s a significant one. To preserve the surprise and enjoyment of discovering it yourself, I won’t reveal what it is here.

Let me tell you this: ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies is a really well-written story with surprising twists and turns. It feels like a high-stakes thriller, almost as if you’re part of the action. While games aren’t usually called “thrillers,” that’s the best way to describe what ZA/UM has accomplished.

I was completely hooked as I read, drawn into a fictional world that felt surprisingly similar to our own. The story explores themes of power, politics, how the media shapes young people’s thinking, and the idea that ordinary citizens don’t always have the solutions.

Okay, so the story in this game is all about uncovering a conspiracy, and honestly, it really pulls you in. I found myself completely obsessed with figuring out what was really going on, even though I had a feeling the truth wouldn’t be pretty. That’s where the game shines – it just makes you need to know the whole story and see how everything connects. It’s seriously addictive trying to piece it all together!

I was completely captivated by the story, finding it hard to put down. The fictional world felt strangely similar to our own, which made it even more compelling.

Going into ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies, I was really worried the writing wouldn’t be good enough to keep me hooked. It’s a game where you basically just read, so bad dialogue would have ruined it! Thankfully, all the writing is actually really well done and keeps you invested – which is a huge relief.

Let’s talk about something important: this game requires a lot of reading, so it’s not a good fit if you don’t enjoy that. Fans of Disco Elysium will probably already know this, but if you’re new to games made by ZA/UM – like me – keep in mind that there’s a lot of dialogue before you buy it.

A Declining Mental State

In Zero Parades: For Dead Spies, you’ll progress by investigating locations, talking to people, succeeding at challenges based on your skills, and keeping track of your character’s well-being. Your character’s mental health is represented by three meters – Fatigue, Anxiety, and Delirium – which are always visible on the screen.

When you talk to people in the game, you’ll often have to pass skill checks or make important decisions. How well you do depends on your character’s abilities. If you fail these checks, your character’s mental health will suffer. If your mental health drops too low, you’ll be forced to weaken one of your skills, which can be a real setback. That’s why it’s important to keep your character’s mental state as stable as possible.

While some players might find this new gameplay feature frustrating and miss a simple “Game Over” screen, I think it’s a fantastic addition. It makes challenges much more nerve-wracking because failing doesn’t just end the game – it can actually set your character back. This creates a real sense of consequence and makes your choices feel much more impactful.

One of my most memorable experiences in ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies happened during an interrogation scene. I was tied to a chair while enemies threatened me with a taser. The scene involved a lot of choices and skill tests, and making the wrong one meant getting shocked and losing my sanity. Each time my ‘Delirium’ meter went up by one, I knew one of my skills was about to be weakened.

When you attempt a skill check, it feels more stressful because failing could hinder your character’s growth.

There are many tense moments in this game where your skills are truly tested and your decisions have real consequences. It’s more meaningful than simply losing and restarting, because in ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies, your choices stick with you. While you can reload earlier saves, it’s best not to – it takes away from the experience.

Though challenging, the game offers many satisfying elements that help your character grow. Talking to different characters unlocks quests, lets you test your abilities, reveals important details, and more. Completing these tasks earns you experience, which eventually lets you improve your character’s skills and attributes.

Your character’s stats affect how successful you are in different scenarios, what actions you can perform, and whether you succeed at challenges. As you gain experience and level up, your character improves, becoming a more skilled and effective spy.

A Few Rough Edges

Although I generally loved playing ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies, and this review has been mostly positive, it’s important to note that the game isn’t flawless. There are a few issues that slightly detract from the overall experience, despite my enjoyment.

The game’s atmosphere could be improved, particularly since it’s meant to be a thriller. Adding more music during calmer moments – like when exploring or chatting with characters – would help. Without a strong musical score in these scenes, they don’t feel as immersive as they could be.

One of the biggest frustrations is how unclear the stats are. It’s difficult to understand what each stat actually does when you’re putting points into it. The game offers short descriptions for each stat, but it’s hard to connect those descriptions to how they affect conversations and choices.

Unlike dice roll skill checks, which clearly show your success chance and the relevant stat, regular skill checks are hidden. The game doesn’t tell you which stat is being used until after you’ve tried the check, and it doesn’t even warn you when a check is about to happen. They appear unexpectedly after choosing a dialogue option, making it hard to predict or prepare for them.

I found the design a bit odd. It would have been much clearer to show the stat and its level right next to each dialogue choice, so players understand what each option does. Without that information, it’s difficult to figure out what each stat actually affects.

While generally enjoyable, ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies has a couple of technical hiccups. The game can struggle to maintain a smooth frame rate, especially when moving quickly through town, causing noticeable stuttering. Additionally, there are issues with the dialogue – sometimes the voice acting stops abruptly or doesn’t sync with the text, which can pull you out of the experience.

Although the game’s performance issues, like stuttering, should be resolved with the initial update, I’m less certain about fixing all the dialogue problems right away, simply because there are so many. Despite these flaws, ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies is still a fantastic game, and I expect future updates will address everything.

Closing Comments:

ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies is a thrilling spy story that delivers more wins than losses. The plot is captivating and clever, full of conspiracies that pull you into a detailed world which feels unsettlingly like our own. A standout feature is the game’s ‘mental state’ mechanic – pushing your skills too far can actually make you lose abilities, adding real tension to every choice. While the game has a few minor issues, like unclear stats and unremarkable background music, they don’t detract from the overall experience. It’s a challenging game that requires focus, but players who invest their time will be rewarded with something truly unique.

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2026-05-18 13:11