ZERO PARADES (for dead spies) - extended, spoiler-light review

Hi all, I had some pokes to write more of my thoughts on ZERO PARADES, which I rambled about recently. If you're eager for more, I'll assume you read what I wrote there and jump straight into it.

On the world writing:
To preface, I must say that my previous statement that "ZP takes place in the same creative universe as Disco Elysium" is incorrect. I assumed it did because there are many stylistic similarities, but I was wrong.

The abstract world of Zero Parades is populated with all sorts of people and technologies that create a relatable yet 'alien' world the player can apply themselves to, yet still experience new and interesting phenomena. For instance, there exists in the game a machine that can share people's dreams visually. Although this level of high-tech is beyond our own grasp in Reality, we can understand what having a bad dream is, and visualising a dream, and wearing a VR-headset type device to watch someone else's viewpoint. It creates an interesting scenario to play through and opens the mind to how this world might use the tech and what impact it might have on its culture. Besides higher tech, there is also a lot of adjacent-level tech that we can relate to yet comes across as abstract in nature, such as vehicles, phones and weapons! This allowed me to really get into the swing of solving problems, as I knew that a car could drive and a gun could kill. Items you acquire can help you out in strangely unique ways, but ways that make a lot of sense. It really makes you think twice about taking deals and quest rewards - maybe this child's tooth could be used to feign an injury, for example. There's more than a couple of times I felt like James Bond with my expert use of particular tools!

Music and fashion are given great detail throughout, as they relate to a major part of the setting - a cultural blockade. Music, toys, cartoons and clothes from a neighbouring fascist country are EXTREMELY popular in the location the game is set, so much so that the governing bodies have declared a cultural blockade on all goods coming from said country. This has led to smuggling and the production of bootleg goods being eagerly sought out by the public. The atmosphere of extreme cultural development in an otherwise undeveloped country is another interesting and relatable concept to exist in. In today's world of social media and international connection, we can understand the concept of other nations showering the young and impressionable with their ideas of fun and success. In ZP, there are undertones that suggest some pieces of this media are propaganda (such as the cool, action cartoon "66 Wolves" being based on said country's famous 66 war generals, who locals call the 66 war criminals). The use of media as propaganda is certainly a realist trope; however, it is done in surprisingly good taste, using relatable and modern technology and devices such as pop stars, cartoons, and action figures. Again, the relatability of the world's devices and experiences really lets you settle into the world and immediately start forming your own opinion, even if you don't have in-depth knowledge of politics.

The conversations you can have with people about music and fashion can become quite political, whether they mean to or not, and I felt like ZA/UM was able to morph complex political concepts such as techno-fascism and good ol' capitalism into 'normal' concepts through the lens of everyday people and how it affects them. There are no clear arguments on which is 'better' (similar to how Disco Elysium offered its conversations on politics), but instead the player can make a judgement for themselves as these political pressures impact the people they talk to directly. Many younger characters adore the cool culture that's being offered to them, even more so that it is forbidden, whilst the elderly lament the loss of old culture and prefer to stay in their destitute ways. The dialogue of these characters comes across as very fluid and natural. The big players in any political team will fling complicated terminology at you and look down on you if you bite back, but average Joe working on the markets will give you a similar rundown but using language expected of one not versed in politics. Government bodies will dissect and label minuscule actions of their movements, while young fangirls simply call things 'moonlight' if it carries the same vibes as their favourite foreign popstar. You are given all this information throughout a playthrough as you get to know different characters. Their political leanings aren't always a major trait of theirs, but the goings-on of the world around them (events you are partially responsible for as a government spy) clearly impact them in ways that are extremely interesting to think about. It's a shame you can only 'think' on them and not really act. Despite coming from the failing communist state known as the 'Superblock', you can very rarely comment on communism or its adversaries. The political and cultural backdrop of ZP is enticing and intoxicating, yet remains a backdrop for the majority of the game, the player is simply a spectator, unable to enact real change on those around you. Perhaps this is an intentional choice from ZA/UM to show how little power 1 person has in an overbearing political landscape, perhaps not.

On gameplay:

The basis of ZPs gameplay consists of skill rolls to complete certain actions and passive checks during conversations and exploration. Action rolls roll 2d6 dice and add your skill modifier in that category, whereas passive checks are simply your skill value + 6. So much of the games content is locked behind these checks that understanding them is simply integral to getting the most out of the game. Action checks are well telegraphed dialogue options such as "convince the guard to let you in" or "understand the criminal's motives", whereas passive checks are abundant and hidden. Despite there being 12 skills, they almost all have an input on situations and conversations, but you aren't shown most of the failed passive checks. This means that you can really tailor your character with certain skills and, as such, receive in-game information based on those skills. For example, I put lots of points into Spycraft, meaning I passed many passive checks that commented on how a spy should react in any given circumstance. This weaves gameplay into the story and writing quite nicely, as my view on situations was always tainted by my spycraft telling me to lie, my instincts telling me to fight, and my social skills telling me nothing. Replayability is pretty high with this sort of build crafting, as you end up approaching the game and its characters so much differently depending on what skills you focus on. Sadly, there were some times where action checks required skills I didn't have, and as such I felt forced to attempt a low-chance roll to progress a quest. Additionally, I didn't feel like my choice of skills was equally acknowledged in the final act of the game, which was a shame. This may have been due to the choices I made and the ending I 'chose'; however, it is still a bit of a shame I didn't get to see my sociopathic murder machine truly shine.

To help with skill checks, you can 'exert' a related resource to boost your roll (roll 3 dice and ignore the lowest). Exerting a resource does nothing until it reaches 20, where your character has either a heart attack, panic attack or loses their sanity depending on the resource exerted. This isn't a game over, however, and instead that resource is reduced to 0, and you take a permanent -1 penalty to a skill in the relevant category. Yikes! A game over is tough, but permanent skill changes is even worse. It makes you really worry about exerting skills, as outside influences such as seeing a dead body, enemy operators using your real name or being electrocuted will slowly build up your resource meter. If you're not careful, you might be pushed over the edge when you least expect it. To combat resource build up, you can just either sleep away the problems or take in toxic chemicals, just like everyone else! Smoking, alcohol and coffee all reduce 1 resource meter, but add to another. There's no way of lowering all your stats besides sleeping, but a quick smoke break can keep you pushing on. You can also use the environment to alleviate stress, through sitting at a bench, smelling nice flowers or habitually poking the nose of funny stickers. The resource meters and their consumables create a great gameplay flow, where you have to think about what scenarios you're going up against, what resources you have to alleviate stress, and where you can go to relax a little. It's very fitting that a spy's diet consists purely of cigarettes, booze and coffee. Oh, and shrimp if you like. You do feel quite immersed in this level of gameplay, finding sneaky ways to continue pushing forth in your exhausting quest for answers and espionage.

The final gameplay mechanic I'd like to talk about is conditioning. Those familiar with DE will know and love its 'thought cabinet' system of internalising philosophies and thought processes to impact your dialogue and gameplay. Conditioning is ZPs spin on this. Instead of internalising thoughts, you instead condition yourself to act or think a certain way. A condition allows you to increase stats beyond their bounds, create additional dialogue options and even effect gameplay through means such as turning on a 1-save-only mode. My favourite condition was the 'Umbral Host' one, which gave me a +1 bonus to all checks made at night, as well as giving some edgy dialogue options at times. The downside to these conditions is that, if they are broken, you will be penalised. For instance, with myself taking on the role of Umbral Host, if I went to sleep at any reasonable hour, I would lose my bonus and instead be at a disadvantage for several hours upon waking (rolling 3 dice on action checks and taking the lowest 2). The long hours I then had to stay awake meant I required a constant supply of melatonin before sleep in order to ensure I properly removed all the stress. Getting multiple conditions is really exciting, as they allow you to roleplay your character better and form a cool identity, but they also force you into certain gameplay choices in order to benefit from them. They are fun. They don't quite allow you to go so deep into philosophy or politics as DEs thought cabinet does, however, some offer very unique views on the world and characters within. Another favourite of mine is the 'People's Republic of La La Land', which, besides giving you some stat bonuses, puts the word "People's" in front of all your inventory items to show support of your communist roots! It's a lot of fun to push your stats to super high levels and then balance the many plates you're spinning to ensure your character doesn't collapse under the weight of self-imposed penalties. Your mind is a temple, a stubborn one at that.

Concluding thoughts:

ZERO PARADES is high on my recommendation list (hence why I've been enthusiastic enough to write a full review!). It is a heartfelt game that has clearly had a lot of effort put into it. The details and cleanliness of work creates an atmospheric vacuum that sucks you in and doesn't let go until you've seen credits roll, at which point you're left with an empty space in your chest. Luckily, the moody soundtrack is available online to help while away the cold autumn evenings. I think it is an inherintly sad game, and there isn't much joy to be found in its depths. But with that comes a real feeling of humanity, of real people experiencing an ever changing world and trying to hang on to what they know and who they are. The writing falls ever so slightly short of creating a complete narrative circle, but the arcs are clear and a well thought out writing plan was definitely created and followed. The artists that worked together to make this game had understood their shared goal and reached it. I wonder if a little more time in the oven would have made this game truly special in the mainstream.

It is impossible to not compare ZP to its step-sibling Disco Elysium, however I believe that the current ZA/UM have made a good enough attempt at stepping away from DE that ZP can stand on its own two feet. Of course there are stylistic and gameplay similarities, this is an asymetric RPG after all, but I don't think too much judgement should be placed on how similar it is or isn't. Sadly, there is of course a larger moral question around the developement of the game after the drama surrounding DE's original creator and several other staff. I think that's a conversation I don't quite have the merit for, or would require an essay of it's own. Other, more qualified, people have talked about it in depth and I suggest those of you who wish to understand more to see what they have to say. A great video from creator People Make Games would be my recommendation.

ZERO PARADES (for dead spies) was sadly a commercial failure, according to ZA/UM, and as such I'm not hpoeful for any kind of sequal or extra content now that the Director's Edition update has been released. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as often games are best as a one and done.

There is SO MUCH to talk about with this game, so much so that I could not have fit it into one essay. If you have any questions about anything I've said or are curious enough to learn more the game, do let me know! I'm very eager to rant about this game.

Thanks for reading. <3

Mel