Round Up: Disco Elysium’s Controversial ‘Sequel’ Met with Rave Reviews

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The game Zero Parades: For Dead Spies has just been released on PC, and the first reviews are now being published.

This game was bound to grab attention, as it’s the follow-up to Disco Elysium, a truly celebrated RPG from the past ten years.

Zero Parades has always faced challenges, largely because some of the main people who made Disco Elysium reportedly left the company ZA/UM after the game became popular.

Since then, the studio has presented Zero Parades as a genuine sequel, a marketing strategy that many fans of Disco Elysium saw as disingenuous, considering the key people who worked on the original game had moved on.

It seems Zero Parades is actually quite good, based on the first reviews.

So, I’ve been checking out the reviews for this game, and it’s currently sitting at an 83 on Metacritic after 19 reviews. It’s not a perfect score, for sure, but a lot of sites are really hyping it up, which is cool to see.

Okay, so from what I’m gathering from the reviews, Zero Parades is actually a really solid RPG, even with all its quirks. Apparently, it’s got a ton of cool characters and the choices you make actually matter, which is awesome. A lot of people are saying it feels like a spiritual successor to Disco Elysium, and that’s high praise!

Despite generally positive reviews, many players feel this title doesn’t quite reach the same heights as the previous game. It’s still well-received, but doesn’t fully live up to the high expectations set by its predecessor.

We’ve gathered a handful of said reviews below:

Eurogamer – 5/5

Okay, so this story… it takes everything you think you know and just throws it into a really raw, sometimes heartbreaking trip. It feels huge and epic one minute, then totally ordinary the next. It’s like a really clever, exaggerated look at all the messed-up stuff people think and do – honestly, it’s made for people who appreciate the darker side of things and clearly, a lot of love went into making it.

TechRadar – 4.5/5

Zero Parades: For Dead Spies stands out thanks to its insightful look at people and politics, and it cleverly reinvents classic RPG gameplay. While the story unfolds at a deliberate pace and not every idea fully comes together, it’s still a must-play game from 2026.

PCGamesN – 8/10

Honestly, even though there were a few parts of the game that dragged a little, the really intense scenes and the Exert system totally saved it – they kept things exciting and made the story feel like it really mattered. Playing Zero Parades actually felt more like a tabletop RPG than even Disco Elysium, and as a fan, I absolutely loved that!

GameSpot – 8/10

While it doesn’t quite reach the standards of the previous game and sometimes feels like a weaker version, it’s still a very good role-playing game overall.

GamesRadar – 3.5/5

ZA/UM’s new spy RPG, Zero Parades: For Dead Spies, follows in the footsteps of Disco Elysium, but it doesn’t take many risks with its gameplay or ideas. While this means it doesn’t feel as fresh, it does retain some of the magic that made the original so special.

The game Zero Parades: For Dead Spies is currently on track to launch on PlayStation 5 later this year. We’d love to hear your thoughts – share your preferred dialogue choice in the comments!

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2026-05-18 16:07