ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies Interview – Disco Elysium Roots, Spy Story RPG, New Gameplay Systems, And More

by

ZA/UM faced a challenge with their new RPG, ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies. After seeing the initial trailers, many of us wondered how it connected to their acclaimed game, Disco Elysium, and how they would build an RPG around a spy story. Fortunately, lead writer Siim ‘Kosmos’ Sinamäe and narrative director Justin Keenan took the time to answer our questions.

How much of Disco Elysium’s DNA should players expect to see in ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies?

We see Disco as a promising start to a new kind of computer RPG, and ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies builds on that foundation. We learned from what made Disco successful and applied those lessons to a fresh story, setting, and genre.

Aside from how the game looks and feels, will ZERO PARADES share any other similarities with Disco Elysium in terms of gameplay, story, or themes?

We always focus on great storytelling and giving players choices, and this time we really emphasized letting people solve problems in lots of different ways. This fits perfectly with the game’s theme of being an improvisational spy – figuring things out as you go.

Disco was an early attempt at a fresh kind of RPG. ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies builds on that foundation and refines the concept.

Where did the concept for turning spy-themed gameplay into a tabletop role-playing game originate?

As a fan, I loved the idea behind Kosmos! It felt like a really natural step for the creators, building on what they’d already done so well. The concept of playing characters within a roleplaying game is just brilliant, right? It instantly felt like a strong and unique angle, and it lets them explore their roleplaying systems in a totally fresh way.

From the beginning, we understood this wouldn’t be a game focused on sneaking around. We wanted players to have a lot of freedom to create their own characters and make choices, even if those choices weren’t always logical or helpful to the main goal.

What makes this experience so engaging is the interesting balance between what you want to do as a player and what you feel obligated to do to complete the task – a dynamic that often mirrors real-life decisions.

Zero Parades features a conflict between three powerful groups. As the story unfolds, will players be able to change sides and support different factions?

The story, much like today’s world, is set against a backdrop of global power struggles. However, Hershel isn’t a powerful manipulator behind the scenes; she’s just trying to navigate events like everyone else, subject to forces beyond her control. The core conflict lies within the player character – their reasons for acting, and the lengths they’ll go to achieve their goals. In the shadowy world of spying, alliances are fluid, and you have to be prepared to work with anyone.

Disco Elysium was praised for its unique system of representing character stats as internal voices. Will the upcoming game, ZERO PARADES, feature a similar mechanic?

We’re definitely still focused on exploring the darker, more complex sides of the player’s personality. The game features 15 different skills, divided into three areas, all competing for the player’s focus—and not always for good reasons. Choosing which inner strengths to prioritize and which to ignore is key to developing your character.

How do Pressures and Exertion factor into the regular flow of gameplay?

Being a spy is a difficult and unappreciated job. In the game ZERO PARADES, this is shown through the intense stress spies experience – anxiety, confusion, and exhaustion. Similar to real life, a certain amount of pressure can help people perform their best, but too much can lead to failure. When the player character reaches their breaking point, they lose a skill in that area.

The game handles stress through story events and items. A new mechanic called ‘exertion’ increases this stress. When attempting a task, you can choose to exert yourself, rolling three dice instead of the usual two and using the best two results. This improves your chances of success, but it also increases your stress level, creating a trade-off between immediate results and your overall well-being.

We handle stress through in-game events and items. This stress, or ‘exertion,’ is a new feature that increases as players push themselves.

I’m really curious about how the game handles failure. The description makes it sound like we’re going to mess up a lot, and I’m wondering what happens when we do? Will there be penalties, or will it just mean starting over? I’m hoping it’s not too punishing, but also that failure feels meaningful.

For us developers, the real challenge – and the fun – comes from considering both winning and losing in our games. We carefully balance these two sides, because even failure can be really engaging if it’s presented in an interesting way.

It’s not about rushing into things without thinking. In ZERO PARADES, every problem has several possible solutions, but finding them is only half the battle. You also need to be prepared to accept the results of your choices.

Will ZERO PARADES take place in a single, main setting, or will players explore multiple different locations as the story unfolds?

Justin says Portofiro is a sprawling city divided into different districts. The main story unfolds in Quisach, a historically working-class neighborhood, but players will venture into many unique surrounding areas, unlike anything the developers have created before. They aim to build a vibrant and engaging world that players will truly enjoy exploring.

Read More

2026-05-22 18:49