Zero Parades: For Dead Spies – The creators of Disco Elysium return with a new spy RPG

If you were fascinated by the strange world and distinctive writing style of Disco Elysium, this is one announcement you should not miss. ZA/UM, the studio behind the acclaimed RPG, officially released Zero Parades: For Dead Spies on Steam on May 21, 2026.

A broken agent seeking redemption

In Zero Parades, players step into the role of Hershel Wilk, codenamed CASCADE, a brilliant intelligence agent suffering from deep psychological trauma. After leading his team into a devastating failure five years earlier, Hershel Wilk remains haunted by the mistakes of his past. Now, he is called back for one final mysterious mission, offering a last chance to prove himself or potentially ruin everything once again.

Open-ended investigation gameplay and meaningful choices

The game presents a shadowy world where the line between allies and enemies is dangerously thin. Players must uncover hidden secrets lurking in the darkest corners of the city and within the protagonist’s own mind. Through disguise, violence, or logical deduction, you will face skill checks to uncover the true motives of suspicious characters.

As an intelligence agent, players can approach the same problem in many different ways. Every decision and method you choose leads to unique consequences that you must ultimately accept.

An ideological conflict within a bizarre city

The story of Zero Parades draws players into a three-sided power struggle fueled by cultural tensions and ideological conflict. Along the way, Hershel Wilk encounters a wide range of unusual forces and eccentric characters, from international bankers and foreign techno-fascists to psychic doppelgängers, a paranoid television host, and even a man carrying a box in place of his heart.

Every character in the game carries their own motives, beliefs, and secrets for players to uncover. Most notably, the game world itself is designed as a living character filled with mysteries, emotional scars, and strange wonders waiting to be discovered.

Conditioning skills and the Pressures system

To turn the mind into the ultimate weapon, agents in the game undergo years of intense psychological training. Through the Conditioning system, players can transform the deepest aspects of Hershel Wilk’s identity into powerful abilities that unlock new paths and even alter the game’s rules.

Meanwhile, the Pressures mechanic simulates the physical and psychological strain of operating in a high-stakes espionage environment. Players can use Exertion to improve their odds during dice rolls, but doing so means risking the character’s own life. Managing Fatigue, Anxiety, and Delirium becomes essential to avoiding long-term consequences.

Adapting to failure and surviving the consequences

In this brutal world of espionage, failure happens far more often than success. The game does not end when dice rolls go badly. What matters is how the character recovers after falling short. Players must constantly adapt and find ways to survive the consequences created by their own choices.