ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies

Zero Parades is another one of those games I can say is "unfortunately really good"; though unlike any other game I've used that phrase for, it is a unique case of the reason not being immediately apparent as the game on it's own would likely be easy to declare a masterpiece in the CRPG genre had it existed under drastically different circumstances. It is ultimately bittersweet that the writers and devs pulled off creating something so damn great despite living in the shadow of Disco Elysium and the horrible business practices of their higher ups, because no matter how great it is, it is doomed to never be judged on its own merits and forced to exist under the thumb of a company that cannot be trusted to keep the souls of it's IPs alive. I didn't go into Zero Parades expecting to like it all that much, I felt it was sure to be a very poor attempt to create Disco without any of the charm, but while certain reused and referencial aspects can certainly make it feel that way, I feel that the team behind the game (sadly whatever is left of them now) proved that they could create something compelling enough that it honestly stopped being all that distracting the more I lived in the world and got to know the people in it. I did not expect this game to exceed my expectations in any way, I went in thinking that, given a miracle, it could end up being a pretty solid game marred by the company's reputation and then when it ended I felt like it was a phenomenal game marred by the company's reputation. There are elements unique to this game that I even slightly enjoy more than how Disco handled them. The Fatigue, Anxiety, Delusion system makes the protagonist feel all the more human, and Hershel as a whole feels a little more freeing to truly roleplay as. I also feel like the world building and character writing almost reaches something near the heights I felt when I first played Disco, though maybe taking a bit longer to really wrap my head around and live with. Of course it's too bad I cannot trust Za/Um to properly allow this setting to expand and live up to it's true potential. Many of the aspects I'd consider flaws here I feel boil down to it presumably being rushed out. It seems they wanted to ship the game fully voiced like Disco's rerelease, so the text to dialogue mismatches and vocal deliveries with incorrect tones and misreads feel a lot more numerous than they did in Disco. There's also just a lot of random unvoiced lines and sentences that cut off too short. In a similar vein is how buggy it can be. My only real complaint is that the game feels like it only really needed a stupidly short time left to cook and they just threw it out there for a quick buck. Really wracking my brain for anything else to complain about, I guess I don't really love the map screen, it could have been a bit more clear and interactive. Maybe the inventory system could have been more sortable but neither of these really felt like a big deal. Zero Parades compelled me in ways I never thought a game with Za/Um in front of it would ever be capable of doing again, I fell deeply in love with it's characters and the twists and turns of their mission, I deeply resonated with many of its themes that manage to feel familiar while standing on their own, and ultimately it left me wanting to play it again and do everything I screwed up as "correctly" as possible. It's only sad that I have to keep reminding myself that not even something I love as much as this game could ever make me trust the company that made it. In the end, I got another fantastic game, but it'd be nice to have something to look forward to

To put it simply, compared to Disco Elysium: it’s less absurd (though still a little weird) and less funny, but more focused and better written. I actually preferred it to Disco Elysium, which I already loved, because I felt much more invested in the story. My only issue was the whole “one unique dice roll per day and limited rests” system. It took me a while to realize that you could simply pass the time (by sitting on the bench near the tree), and the system ended up pushing me to tackle every quest simultaneously: you hit a roadblock in one, switch to another, get stuck there, move on to the next… and so on. I understand the game design idea behind it, but it clashes a little with my very “logical” and “organized” way of approaching quests in an RPG. But aside from that, it was absolutely fantastic. The atmosphere, the soundtrack… I still listen to it regularly.

我说句离经叛道的，我觉得比极乐迪斯科好玩。 更顶级美术，更平庸无记忆点的音乐，但是更对我胃口，懒得谈场外因素了，我一直只把晦涩政治讨论当场氛围背景板的，所以该作在政治讨论上再故作玄虚我都无所谓，是的，我是来看故事玩游戏的。 流程中后期伏笔和故事性都很棒，我很喜欢。 CASCADE,BE BRAVE

It is a shame that this masterpiece is, inevitably, overshadowed by the ZA/UM situation. This game has gotten a lot of critical praise and, hopefully in a few years, the players will feel enough time has passed for them to appreciate it. This game is a love letter to multiple mediums of art: music, graphics design, poetry... In this sense, it represents a much higher achievement than its predecessor. For the inevitable comparison with Disco Elysium: the writing in this game is snappier, which is a matter of preference. I didn't like it at first, but it really grew on me by the end. There is a lot more action and you actually feel like a spy, rather than a person walking around and randomly talking to everyone. The 'punishing' mechanic of reducing your [spoiler] stats [/spoiler] is rather easy to balance around from early on. The overall plot - yes, this game has a plot, and not just a premise! - is excellent. It's made in a way that you will likely want to re-play the last 15% of the game. This game has higher highs than DE. Unforunately, on a level of polish, it has noticeable glitches or inconsistencies (dialogue options not becoming available, Steam achievements not working, the quality of some end-game interactions being lower than average, etc.). It is true that this game could not have existed without Disco Elysium's creative and commercial success; but it can proudly stand on its own merit. I deeply encourage people to experience it.

Давайте проговорим - это НЕ Disco Ellysium,и это ПРЕКРАСНО. Это важно проговорить, ибо без сравнений не обходится ни одно ревью или обзор,и говорить про ZP в отрыве от DE будет немного проблематично. Разные истории ,разные авторы ,разные протагонисты ,РАЗНЫЕ акценты в повествовании обеих игр. Вообще наслушавшись и начитавшись чужих обзоров после проходки игры я был слегка озадачен словами как обзорщиков, так и комментаторов мол - " раз это не оригинальные авторы, а ВОРЫ(!!!) ,то можно спиратить) ", '' ыыы это копирка ,потому шо блин тоже читать нада , тоже прокачка есть ,тоже нада хАдить и исследовать,очень блинб похожий визуал ыыы'' , ''ЭТО НЕ ДИСКО" , "там буквы ,и тут буквы'' , " героиня грустная и нераскрытая ,а гарри блин оригинальный '' , " не ощутил той же философии и экзистенциальности как и в оригинале '' и т.д. У меня ощущение что Zаум сели и такие - оригинальных создателей мы на хрен послали ,надо теперь без них вертеться ,а потому сделаем просто ''нормально или хорошо''. Я бы это назвал это проклятием Роберта Паттисона(Эдвард) - прикиньте, вы снялись в супер успешной серии фильмов "сумерки'' ,и после сьемок на вас ложится бремя - любой ваш фильм после сумерек или говно ,или остается незамеченным(вы реально сможете вспомнить хоть одну из его работ кроме может Маяка ? ) ,ибо вы для всех отныне мальчик из кино про вампиров, и так до конца вашей карьеры - теперь сниматься в просто хороших, НОРМАЛЬНЫХ фильмах для вас уже не круто. Теперь сделать просто хорошую игру уже мало , люди снова хотят того же ,но какого то уже нового. Оно просто другое, и по неприятным обстоятельствам вынужденное жить в тени великого предка ,что на мой взгляд несправедливо. Взамен личному кризису копа ставшего алкоголиком и неудачником ,с протекающим паралелльно расследованием в обстановке постсоветского пространства(создатели все таки эстонцы) ,пришел шпионский нарратив времен холодной войны с кубинским колоритом, где упор был больше сделан на лор, политику и закулисные игры. Это уже другое поле ,но люди не поигравшие(и они 100% не будут играть) и не собирающиеся играть, заранее расстроились, ибо меньше шизы и личных переживаний ГГ . Раз уж мы наблюдаем другое , не "то самое'' ,есть резон поговорить . Геймплей строится на исследовании локаций ,ходьбы и болтовни с неписями, а также на QTE(как и оригинал) .успешность/неуспешность большинства ваших действий зависит от навыков ,коих стало меньше,15 вместо 24 как раньше, но которые стали проработаннее и куда как полезнее и всотребованнее. Помню в DE прокачка навыков моторики помогла мне ничем - я вспомню лишь пару ситуаций ,когда они мне пригодились , и то ,два навыка из 6. Сам мир стал больше в плане локаций ,появился фаст тревел. Ушла система обычного, и ментального хп - взамен мы получили шкалы бреда/усталости/тревожности. Теперь расходники нужны чтобы понижать эти шкалы ,которые заполняются со временем ,и добавляют нам дебафов и штрафов на навыки .Гораздо меньше абсурдных смертей и геймоверов, СТУЛ/ПОЧТОВЫЙ ЯЩИК/ГАЛСТУК ♥♥♥♥ привет тебе от детей АмброизиусаКусто/ГарриДюбуа/ТекиллаСансет... но и здесь меня все равно по приколу придавил торговый автомат, потому что я хотел кофе... как и ситуация где меня застрелили за излишнее быкование) Или ситуация где я по приколу(забывчивости) подорвал себя на бомбе ,что детонирует при [spoiler] проигрыше советской рок н рольной песни... ♥♥♥♥♥♥ [/spoiler] . Мысль вы поняли - похожий каркас с не радикальными изменениями в скорее лучшую сторону ,чего и ждут от сиквела. Графомания, пиздежь, и лор - общая константа de и zp . Что раньше, что сейчас , болванчики поделятся мировоззрением и философией ,только сейчас больше говору о мире - вместо локальных событий и личного(с политикой на заднем ,где то там в пердях фоне) больше разговоров о глобальном и политическом . Ибо на сцене у нас Портофиро ,независимый город государство ,охваченный вниманием сразу трех сторон - и каждый хочет на него покуситься. И посреди всего этого мы ,застающие все в реальном времени ,с культурной блокадой(безуспешной) ,подпольными играми тайной полиции , постепенной потерей идентичности государства ,противоборством спецслужб и шпионов сразу с трех сторон - вот что будет основной темой для пересудов. И это на мой взгляд поинтереснее ,ибо простите фаны DE ,но я оптимист ,и мне все проблемы ГГ DE были чужды , я не наркоша[ЭЛЕКТРОХИМИЯ:НЕУДАЧА] ,не говорю с галстуками[ВНУТРЕННЯЯ ИМПЕРИЯ:НЕУДАЧА], и не желаю роскомнадзорнуться [СИЛА ВОЛИ:УСПЕШНО]. Все таки конспирология и заговоры больше по душе ) Не то чтобы я дизайнер или художник, но пару монет вставлю - стиль и рисовка остались балдежными ,стало быть может меньше символизма в потретах неписей(они стали скорее бесцветными и четкими,вместо красочных раньше) , которые запомнились также хорошо - форма поменялась ,но не изменилось ,а стало глубже содержание. Если вообще говорить про внешний вид игры - эстетика и стиль это вообще отдельный пункты ,за что я полюбил что отца ,что сына, глаз ваш будет наслаждаться ВСЕГДА. Пусть обзорщики ставят оценку МММ НЯМ НЯМ ЧТО ТО НЕ ТО ,а мы с вами глянем на оценки самих игроков ,что игру приняли ,и вероятно снова перепройдут ,ибо это все та же РПГ ,пусть и с другими фокусами на повествовании. Играйте в хорошие игры дружочки пирожочки(как эта), быть может, [i]встретимся на [u]сцене[/u][/i], ибо [i][b]Опера[/b] не устает[/i] )

It's a solid game that does not try to reinvent much, rather, tell an interesting story and it does it well. Not groundbreaking, not a masterpiece, but as far as visual novels go it's enjoyable. Multiple game systems have been upgraded, the performance is good, the stability is great. Having said so, the game feels like it's almost forced to be political/social too much. All of the "idiological/class war" dialogue options read like a complete satire rather than something the heroine would truly believe in, especially given the backstory. In disco it was somewhat fresh and arguably the dialogues were stronger. The characters are mostly alright, some of them are genuinely impressive both in the story and voice acting. Dr. Gonza and Petre are fantastic, some others less so. Quest-wise, earlier days feel way more polished and interesting, by the final quarter of the game it becomes a bit content dry -- I felt that I am a character in point and click quest rather than a VN, trying to decipher why some of the rather straightforward quests were soft-locked on something. Another issue are resources -- sleeping pretty much becomes a way to reset the state rather than a natural way to pass time, as there is practically nothing tied to it. The ending shares similarities with Disco -- it is very very linear -- but the worst thing is how abruptly it all ends. It would *massively* improve it to give a short summary of what happened to the main cast and the city as an outcome of your actions. Over all, good game maybe 7/10 overall, I had fun playing it. I don't think I will play it again.

Do not expect this game to be as strong as Disco Elysium within the first 5 hours. I expected the music to be a great focus within the first hour, just as DE was, only to find almost no music to be present beside ambience. The big focus moments I have seen are great and do have nice music which was a pleasant surprise.

It's really good. Don't expect the story to hit nearly as close and personal as Disco Elysium, since the game is not about that. The soundtrack is also pretty mediocre, while Disco had probably one of the best soundtracks in gaming (I'd say soundtrack carried that the game in many respects). Other than that ZP is an improvement over Disco in every way imaginable. Firstly, Hershel doesn't come off nearly as solipsistic as Harry. A lot more attention is given to things that exist outside of Hershel's head compared to Disco and Harry: namely the world and other characters within it. Secondly, the story is good. It's both more interesting and much more focused than Disco. Most quests you do and most characters you interact with tie into the main plot somehow, there is almost no pointless filler and it also makes the story feel a lot less contrived. Characters and their relationships tie into the events and their consequences, which is not easy to do well with a large cast, but ZP is good at it. Thirdly, the game is humorous, but it can take itself seriously and it doesn't force you into being a lunatic unless that's what you want. You can play Hershel as a consummate professional, but you can also have fun, and make jokes that don't come off as you being mentally ill or attention-seeking. You can also play Hershel like a maniac manic if that's more up your alley. The fact that the game actually allows you to act normal and doesn't make fun of you for it is extremely welcome. When it comes to politics, even if you do not have the slightest interest in politics, have no interest in what some artsy commies have to say about them or hold views that are diametrically opposed to communism, you can still easily enjoy this game. The politics don't insist upon themselves and don't disrupt the pacing on the game (which is crazy because this is a game about spies and international shadowy plots that heavily alludes to the Cold War and the post-Soviet life in Eastern Europe immediately after the fall of USSR manages to come off less politics obsessed than something like Esoteric Ebb). Anyway, great game. I liked it more than Disco in almost every way (except the soundtrack). There are some rough edges for the devs to patch, but I suggest you buy it and play it, you will have fun.