ZA/UM Releases New Gameplay Trailer for Zero Parades

ZA/UM has released a new feature and gameplay trailer for Zero Parades: For Dead Spies. Carrying the creative legacy from the Disco Elysium team, the game will take players to Portofiro, a city steeped in political tension, psychological pressure, and espionage. The released trailer more clearly showcases the game’s core mechanics, from character skills and dice rolls to espionage tools and mental state systems.

Zero Parades Combines Espionage RPG with Psychological Pressure

Zero Parades: For Dead Spies focuses on the story of the main character, Hershel Wilk. Known by the codename Cascade, the weary spy returns to Portofiro five years after the biggest failure of his life. Forced to confront his past after the collapse of his old network, Hershel will try to reassemble his team for one last mission. The game will explore the espionage theme not only through missions but also through themes of trust, failure, and the fragility of the human spirit.

The new trailer highlights 15 different character skills in the game. These skills will be divided into three distinct areas: action, relationship, and mind-focused. Players can choose one of three different character archetypes at the start of the game, or create their own character structure. Additionally, Hershel’s inner belief system can be altered through the Conditioning system. This system will not only limit character development to numerical abilities but also directly link it to storytelling.

One of the most striking aspects of the game will be how Hershel’s mental stress directly impacts gameplay. Three core states—Fatigue, Anxiety, and Delirium—will determine how the character interacts with the world. Keeping these values ​​low won’t always be easy; in some cases, players may consciously increase the stress to improve their chances of success. Thus, the grueling nature of the espionage profession will be directly incorporated into the game mechanics.

ZA/UM writer Siim “Kosmos” Sinamäe states that gameplay mechanics should support the story, and Zero Parades is built on this understanding. The fact that failure doesn’t mean the end of the game is also a key part of this approach. When one door closes, another can open. Zero Parades: For Dead Spies will be released on May 21st for PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG. The PlayStation 5 version will be released later in the year.

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