Zero Parades: Is ZA/UM's New RPG a Spiritual Successor, or Just Wandering Through Familiar Elysian Fields?
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
ZA/UM's new RPG, *Zero Parades*, is drawing strong comparisons to *Disco Elysium* despite studio efforts to distance itself, raising questions about its identity amidst past controversies, as detailed in a recent Polygon preview. While retaining a familiar text-heavy, isometric style, new systems and a flawed protagonist offer intriguing twists on a beloved formula.
Right, so you know that feeling when you try to conjure a new spell, but it comes out looking suspiciously like an old one? That's kinda the vibe I'm getting from ZA/UM's upcoming RPG, *Zero Parades*. It’s been dubbed “Disco Elysium 2.0” by many, and after getting a peek at Marloes Valentina Stella’s recent preview for Polygon, I reckon it's a fair dinkum observation. But like any good magic trick, there’s always more than meets the eye here, mate.
From the moment the initial whispers about *Zero Parades* started circulating (back when it was cryptically known as 'Project C4'), the gaming world – especially those of us who fell head-over-heels for 2019's *Disco Elysium* – has been watching with a mix of excitement and trepidation. Why trepidation, you ask? Well, it's a bit of a messy story, isn't it? A bit like trying to navigate a dungeon with a faulty compass and a half-eaten map. The short version is that following a corporate takeover at ZA/UM, the original creative force behind *Disco Elysium* – lead designer Robert Kurvitz, art and design lead Aleksander Rostov, and writer Helen Hindpere – were, let's just say, 'encouraged' to leave. A rather public and heated legal kerfuffle followed, with claims of fraudulent acquisition on one side and misconduct on the other. Even though the official charges eventually dropped, the whole saga left a sour taste for many fans, who felt the intellectual property was unfairly taken from its creators. YouTube channel People Make Games did a cracking deep dive into it, if you're keen to fall down that particular rabbit hole.
Bloody hell, what a backdrop for a game, eh? It’s like a new band trying to release an album after their legendary lead singer left under a cloud of controversy, and then the album sounds *exactly* like the old band. That’s the tightrope ZA/UM seems to be walking with *Zero Parades*.
Now, about the game itself. Marloes's preview from Gamescom paints a picture that's uncannily familiar. We're talking a highly detailed, story-driven RPG, predominantly text-based gameplay, and an artsy visual style that could rival a moody oil painting – all seen from a familiar isometric perspective. You play as operative Hershel Wilk, making choices, passing skill checks (or spectacularly failing them, which, let's be honest, is half the fun), and exploring a hostile world. Fair dinkum, if I didn't know better, I'd say someone just ran *Disco Elysium* through a slight texture pack update and called it a day.
ZA/UM's current team, quite understandably, wants to make it abundantly clear that *Zero Parades* “uses a completely new IP, which is not in any way related to Elysium.” And while the story isn't a direct continuation or even set in the same universe, the gameplay format? Well, it’s like seeing a wizard's apprentice trying to deny they learned their firebolt from the archmage when the flames are *identical*. Marloes describes a dystopian sci-fi city painted in ZA/UM's signature grim, splashy style, with walls of text popping up for dialogue and choices, and skill checks determining your fate – whether you're breaking a lock or vaulting over a gate. Sound familiar?
But let's not be *too* skeptical, eh? There are some genuinely interesting deviations, even if they feel like subtle tweaks to a well-established formula. The developers highlighted a new 'pressure system,' which sounds intriguing. It represents the physical and psychological toll on our protagonist, Hershel. Coupled with a 'conditioning menu,' your choices can have tangible positive or negative effects. The devs used the analogy of smoking: you know it's bad, but sometimes you make a choice for a different gain, accepting the consequences. That's a wonderfully nuanced bit of design, hinting at deeper role-playing possibilities than just 'good' or 'bad' choices. It’s like a spell with a known backfire, but sometimes you *need* that specific explosion.
Then there’s our protagonist, Hershel. No amnesiac detective here, thank heavens. Instead, we get a brilliant but deeply flawed spy on a quest to reassemble her estranged team for a mysterious mission. The only catch? They kind of hate her. The developers are aiming for an 'anti-glamour' story, emphasizing an ordinary, imperfect human rather than a super-spy. 'Hershel is no James Bond,' they told Marloes. And honestly, I’m all for that. Give me a flawed, relatable wizard who sometimes forgets their spellbook over an infallible hero any day.
Putting the studio drama aside for a moment (as much as we can, anyway), there's plenty to get excited about in *Zero Parades*. The idea of 'failing forward' – where a wrong choice doesn't hard-stop your progress but instead opens up new, often equally compelling, narrative paths – is a masterstroke in design and something *Disco Elysium* did so well. And let's not forget the promise of 'plenty of cheeky lines among the dialogue options.' A game without a bit of wit is like a spellbook without any fun incantations, isn't it?
So, where does that leave us? *Zero Parades* feels like it’s caught in a peculiar bind, desperately trying to be *Disco Elysium 2.0* while simultaneously straining every digital sinew to *not* be *Disco Elysium 2.0*. You can't help but feel for the creatives toiling away on this, pouring their passion into a game undoubtedly shadowed by a controversy entirely beyond their control. Perhaps a bolder departure would have been less confusing, less burdened by expectation. But then again, maybe this close adherence to a beloved format, with just enough clever tweaks, is precisely what makes *Zero Parades* feel like the closest thing we'll get to a worthy successor, controversy and all.
No release date yet, but you can bet your bottom dollar I’ll be watching this one. The magical mysteries of *Zero Parades* are just beginning to unfold.
This article draws insights from Marloes Valentina Stella's *Zero Parades* preview for Polygon. You can read the original here
Tags: RPG, Story-Driven, Indie Games, Gamescom, Studio Drama
Original article: Polygon