ZA/UM had some big shoes to fill with the release of its newest RPG, ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies. From the moment we saw its first trailers, plenty of questions flooded our mind, from its undeniable Disco Elysium roots, to how the studio was able to translate a story based on spycraft in the framework of an RPG. Thankfully, principal writer Siim ‘Kosmos’ Sinamäe and narrative director Justin Keenan were kind enough to answer all of our questions.
How much of Disco Elysium’s DNA should players expect to see in ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies?
Kosmos: Disco was a good first draft of a new type of CRPG. ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies is the second draft. We’ve taken what worked well in Disco but also adapted it to a new setting, story and genre.
Beyond the visuals and overall art style, will there be any other connective tissue between ZERO PARADES and Disco Elysium?
Justin: As always, we hold story-telling and player agency in the highest regard. This time we prioritized giving players a wider variety of methods to overcome the obstacles they encounter throughout the game. This ties back to one of the central themes of our espionage story – making it up as you go along.
"Disco was a good first draft of a new type of CRPG. ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies is the second draft."
How did the idea of translating espionage themed gameplay into a tabletop RPG styled system come about?
Kosmos: It felt like a very natural progression from what we’ve done before: Roleplaying as a roleplayer has a certain intuitive appeal, doesn’t it? As soon as we came to it, we knew that we had a strong hook that also offered us a different perspective on our roleplaying systems.
Justin: Of course, we knew early on that this would not be a stealth game. The player still has to have a high degree of freedom to roleplay as they choose, even when it goes against their own interests or those of the assignment.
This is what gives the whole a pleasing tension – the push and pull between the choices you want to make as a player and the choices you feel you should make for the sake of your assignment, not too dissimilar from real life.
ZERO PARADES revolves around a three way power struggle. Will players have opportunities to shift their allegiances during the story?
Kosmos: As in our contemporary reality, the geopolitical contest frames the story, but Hershel is not one of the secret puppet masters pulling the strings – she’s like the rest of us, at the whims of forces beyond her control. The real power struggle is internal – what is the player’s motivation for doing what needs doing, and how far are they willing to go to do it?
In the murky twilight realm of espionage, one must be ready to work with everyone.
One of Disco Elysium’s most memorable ideas was turning your stats into voices you could interact with. Will ZERO PARADES explore anything similar?
Justin: Absolutely. We are still very much interested in holding a mirror up to the dark and sticky things inside the player’s heart. We have 15 skills from 3 different faculties all vying for the players time and attention, not always in beneficial ways. What facets of yourself you listen to and which you tune out is an important part of crafting your character.
How do Pressures and Exertion factor into the regular flow of gameplay?
Kosmos: The job of a spy is thankless and hard. In ZERO PARADES, this is expressed via the pressures they face in the field: Anxiety, Delirium and Fatigue. Just like in real life, the right amount of pressure makes us perform – and the wrong amount makes us fold. When the player hits one of their limits, they lose a skill point in the associated faculty.
Pressures are managed via story events and consumables. Pressures are raised by exertion – a new mechanic. You can exert yourself on active checks to roll three dice instead of two, using the two highest against the check. This means that you have a better chance of succeeding, but doing so raises one of your pressures, giving the player a new balance between short-term gain and their long-term health.
"Pressures are managed via story events and consumables. Pressures are raised by exertion – a new mechanic."
The game’s description suggests that players will fail quite often. What kinds of consequences or punishments will failure bring?
Justin: As developers, accounting for both success and failure is what makes the game for us. We walk that line with a fine balance, both metaphorically and literally – failure can be as enticing as success, granted that it is entertaining.
At the same time, it’s not just about stumbling blindly forward through every situation. Every challenge in ZERO PARADES has multiple solutions, if you’re able to find them and, more importantly, if you’re willing to live with the consequences.
Will ZERO PARADES focus on one large central environment, or will players visit a variety of locations throughout the story?
Justin: Portofiro is a large city, made up of several districts. The heart of the story takes place around the formerly working class stronghold called Quisach, but the player’s adventures will bring them to a number of surrounding areas that are quite distinct both from one another and anything we’ve done before. There’s a colourful world out there for the player to explore and – we hope – fall in love with.