We’re excited to announce that ZERO PARADES: Director’s Cut comes to PC on October 1st, available as a free update for all owners of ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies. ZERO PARADES: Director’s Cut is the definitive edition of our espionage RPG, bringing more story, scenery and mind-fu
We’re excited to announce that ZERO PARADES: Director’s Cut comes to PC on October 1st, available as a free update for all owners of ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies.
ZERO PARADES: Director’s Cut is the definitive edition of our espionage RPG, bringing more story, scenery and mind-fuckery to discover during your bid to reunite The Whole Sick Crew.
And yes, we heard you: that includes more Melita.
At a glance, ZERO PARADES: Director’s Cut contains:
A new Dramatic Encounter: Hershel and Ramses, baked out of their brains, trying to escape Quisach Roundabout.
Approximately 40,000 words of new material: discuss L-Pop with Ramses, get into dolphin-human hybridity with HOLOCENE, and learn more about the Opera from Melita.
Backstage Mode: take a stroll through our development process with technical breakdowns, cut content and development stories told by our Art Director.
More to Portofiro: including new clothing, NPC interactions, death screens and further atmospheric additions.
Quality-of-life improvements: such as new inventory sorting and grouping, improved orbital interactions and aspect-ratio support (21:9 and 32.9 displays).
Plus loads more.
We cannot wait for you to experience what we’ve been working on since ZERO PARADES launched in May. Luck and skill, operant.
ESCAPE QUISACH ROUNDABOUT
At the centre of the new material is a completely new Dramatic Encounter: the Quisach Roundabout.
Hershel and her old friend Ramses find themselves stoned out of their minds, behind the wheel of a hijacked tuk-tuk and seemingly unable to escape the Quisach Roundabout late at night. The objective seems simple enough: take the right exit and head home.
Fail to do so, and well... things might get existential. And possibly fatal.
EXPLORE BACKSTAGE
Stroll through earlier iterations of environments seen in ZERO PARADES, including Yana’s Safehouse and some never-seen-before locations that didn’t make the final cut.
Interact with objects and orbs to hear stories and commentary about the game’s development, narrated by the project’s Art Director.
Backstage Mode offers examples of the technical steps, creative processes and inspirations that shaped ZERO PARADES into the game it is today.
MORE TO SEE, HEAR, DISCOVER (AND WEAR)
ZERO PARADES: Director’s Cut brings completed English voice-over to the game, along with a newly recorded opening and fresh audio mix.
Find new clothing for Hershel to wear, with more NPCs reactions to your stylistic choices and unique interactions based on your wears. Out-cool Boatman in your shades.
Feast your eyes on alternative portraits that more clearly distinguish Hershel’s Reveries from present-day conversations, greater pedestrian variety, new death screens, new Tactical Illustrations and further visual and atmospheric additions throughout the world.
A broader range of quality-of-life and accessibility improvements includes ultrawide support for 21:9 and 32:9 displays, inventory sorting, controller remapping and a new Photosensitivity Mode.
For the true spy experience, scrolling back through older dialogue can now obscure parts of previous conversations behind redaction bars, because even your own history should feel classified.
ZERO PARADES: Director’s Cut comes to PC on October 1st, 2026.
This definitive edition launches on PlayStation 5 on November 3rd, 2026.
Operant, you have an update! A new patch for ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies is now available to download. This update addresses some of the most common player-reported bugs and makes several adjustments to the game based on feedback: GAMEPLAY After passing the “Hurt Him” check to p
Operant, you have an update! A new patch for ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies is now available to download.
This update addresses some of the most common player-reported bugs and makes several adjustments to the game based on feedback:
GAMEPLAY
After passing the “Hurt Him” check to push him, Frederik (Phone Sex Addict) will now leave the Miracle Line until after Hershel has received their assignment. Previously, Frederik would reappear offscreen and return to his usual schedule, which caused some confusion.
Resolved an issue where SILHOUETTE was available to interact with outside of the Party Alley viewpoint.
Fixed an issue where Ramses’ dialogue was not triggering immediately when first entering his houseboat.
Made adjustments to “Who Cares About The Moon” quest: choosing not to take the photo now cancels and updates the subtask correctly. The “Try again tomorrow” message has been removed, and the subtask to photograph the leaky carabinero cancels.
Resolved an issue with the map display, where loading a save containing certain discovered districts and destinations, then loading an earlier save (or starting a new game) in the same session, causes the map to retain and display information from the initial save,
For our list of current known issues, and for details on how to make a bug report, please visit our pinned Discussion here. Until next time!
Operants, the file has been updated! A new patch for ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies is now available to download. Thank you for your continued patience and support whilst we continue working on the game behind the scenes. This update includes several fixes to player-reported issues
Operants, the file has been updated! A new patch for ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies is now available to download.
Thank you for your continued patience and support whilst we continue working on the game behind the scenes. This update includes several fixes to player-reported issues and new additions based on feedback:
VOICEOVER
Additional voiceover lines added – Marco and PSEUDOPOD are now fully voiced. There are 17 lines still missing for Goat Eyes, which will be added in a future update.
GAMEPLAY
Resolved an issue with the Journal, which would occasionally appear blank after the player receives multiple updates regarding Reno’s missing train.
Addressed the issue of an ominous redheadappearing too early in the game near Dr Gonza’s clinic.
Fixed instances of the game language changing when entering Tactical Mode, e.g. experiencing a Dramatic Encounter.
Addressed several small SFX bugs, including intercom static noise continuing even after dialogue / the interaction.
NOTABLE ADDITIONS
Introducing the Inventory Optimisation System! Give Hershel the edge with smarter clothing and accessory choices. In the Inventory, select a Stat to open up the optimisation panel, which breaks down how each equipped item contributes to that Stat.
For example, clicking ‘NERVE’ will reveal that your shirt and coat choice improve NERVE (+2), but you may want to consider switching the sweatpants for something more suitable (-1). Hit ‘OPTIMISE’ and Hershel will automatically be equipped with the best pieces for the job at hand.
For our list of current known issues and for details on how to make a bug report, please visit our pinned Discussion here. Until the next time!
Become an Operant on the move with ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies on Steam Deck! Our espionage RPG has been Steam Deck-verified since its release, with our development team making several adjustments to offer the best experience even on a smaller device. An example of this was the
Become an Operant on the move with ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies on Steam Deck! Our espionage RPG has been Steam Deck-verified since its release, with our development team making several adjustments to offer the best experience even on a smaller device.
An example of this was the choice to use Vulcan for rendering to bypass the Steam Proton translation from DirectX, which raised the framerate by up to 23%. Detailed testing highlighted scenes with complex visual effects, which could lead to framerate drops. These were then targeted for optimisation to benefit players on all platforms.
When it comes to resolution, the developers targeted 800p rather than 720p for the best presentation from the available screenspace. This meant rendering in 16:10 instead of the more common 16:9 aspect ratio and much of the UI has been altered to adapt to this benefitting PC players with a wider range of screens too.
"The team was keen on making ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies a great experience on Steam Deck," says Dr. Kay Ross, Head of Engineering at ZA/UM Studio."Any optimisations we make for the platform also help people on all other ones too, both in performance and accessibility. For a game with large amounts of text to digest, making the font scalable makes it more readable for the smaller Steam Deck screen.It is then also more readable for anyone on desk-bound platforms who might require larger fonts for any other reason."
The framerate is limited to half the refresh rate by default to extend the time the game can run off battery in handheld mode. This means 30fps for the LCD models and 45fps for the OLED model. However, players have the option to increase the framerate in the settings by rendering at full refresh rate, effectively doubling the frames per second.
"By optimising scenes, VFX, lighting and assets to run better on the Steam Deck, those areas also run more smoothly for everyone. It was a satisfying and successful collaboration between programmers, technical artists, and artists."
Get up to 20% off ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies now in the Steam Summer Sale:
Welcome to IMPRINT Episode 6, a devcast from the ZERO PARADES team that looks at the making of our recently released espionage RPG. This month, our host Jim (Writer & Voice Over Director) chats with Mikee (Casting Director & Audio Engineer) as they hash out the challenges
Welcome to IMPRINT Episode 6, a devcast from the ZERO PARADES team that looks at the making of our recently released espionage RPG.
This month, our host Jim (Writer & Voice Over Director) chats with Mikee (Casting Director & Audio Engineer) as they hash out the challenges of bringing the script of ZERO PARADES alive with voice acting.
And a reminder: you can grab ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies now for up to 20% off for owners of Disco Elysium as part of the Steam Summer Sale! Promotion ends July 9.
Our new patch to ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies is now available to download. We appreciate your patience and support whilst we continue working on ZERO PARADES behind the scenes. This patch resolves several player-reported issues, including: VOICEOVER Further voiceover lines added
Our new patch to ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies is now available to download.
We appreciate your patience and support whilst we continue working on ZERO PARADES behind the scenes. This patch resolves several player-reported issues, including:
VOICEOVER
Further voiceover lines added: Renotel Technician and Bagman are now fully voiced, with additional lines added for Kaleidoscope.
GAMEPLAY
Fixed a blocker for the "Pump-and-Dump the Junior Negotiator" Quest, related to Ramses and wiretapping.
Resolved an issue with duplicate items in the Inventory: players will no longer receive multiple copies of Dante’s Exit Papers.
"Who Cares About the Moon?" Quest now correctly cancels if the player chooses to destroy Ignatz’s camera before taking photos.
Fixes to in-game audio, including ambient sound occasionally disappearing and volume differences in voiceover lines.
NOTABLE ADDITIONS
Hovering over Status Effect text (e.g. 'GAIN STATUS' in the Inventory) now displays a tooltip to give additional information. Thank you for your suggestions on this!
For our list of current known issues, and for details on how to make a bug report, please visit our pinned Discussion here. Until the next time, operant!
View game page The Steam Summer Sale is upon us. Until July 9th, get 10% off our espionage RPG , ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies , with an additional 10% discount for owners of Disco Elysium through the Disgraced State Agents Bundle on Steam, bringing the total discount to 20% off!
The Steam Summer Sale is upon us. Until July 9th, get 10% off our espionage RPG, ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies, with an additional 10% discount for owners of Disco Elysium through the Disgraced State Agents Bundle on Steam, bringing the total discount to 20% off! Duty calls.
Hi everyone, this is Rubén, Audio Director at ZA/UM. I'm so happy to share with you today a glimpse into the creative process behind the music and soundscape of ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies. SET THE SCENE ZA/UM’s audio department is still quite young, made up of four sound design
Hi everyone, this is Rubén, Audio Director at ZA/UM. I'm so happy to share with you today a glimpse into the creative process behind the music and soundscape of ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies.
SET THE SCENE
ZA/UM’s audio department is still quite young, made up of four sound designers who have been working together for around two years. This means ZERO PARADES was our first opportunity to define how we want to tell stories through sound as a team.
For ZERO PARADES, we wanted the soundscape to become an emotional and narrative vehicle in its own right. By soundscape, I mean the totality of sound design and music. I don't see them as separate disciplines operating independently; they need to speak the same language and work toward the same emotional goals.
From the earliest stages of development, we prioritised game feel and the overall player experience. That meant audio and music had to constantly evaluate their role within a scene.
Sometimes they should step forward and guide the player's emotions; at other times, they should leave space for other elements to take the spotlight, whether that's the narrative, the visual storytelling, or the atmosphere of the world itself: music drifting from a nearby stall, distant conversations, birds crossing the sky, or the subtle rhythm of the city.
Our goal is not to overshadow the game's main protagonist. Instead, we strive to support the narrative and artistic elements through the judicious use of audio and music, ensuring they are synchronised with the story and visuals to enhance immersion and emotional resonance.
To achieve this, we broadly divided the experience into two gameplay states:
Spy Gameplay: this is when players explore Portofiro: gathering information, speaking with characters, investigating and absorbing the city's stories. The soundscape here is more atmospheric and restrained, allowing the world and its characters to take centre stage.
Action Gameplay: these are the moments when Hershel is pushed into action, what we internally called Dramatic Encounters and Narrative Events, such as Prisoner Exchange or Escape the Bazaar. During these sequences, the soundscape deliberately steps forward and demands more attention.
The mix becomes more dynamic, diegetic sounds and foley take on greater prominence, and the music assumes a more active role. This is where leitmotifs emerge most clearly, where tension is heightened, and where audio becomes a driving force in the player's emotional experience. Afterwards, we return to exploration. The mix opens up, and the soundscape becomes more ambient, allowing it to breathe again.
Several films and games were particularly influential in shaping the audio identity of ZERO PARADES:
The Handmaiden was perhaps our most important reference from a sound-design perspective. I find its soundscape delicate, elegant, and extraordinarily detailed. It may well be the most beautiful film soundtrack I've ever experienced.
Decision to Leave was another major influence, and one frequently cited by the writing team. Its careful balance of emotion, mystery, and atmosphere resonated strongly with what we were trying to achieve.
For the game's mechanical and technological sounds, we often looked to Blade Runner and Alien: Isolation.
Finally, Society of the Snow was an important reference for ambience and environmental storytelling. The way it uses organic sounds to create emotion, presence, and a sense of place is truly remarkable.
THE MUSIC
When we first approached composer Fernando Cabrera, our creative brief was: “atmospheric jazz.” It was an abstract concept more than a genre description, yet Fernando immediately grasped the feeling we were trying to capture and translated it perfectly into the soundtrack.
Music is essentially another operant in the gameplay experience: it’s always there with Hershel. But it reacts to the gameplay and narrative depending on two situations: explorative Spy Gameplay and Action Gameplay.
SPY GAMEPLAY: EXPANDED
The music is there to support the exploration phases, where players gather information from other characters, investigate locations, and uncover clues in a non-intrusive way. The tracks for these instances were composed based on narrative notes provided by our talented writers, which described the mood and atmosphere of each location and biome for different times of the day.
Additionally, we wanted to give space to other elements in the soundscape, such as radios and positioned music in the game (after all, Portofirans like to listen to music quite a lot). During exploration, the music stays more in the background. It moves at a slower pace, sometimes making use of silence, and avoids taking on a leading role. Instead, it supports the game's mood and tone.
During these moments, the focus is on worldbuilding, storytelling, narrative, and voice-over performances. We want players to enjoy these sections, read the dialogue, and listen to the voice cast without the music constantly demanding their attention. At the same time, I didn't want the soundtrack to contribute to audio fatigue. Players may spend many hours exploring Portofiro, so the music needed to support that experience without becoming exhausting.
Music often works passively, fading into the background while still shaping how we feel over time. My goal was to create something that supports the experience rather than drawing attention to itself. In these moments, other elements should take priority.
ACTION GAMEPLAY: EXPANDED
On the other hand, when Hershel springs into action during the game's Dramatic Encounters, the music takes centre stage. Players must rely on their skills to overcome the challenges before them, and the soundtrack becomes a more active part of the experience.
These sequences occur frequently throughout the game, giving the music a more prominent role. It highlights themes associated with EMTERR, your crew, Hershel, and other key story elements, while different leitmotifs are used to reflect the characters involved and the interactions taking place.
ZERO PARADES required a very bespoke musical approach. During exploration, we focused on sonority, texture, and layering rather than memorable melodies. I'd describe it as a more avant-garde or modern approach to game scoring. Elements such as leitmotifs, melodic development, and a stronger musical presence are reserved for moments of action.
One moment I'd particularly like to highlight is Karolina's theme. Warning: spoilers ahead regarding Karolina for the rest of this section!
Karolina is based at the Old Cinema, and her theme exists in two versions: one before, and one after, the major narrative event in which the player discovers what really happened to her in the past.
It's an incredibly powerful moment in the story, and Fernando suggested changing Karolina's theme once the player experiences that revelation. After all, nothing feels quite the same afterwards. The emotional context has fundamentally changed, and the music reflects that shift.
The first version of the theme is melancholic and sorrowful. The second remains sad, but it carries a greater sense of intimacy and understanding. As the player's relationship with Karolina deepens, the piece feels more personal, more connected to her, and, in its own way, more beautiful.
Much like the music, the ambient soundscapes were built on the narrative notes provided by the team. We wanted to bring Portofiro to life through sound, which is why the soundscape changes depending on the time of day, weather conditions, and other environmental factors. Activity naturally shifts throughout the city, and we wanted the audio experience to reflect that.
We also incorporated a variety of cultural references from our home country, Spain, since the game draws heavily from Mediterranean cultures. For example, in Party Alley, you can hear the distant sound of a knife sharpener, a sound that is quite iconic in many Spanish cities, along with local bird species and other familiar environmental details.
At the same time, ZERO PARADES embraces a strongly musical approach to sound design. You'll hear jingles from vending machines, payphones, tram stations, and other interactive elements, all written in the same key as the background music to preserve a cohesive musical language throughout the game. Music is also woven into the world itself, playing from radios, speakers, and various locations across Portofiro, helping the city feel more alive and connected.
For example, if you visit the diner behind the Bazaar around midnight, you'll hear a unique track playing from inside, as if people were simply relaxing, eating, and listening to music together.
Our sound direction draws inspiration from the nostalgic tones of the 80s and 90s while incorporating a more contemporary flair. We aimed to emulate the clarity and precision of hi-fi mechanics without falling into sci-fi territory. The overarching soundscape is intended to be organic, creating a soft, subtle, and elegant atmosphere.
Ambiences play a pivotal role, with detailed ambiences including not just background layers but also dynamic positional audio: responding to weather conditions and the time of the day, aiding players in orienting themselves within the game world. Music serves to complement the mood, with strategic use of silence to underscore moments of tranquillity, presenting a soundscape devoid of music, where ambient and diegetic sounds as main characters.
The team poured an incredible amount of love and care into these processes. I’d especially like to thank Eli Forster, Mirella Díez Morán, and Katharina Bär for all the hard work, dedication, and passion they brought to this project.
Thank you so much for reading and for playing ZERO PARADES! You can listen to the Original Game Soundtrack now on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.
Our latest update to ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies is now available to download. We appreciate your patience and support whilst we continue working on ZERO PARADES behind the scenes. This patch resolves several player-reported issues, including: VOICEOVER Further voiceover lines a
Our latest update to ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies is now available to download.
We appreciate your patience and support whilst we continue working on ZERO PARADES behind the scenes. This patch resolves several player-reported issues, including:
VOICEOVER
Further voiceover lines added: Phantom Line Engineer, Duchess, Narrator and the Skills are now fully voiced.
GAMEPLAY
White Checks in the Map menu are now scrollable. This addresses the issue of unlocked White Checks crowding the menu when numerous are in progress.
Resolved the duplicate Red Disc bug (given by Constanz), which impacted a small subset of players.
Fixed several traversal issues players were encountering in-game, e.g. being unable to move when the flashlight is equipped.
NOTABLE FIXES / ADDITIONS
Quick language switch hotkey is now available. Select a primary and secondary language in the game settings and use ‘Q’ to toggle between.
For our list of current known issues, and for details on how to make a bug report, please visit our pinned Discussion here. Until the next time, operant!
Our latest update to ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies is now available to download. Thank you for your continued patience whilst we work on the game behind the scenes! This patch resolves several player-reported issues, including: VOICEOVER Additional voiceover lines added , and sect
Our latest update to ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies is now available to download.
Thank you for your continued patience whilst we work on the game behind the scenes! This patch resolves several player-reported issues, including:
VOICEOVER
Additional voiceover lines added, and sections of voiceover/dialogue mismatch resolved. More to come in our next update.
LOCALISATION
Replaced the stylised title font in Chinese (Simplified) to improve readability, based on community feedback.
GAMEPLAY
Addressed a bug where a handful of players were unable to deliver developed photos to Ignatz, in the “Who Cares About The Moon?” quest. Please note: this fix is not backwards compatible, but does not block overall game progression.
Resolved a softlock issue in Eszti’s apartment, which occurred after creating and loading a save file in Eszti’s apartment during dark.
Addressed the traversal bug some players experienced when equipped with the flashlight, notably inside the Palace of Culture. Additional improvements for this area are planned for our next patch.
Further adjustments to the King of Trade’s cigarette changing logic.
NOTABLE FIXES / ADDITIONS
Fixes and memory optimisations to address game crashes that predominantly affected a subset of players on Steam Deck or lower-spec devices.
Resolved the issue of the Skill Check result modal remaining on screen.
Improvements to control schemes, to address the control scheme switching after a prolonged session, e.g., the mouse becomes unresponsive.
Rebalancing of Active Skill Checks at the beginning of the game based on player feedback, for a fairer chance
Updated animation for Autosave, Quicksave and manual saves.
For our list of current known issues and details on how to submit a bug report, please visit our pinned Discussion here. Appreciate the continued support – until the next patch!
It's been just shy of three weeks since ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies launched on PC platforms, and the critics have spoken: All of us at the studio have been incredibly moved by the reception to ZERO PARADES. We're a small team, and we see every video, stream, clip, comment, or a
It's been just shy of three weeks since ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies launched on PC platforms, and the critics have spoken:
All of us at the studio have been incredibly moved by the reception to ZERO PARADES. We're a small team, and we see every video, stream, clip, comment, or article about the game, and the support means the world.
A huge thank you to everyone who has joined us in Portofiro so far, from the bottom of our hearts.
Our second patch for ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies is now available to download! A big thank you for your patience while we continue to work on the game behind the scenes. This latest patch addresses many player-reported issues and adds several new features, including (but not lim
Our second patch for ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies is now available to download!
A big thank you for your patience while we continue to work on the game behind the scenes. This latest patch addresses many player-reported issues and adds several new features, including (but not limited to!):
VOICEOVER
Additional voiceover lines added, notably for Metlia, Karolina and Ultra Violeta.
GAMEPLAY
Additional changes to the King of Trades in-game logic, to remedy issues with players unable to obtain the boar kibble.
Resolved an issue with Karolina becoming unrecruitable at the end of the "Contact the Secret Prisoner quest. This bug would arise following the assignment call with Melita.
The Fixed the issue of 'Craft a Gun' option being unavailable if players had previously made the model train.
Resolved White Checks disappearing from the map following sleep.
Fixed an issue where players could skip forced dialogues, e.g. during the "Escape The Bazaar" Dramatic Encounter, when interacting with the game menu or Objective View.
Oskar Metamoto will no longer take all your alcohol.
The infinite money exploit is no more: Melita can no longer be used for unlimited Sol.
Resolved the endless dialogue loop when encountering the Curious Machine. Please note: this fix is not backwards compatible with existing saves, so players still encountering this issue should progress the "In Defiance of All Known Laws" path to continue.
Addressed an issue with Karolina's questline in the "Convince Karolina to Get Some Sleep", where Karolina continues to ask for the figurine even after completing an alternative route.
ADDED FEATURES
Players can now use number keys to select dialogue options.
Create Quick Saves using F5, and use F9 to load the most recent save. Please note: we are working to improve the visuals of 'Quick Saved' confirmation and 'Saving Blocked' indicator, this will come in a later patch.
Appreciate your continued support. For our list of current known issues, and for details on how to make a bug report, please visit our pinned Discussion here.
It’s been one week of ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies! Thank you to everyone who has assumed the role of CASCADE, and provided feedback and bug reports over the last seven days. Our first patch is available to download now, and addresses a number of reported issues, including (but n
It’s been one week of ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies! Thank you to everyone who has assumed the role of CASCADE, and provided feedback and bug reports over the last seven days. Our first patch is available to download now, and addresses a number of reported issues, including (but not limited to!):
VOICEOVER
Added in a number of missing voiced lines – including all lines for Boat Man.
Temporarily, voiceover lines that severely differ from the text have been removed – missing voiceover will be re-added in a future patch.
Fixed the inconsistencies with Bagman’s voiceover.
LOCALISATION
Added in additional translations for missing lines, including many Skill Check Modifiers.
Fixed and optimised localisation in Chinese (Simplified) based on community feedback.
GAMEPLAY
Fixed the curious case of TWO Bagman NPCs appearing in Bagman’s studio, during the "The Worth of a Heart" quest.
Enabled fast travel in Eszti’s apartment – this addresses the issue of players being stuck in Eszti’s apartment after loading a save.
The King of Trades will now accept the homemade gun, even if you previously declined the trade.
Addressed an issue where players ran out of items to trade for boar kibble, as part of the "Make a Deal with Transnational Capital" quest. Cigarettes can now be traded endlessly.
Resolved the endless dialogue loop when completing the ‘break into the mailbox’ action in the "Make a Deal with Transnational Capital" quest.
Fixed softlock that occurs after acquiring an Operant Toolkit item from Constanz.
Resolved dialogue lock when shopping at Carumna’s clothes rack in the Bazaar without any Sol.
END GAME:Fixed issue where players were unable to place the bomb.
Resolved issue with the Fogged Mirror being locked, after gaining the "Who Cares About the Moon?" quest.
Updated the description for ‘Under Pressure’ achievement. This will only be available to unlock after Melita’s first call to you.
ADDED FEATURES:
Discovered destinations are now listed in the Map menu, with opening times also listed for locations on a schedule, e.g. Fogged Mirror and Dr Gonza’s Clinic.
We really appreciate your patience as we continue working on ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies in the background. For our list of current known-issues, and for details on how to make a bug report, please visit our pinned Discussion here.
ZERO PARADES is a game about making careful, deliberate decisions in the world of espionage. The ZERO PARADES Twitch Companion Extension lets your audience play with you in real time: Stats, info and map overlay : Viewers don’t need to ask on chat what you’re doing right now or h
ZERO PARADES is a game about making careful, deliberate decisions in the world of espionage.
The ZERO PARADES Twitch Companion Extension lets your audience play with you in real time:
Stats, info and map overlay: Viewers don’t need to ask on chat what you’re doing right now or how you’ve skilled your character. They can open up an overlay menu and can see your character's stats, skills, inventory, journal map and Conditioning Thoughts at one glance.
Live voting on dialogue and quests: Once connected, a poll button in dialogue gives streamers the chance to ask viewers to vote on which dialogue options to choose or which journal entries to follow next; results display directly in the game with live updates
"We give streamers a game about making careful, deliberate decisions in the world of espionage. Then we hand the control over to the internet. What could go wrong? And of course, just like in a real democracy, the person holding the power can choose if they act upon the popular vote or not."
–Siim "Kosmos" Sinamäe, Principal Writer, ZA/UM
That last part matters: you are always in charge. The vote is advisory. The chaos is optional.
Click the purple Activate button in your Twitch Dashboard
Open ZERO PARADES and go to Settings to connect and configure the extension
Make sure your channel is live and your category is set toZERO PARADES
Whether you are sharing a playthrough with friends or with a legion of your fans we hope that you’ll enjoy letting them in on the fun by utilizing this free Twitch plugin.
ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies is now available to play on PC. In ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies , play as Hershel Wilk, a brilliant but burnt out operant (cryptonym: CASCADE), who’s recalled to the city of Portofiro five years after the greatest failure of her life - the disintegrat
ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies is now available to play on PC.
In ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies, play as Hershel Wilk, a brilliant but burnt out operant (cryptonym: CASCADE), who’s recalled to the city of Portofiro five years after the greatest failure of her life - the disintegration of her old network.
Now back in the theatre, Hershel must pull together the ‘Whole Sick Crew’ for one last show. Her final, desperate mission.
The game is out now with English voiceover, and full text localisation in English, German, Russian, Simplified Chinese, and Spanish (Latin America).
Eight additional languages are planned and will be added through free updates beginning later this year: French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Traditional Chinese, and Turkish (listed alphabetically, not in order of release).
To celebrate the launch of ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies on PC, a new line of official merchandise is available here, including pins of the game’s Skill Badges and tees. This is in addition to the ZERO PARADES Atelier collection, which is now available to order here.
For feedback and game support, please reach out to [email protected].
To speed up the process of investigating a bug, please include any relevant information: details about your hardware, a description of when and where the issue occurred, and any reproduction steps.
When possible, also attach a screenshot or screen recording of the bug, as well as a save game file, which can be found here: C:\\Users\\tdple\\AppData\\LocalLow\\ZAUM Studio\\Zero Parades\\Saves
Being a spy means living a double life. There’s the inner self – who you truly are – and the outer self, the version of you that is presented to the world. A spy must switch out this outer self frequently in order to take on different identities, either to manipulate a situation
Being a spy means living a double life. There’s the inner self – who you truly are – and the outer self, the version of you that is presented to the world. A spy must switch out this outer self frequently in order to take on different identities, either to manipulate a situation or to enshroud who they really are. What this means for their inner self is their own problem to deal with.
In ZERO PARADES, this tension between inner and outer lives extends across our art style and UI as well.
Balancing the Objective and the Subjective
What we mean by the ‘Objective’ in ZERO PARADES is the outer world that you move through as Hershel. This is where you can explore the city of Portofiro from an isometric view, speak to the citizens – with all their histories and human dramas – and get up to all sorts of trouble as you complete your assignment.
The ‘Subjective’, however, exists on a totally different layer, and so the art and visual design must reflect this. Here is Hershel's inner world, one that only she and you, as the player, get to explore and interact with.
Objective art inspiration: Davis Lawn Care by contemporary American painter and animator Matt Bollinger. Source.
Subjective art inspiration: contemporary Italian master of comics, Gigi Cavenago. Source.
Objective art: from ZA/UM, early concept for architecture.
This imaginary (or Subjective) layer is spread out across our menus and HUD, as this is where you manipulate Hershel’s psyche. You can raise her skills, reinforce thoughts, change her priorities, and switch out her clothing.
This layer of the game also extends to any 2D overlays that are placed on top of the ‘real’ world. For example, during Dramatic Encounters, there are colourful, artistic images alongside the text-based options. Here we see the Subjective layer intruding on the Objective world, as Hershel’s training slows the perception of time, allowing her to contemplate her next move.
Inspiration for UI: Metal Gear Solid V. Decorative enough, but utilitarian/functional first.
ZA/UM early prototype of intended dialogue menu, visuals layered atop environment art.
ZERO PARADES: layering Objective and Subjective.
Journal Menu: Illustrating the Player’s Journey (With Margins to Scribble Loose Ends)
The Journal is where your current and completed tasks are recorded. This process of logging information is especially important in ZERO PARADES, as there’s plenty of intrigue and many subplots unfolding at once. Your journal is where all the threads are laid out for you to disentangle.
We wanted to expand the utilitarian function of most RPG journals by giving ours a more tactile and personal feeling. This started with looking towards real-life journals that people keep for themselves, which are far from the neat, straight lines you usually see in-game journals, instead being scribbled upon at all angles with notes and sometimes pictures to help with visualisation.
This approach encourages the player to more actively engage with their assignment, making sense of loose ends, strategising about their next steps, and reflecting on their progress thus far. As such, the journal is updated with a unique set of illustrations each playthrough, reflecting the way you handled certain characters and situations.
Your successes, failures, and any hard-to-achieve (or potentially secret) paths you came across are recorded so you can remember the details, or even compare your journey across multiple playthroughs.
Inspiration: the alternate ending achievements from Pilgrims by Amanita Design.
Inspiration: Fifty-three Stations on the Tokaido Road (Tōkaidō gojūsan tsugi) 東海道五十三次. Source.
ZERO PARADES: Journal Menu.
Inventory Menu - Scrapbooking as Disguise
Hershel’s inventory is governed by the metaphor of the scrapbook: Just as a spy’s identity is a collage of different lives (and lies), so too are the clothes and equipment you acquire as your adventure unfolds.
Of course, what the collage means is left to the player’s imagination. Are clothes a utilitarian approach to your work, or is it all just a game of make-believe? Again, the boundaries between your Objective presentation and your Subjective self-image are porous and slippery.
Inspiration: Katy Swims Fashions (1956).
ZERO PARADES Inventory Menu with Paper Doll system.
ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies launches on Thursday, 21st May! Wishlist now to be notified:
What is Zero Parades? A game about a spy with a dark past, sent back into the field for one last mission after years kept away. What else is Zero Parades? The second game from ZA/UM, assigned the gargantuan task of following up Disco Elysium after widespread acclaim and dramatic,
What is Zero Parades? A game about a spy with a dark past, sent back into the field for one last mission after years kept away. What else is Zero Parades? The second game from ZA/UM, assigned the gargantuan task of following up Disco Elysium after widespread acclaim and dramatic, ongoing controversy... Read more.
Have no fear, dear reader. Yes, I am once standing in for Edwin to battle The Maw and bring forth its tidings of upcoming PC games. But the beast has not eaten our news editor. Not this time. Instead, Edwin's been called away to Krakow where he will be using his creature-wrestlin
Have no fear, dear reader. Yes, I am once standing in for Edwin to battle The Maw and bring forth its tidings of upcoming PC games. But the beast has not eaten our news editor. Not this time. Instead, Edwin's been called away to Krakow where he will be using his creature-wrestling skills to tussle with a dragon.
Subjective art inspiration: contemporary Italian master of comics, Gigi Cavenago. 
Objective art: from ZA/UM, early concept for architecture. 
Inspiration for UI: Metal Gear Solid V. Decorative enough, but utilitarian/functional first. 
ZA/UM early prototype of intended dialogue menu, visuals layered atop environment art. 
ZERO PARADES: layering Objective and Subjective. 
Inspiration: the alternate ending achievements from Pilgrims by Amanita Design.
Inspiration: Fifty-three Stations on the Tokaido Road (Tōkaidō gojūsan tsugi) 東海道五十三次. 
ZERO PARADES: Journal Menu. 
ZERO PARADES Inventory Menu with Paper Doll system.