ZA/UM studio develops Zero Parades, an espionage role-playing game that follows their acclaimed title Disco Elysium. The company faces scrutiny after original creative team members departed amid legal disputes and allegations. Developer Jim Ashilevi and producer Jess Crawford presented gameplay mechanics during a recent media briefing. The protagonist Hershel Wilk serves as a secret agent called an Operant working for Superbloc, a communist alliance. She returns to the island city-state Portofiro after betraying her former squad five years earlier.
The game features Conditioning mechanics where players reinforce or punish character thoughts to shape personality traits. Dramatic Encounters add action elements through stealth sequences and decision points that players cannot retry. Literary influences include John le Carré spy novels and science fiction works by Philip K. Dick. The setting involves three global powers competing for influence over the democratic island nation. Zero Parades represents ZA/UM's attempt to prove their creative abilities remain strong despite losing key founding writers.
The game features Conditioning mechanics where players reinforce or punish character thoughts to shape personality traits. Dramatic Encounters add action elements through stealth sequences and decision points that players cannot retry. Literary influences include John le Carré spy novels and science fiction works by Philip K. Dick. The setting involves three global powers competing for influence over the democratic island nation. Zero Parades represents ZA/UM's attempt to prove their creative abilities remain strong despite losing key founding writers.
