ZA/UM previews Zero Parades: For Dead Spies game demo to critics

5 articles · Updated · Eurogamer.net · Apr 25

The demo, set in the Bootleg Bazaar of Portofiro, introduces Cascade, a retired spy drawn back into action by the Opera, a Superbloc agency.
Players explore themes of nostalgia and capitalism through missions involving rare collectibles, pop culture references, and interactions with local vendors in a decaying trade hub.
Zero Parades is ZA/UM's first major release since Disco Elysium, using its setting and narrative to critique weaponised nostalgia and the influence of technofascist states on culture.

Is the game’s technofascist state a warning about the power of real-world tech giants?

Will new gameplay mechanics redefine the future of dialogue-driven RPGs?

Can a studio haunted by its past deliver a worthy successor to its masterpiece?

As AI's energy thirst grows, does this spy thriller mirror our unsustainable tech future?

How does 'weaponized nostalgia' turn cherished memories into tools of state control?

When pop culture becomes a state weapon, how do we tell art from propaganda?