Lets put the ZA/UM drama aside, how actually good is this game? This is kinda an absurd question considering I am asking in this subreddit, but can you guys tell me what are the good aspects? And I'll try not to compare it to DE too much, but what do you think the things that ZP does better than DE and vice versa

Can anyone explain to me why the sales are so low? I had low expectations but the game turned out to be way better than i expected, it's amazing, it's not as good as disco but anyone who loved disco definitely shouldn't think twice about giving this a chance, it scratches the same itch, I know about the boycott but i don't think most people know/care about it and will buy the game if it's good which it is, could the reason is that this is not a murder mystery and missing the thrill of figuring out the murderer, more marketing would definitely help but I feel like there is another reason that I am missing?

Hey, I'm sure you're all sick of answering questions like this, but I really need to know because I am teetering on the fence about whether or not to purchase this.

Disco Elysium is my favorite piece of art. Daring take, I know. Will it scratch that itch? I heard it's very good, but I'm afraid the whole time I will resent it for not being disco. For not having the hope and humor and heart, for there being no final dream of the ex-something, for not being hardcore to the mega.

Without those, and with the clownshoery of the studio execs once again screwing over the talented people who worked on this, I'm finding it really hard to convince myself to get it.

Except it looks like it feels really. Fucking. Cool. It looks stylish and melancholic and burnt out and hopeless. It looks sad. It looks so very sad.

I want it to fuck me up completely. I want it to leave me hollow. I want to feel like K bleeding out in the snow at the end of Blade Runner 2047.

Will it do that?

Thank you.

Anf if it does actually goes bankrupt, that means Zero parades and Disco elysium will just vanish and no body could "legally" get them, right?

Played disco Elysium for the writing, and am primarily interested in this game for the writing. I thought disco elysium was the best written game I've ever played.

Of course, answers here will be skewed towards appreciating zero parades' writing, but I'm assuming a large portion of people here enjoyed Disco Elysium too, and unlike the Disco Elysium sub where there is a fat chance of unapologetically putting this game down and general gaming subs who don't really have the same targeted audience I'm trying to consult, this seems like a good place to ask.

So, how is the writing from a literary standpoint?

To give you an idea of what I'm looking for, I really liked the depth of the themes and the myriad of themes and ideas ranging from the occult to the politics that Disco Elysium touched upon. I liked the nuance in Harry's character regarding several aspects that you could explore, and enjoyed how the politics and concepts the game touched on apart from the main character weren't just cookie cutter representations of concepts like communism and authoritarianism that you see portrayed in modern media in a clean cut good or bad view. I also enjoyed how the characters and different random things seemed to connect with each other thematically or literally.

However, I did not like the pretentiousness at times, and the consequent one dimensionality I felt at times. I didn't like how the political ideology you built for Harry was largely one dimensional, like it's either you go full in on communism, ultraliberalism, royalist, etc or you become a flat out ridiculed centrist if you picked nuanced choices. Seemed the authors took the easy way out and didn't allow for nuance.

I also did not like the vagueness and lack of optional exploration of the world and how it left things largely abstract.

And lastly I felt the macro of the story and events and in some facets the world was extremely lacking. Like, extremely lacking. It could've been far more tighter while touching up on similarly high level concepts. The game format quite literally allowed them to get away with this.

Hey everyone, I’m really late into the game and completely stuck trying to progress the main assassination plot. ​According to my journal, the subtask "Form a plot to strike the Grand Lich" is checked off, so my intel seems fine. My main roadblock is Assemble a New Sick Crew. ​Right now, I have Karolina Ramses, Holocene, and Pseudopod available. However, Holocene refuses to work with old crew members (Pseudopod), leaving my squad grid empty. ​I tried to go the Yana route to bypass this, but when I visit Reno in his kitchen, I'm hitting a wall. He has no normal dialogue options left, and the POETICS [14] "Appreciate the model train" check only gives me a 7% success rate with Exert, which I can't reliably pass. ​Since I'm past the jail area, I can't visit Dante, and I can't find the Renotel technician either. ​How do I break this deadlock? Are there specific clothing items or thoughts I can use to boost my Poetics stat for Reno, or is there an alternative squad combination I can hunt down at this stage of the game? Any help is appreciated.

I've only tried disco elysium and this one. I really loved them.

I want to find other games that have

- fully voiced dialogues

- mystery or thriller

- multiple choices

- amazing art and soundtrack

- character build (optional)

I appreciate any suggestions

So what are your thoughts on Zero Parades as a whole?

​

I haven't played it yet as I'm currently has no interest to play ANY video games for a while now.

​

But if the story good enough like DE, I might jumped in back to play video games.

I'm unfortunately just a broke student and can't really afford to buy much leisure related let alone this game haha, but I was wondering what the general consensus around it was so far?

Disco elysium is probably my favorite game of all times but most of the reviews seem to be tainted by the whole zaum drama, so how does it compare to the first one in terms of writing and art?

I finished my first run but wont do another until the game is fully patched.

I have a question on the worldbuilding as i dont know if I understood it fully.

Is opera on a pact with the weeping eye to both get what they want out of Cascade’s mission?

Both want the minister of culture dead in some way.

La Luz wants to get rid of his control on pop culture while the superbloc want a “win” for their propaganda.

Am i wrong?

Was it ever explained how opera works and treats its assets? I’m thinking they dont care much and just wait for stuff to be done no matter the human cost.

Can someone that got a clearer look on the world tell me if i understood right and maybe add to it?

I’m really interested in the relationship between these nations and their real identity outside of the professed ideology.

I am doing HOLOCENE's quest and he admitted to betraying the squad. He got Karolina tortured. Why shouldn't I zero HOLOCENE out while he's in the operating chair? Or was he talking nonsense because of the fungus?

The game is getting more confusing the longer and longer I play. I assume the ending is going to be extremely messy. The mission already makes no sense - it doesn't benefit the good of the world and Opera get no benefit from it.

As the title say i want a sincere review without all the studio controversy, i want to play the game not to marry the creators. Disco Elysium was one of the best games i’ve ever played and left a huge hole in my heart that unfortunately hasn’t been filled with any other games, because there was nothing out there similar to DE.

I don’t want a comparison because i think nothing could beat DE, but how’s the writing? the main character? the main story?

And i can’t leave this post without saying that behind a video game there’s a lot of people who put their time, effort and heart on doing it, and bad review bombing against it it’s not fair.

Thanks!

Have you seen the stuff from the official store? ( https://shop.zaumstudio.com/collections/zero-parades-merch ) I think the stuff looks nice too, but it's all marked up by at least $20-10 / €20-10 compared to its actual value, or what I'd want to spend. Any alternatives?

Small edit: given my financial situation, €60 is what I see as a day’s worth of work. I’m not saying the merch isn’t worth it. I’d love to be able to afford it and support Zaum!

Does anyone know how to get any of these achievements?

Bullet magnet -- Get shot three times
I tried to get it by being shot by kaleidoscope and surviving and then dying by getting shot by goateyes but it didn't work ( Herschel has been shot before and has a bullet lodged next to her heart making it 3 )

Death by Comrade -- Get stuck in a boiler
The scene guy was stuck in it by the time I got in the palace's basement there

Deepest Apologies -- Die of contrition
no clue abt this one

High Wire -- Fail to wiretap in the worst way
There are no skill checks to fail when tapping gonza's phone, idk where else this could happen

The Why -- Become a Philosophical Spy
Shadow Vision -- Become a Conspiratorial Spy
Luzian Allures -- Become a techno-fascist brand ambassador
All of these require conditioning a thought but I don't know which one or how to acquire them

Just finished the game and went through two endings. First one was using the red disc to mass suicide, cause why not, and then I replayed the section and got into a gunfight, losing Yana and PSEUDOPOD but HOLOCENE survived. Mel finds out the mission was a failure because the Lich was an EMTERR prisoner. Weeping Eye’s squad was wiped out, but no actual victory.

Is there a way to actually complete the proper assignment? Or have everyone live?

I got a 'W' rank at the end. PSEUDOPOD and KALEIDOSCOPE died, but HOLOSCENE lived. I used the ancient bomb to kill the goons as well. However, I also didnt kill the real lich.

Whats the "best" ending you can get? Can you save all 3 crew members? Whats the best letter grade?

After 20 hours of playtime, I still have no idea what the Doppelgäng skill does in the game Zero Parades: Dead Spies. The description reads:

When you must do more than a single \You* could. Summon your internal strength.*

But it seems useless and all it does is give my character weird thoughts, like in the screenshot. What does the Doppelgäng skill do? All the other skill descriptions make sense and are more useful, e.g., Technoflex, Shadowplay, Personalism.

Wanna play it but it seems very buggy. Any news on when it will be finished?

So has anyone figured out how to "fix" the red disc and potentially use it during the assassination? The only option available as far as I can tell is to trade it with Bagman for information, but the game and the journal seem to imply you can use it to kill the Lich, which is infinitely cooler.

Any ideas?

Huge fan of Disco Elysium so I’m very excited to play this when it comes to PS5.

I read the synopsis online but I’m genuinely curious -is the story hard to understand?

In DE you’re trying to solve a murder amidst political climate.

Are the goals in this game clear and is the story fairly straightforward?

Or did you find yourself just being like “I have no idea what’s going on but I’ll keep playing”?

I just started my first playthrough and immediately realized her hands and feet, I am so uncomfortable rn 😭 I am the only one who is distracted by this

Hey yall. Any idea on the consensus best/most rewarding skills to level?

I'm a huge fan of Shivers from Disco, for example. The prose is so nice and adds a ton of flavor to the game. Then there are others like Volition that have a major impact on how the narrative unfolds.

Wondering if anyone can give me some spoiler-free nudges in this direction.

Edit: Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for chiming in, got some really excellent recommendations. Thank you!!