I’ve played close to 150 new video games in 2026, but few of them have stuck in my mind quite like Zero Parades: For Dead Spies. What I thought might land with me as a pale follow-up to the sensational Disco Elysium has only cut deeper as I’ve spent time with a story of personal failure in a world built on betrayal. Every day, I feel more like Hershel Wilk, a disgraced spy who can’t seem to do right by anyone.
If you’re as much of a glutton for self-loathing as me, you’re in luck: Zero Parades is finally available on more platforms today. A new Director’s Cut brings the formerly PC-only RPG to Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X with new content in tow. Despite carrying the baggage of a turbulent development cycle that ended in post-launch layoffs, Zero Parades is still very much worth playing to discover a sharply-written espionage RPG that has a way of getting under your fingernails.
Zero Parades very much follows Disco Elysium’s playbook to the letter. It’s a narrative-driven RPG built on tabletop rules, complete with dice rolls and skill checks. There’s a narrator who gives voice to the clashing personality traits in your head, a cast of eccentric townies, and painterly art that makes it clear that’s consistent with developer ZA/UM’s breakthrough success. Those elements were almost a burden when the game first released earlier this year, as some worried that Zero Parades would be a desperate imitation of Disco Elysium made without many of the key creatives behind that game.
I had the same concerns when I first tried it, but it’s a testament to Zero Parades’ quality that it overcomes the baggage. That’s thanks to its brilliant writing, which is on par with Disco Elysium — if not better in moments. The star of the show is Hershel, aka Cascade, a spy who is shipped off to the town of Portofiro for one last job. Genre conventions would have you believe that Cascade is some kind of super spy who is a master of deception, but that’s not exactly the case: She’s a total screw-up.
The story’s power comes from the fact that Hershel’s last big job ended in disaster. Unfortunately, she can’t get her new mission done without regaining the trust of several of the spies who she betrayed in that operation. That premise takes a traditional spy tale and turns it into a personal reckoning. You’re on an apology tour as you explore Portofiro, trying to make things right with the people you hurt while also getting them on board for another risky mission with major political ramifications.
Some manipulation is required to pull that off, and that’s what makes Zero Parades’ such a tragic comedy of errors. As much as Hershel wants to sincerely apologize, that noble desire for forgiveness is hampered by a job that demands she deceive the very people she’s trying to apologize to. Every successful dice roll stings as you lie your way into redemption; and every failed dice roll is a hilarious reminder that Hershel is no James Bond.
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With an emotionally complicated story driven by high-stakes RPG risk-taking, every decision you face in Zero Parades will stick with you. I’m still thinking about my playthrough, which — if I’m being honest — ended in total disaster. I keep thinking back to every choice I made and questioning where it all went wrong. And as I do that, I can’t help but ask the same questions about my life outside the screen. What decisions do I wish I could take back? I can think of a few.
Zero Parades: Director’s Cut is now available on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.