Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 83 | 134 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 84% | 77 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 64 | 42 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 86% | 79 | 103 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 295 reviews sampled · 283 total reviews in window · weighted 217 up / 35.7 down · computed 1h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (87)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 80
“Zero Parades may never be free of the endless Disco Elysium comparisons, but it’s an exceptionally compelling game in its own right. Look beyond the shadow cast by its predecessor, and you’ll find many reasons to stay.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Zero Parades: For Dead Spies is another proof of the talent and capability of ZA/UM studio, just as it previously presented to us Disco Elysium. This time, it presented to us a game characterized by a mysterious and exciting story, influential and good characters, to be completed with a narrative style perfectly suited to the game's story, in addition to the role-playing systems that the studio offers in new and distinctive ways. And just where the positive points appear, the negative points appeared as well; as the game offers a small world that does not encourage exploration, complexity of missions through waiting and not providing clear clues, and a drop in the story's pacing in some parts of the missions.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“A messy, ambitious, occasionally clunky, and often fascinating hybrid of ideas, with enough sharp edges and personality to stand apart from the games it will inevitably be compared to.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“A stylish and gripping spy thriller in the form of an RPG, but suffocated under the pressure of great predecessor.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“The game takes its time to reveal itself to be an intelligent and nuanced narrative RPG.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Beneath Zero Parades' conspiracies, conditionings, and intelligence networks lies a deeply human story about regret, identity, and the cost of living with your mistakes.”
read full review ↗ - 92
“Zero Parades: For Dead Spies is a narrative masterpiece that, despite clearly drawing inspiration from its spiritual predecessor, flourishes with its own maturity and originality. Despite some inconsistencies, it is a true RPG and a masterclass in writing. It is a remarkable experience throughout, surely to provide a beautiful lens looking into its world and characters.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“ZERO PARADES is a game that needlessly sabotages itself by offering a knock-off of Disco Elysium writing style instead of developing its own voice. It’s a shame, because in terms of plot structure and gameplay, the new ZA/UM game surpasses its predecessor in places, so if only they’d focused on doing things their own way, we could have ended up with something truly remarkable.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Zero Parades: For Dead Spies is ultimately an engrossing and engaging experience, even if it might not move the needle as much as players might be hoping. How long it remains in the memory in the future remains to be seen, but its strong world-building and interactive mysteries keep players engaged in an ultimately very satisfying experience.”
read full review ↗ - 96
“Zero Parades: For Dead Spies makes no attempt to be accommodating, and it is in this stubborn refusal to compromise that both its most obvious limitation and its most valuable quality lie. It is a game that demands of the player the same emotional and intellectual investment that it demands of its protagonist, aware that the value of the journey is measured by the quality of the questions it poses, not by the speed with which it provides the answers. The new mechanics demonstrate a concrete desire to go beyond mere replication, to take an already extraordinary playful language and develop it in a direction that fully justifies its independent existence.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Ultimately, Zero Parades: For Dead Spies does manage what looked unthinkable: it stands on its own, turbulent development cycle aside. It was never going to completely step out from the monolith that is Disco Elysium, but viewed strictly on its own merits, it emerges as a very intricate, atmospheric espionage RPG.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“ZA/UM’s Zero Parades shows the studio is not just relying on Disco Elysium’s legacy but building on it.. It launches as a complete experience, reflecting a more ambitious and polished release from day one.”
read full review ↗
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ReGame It…and 75 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Patch Notes | 14.08.26Aug 14, 2026
- Patch Notes | 16.07.26Jul 16, 2026
- Patch Notes | 26.06.26Jun 26, 2026
- Patch Notes | 19.06.26Jun 19, 2026
- Patch Update | 11.06.26Jun 11, 2026
- Patch Notes | 04.06.26Jun 4, 2026
- Patch Notes | 29.05.26May 29, 2026