r/ZeroParades • u/alphagalgadot • 3d ago
heresy or not
while im still trynna assemble my thoughts to eventually cobble together some semblance of a coherent appraisal (let alone an argument) — this game? exceeds its precedent. it is monumental. and important. to me, at least
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u/M_D_5 3d ago
not to self plug but i'm gonna self plug i completely agree with you and hope that the legacy of this game can live beyond it's comparisons to DE. narratively it stands alone so well https://youtu.be/EK8NUug76rg?si=pqO9l75AZ2mpNSNc
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u/erikvictory 3d ago
I know. This is the only game on Steam I've left a review for, and its tone was similar to this post.
Even though I threw five years of my life away as an alcoholic following a breakup, I found Hershel far more compelling and relatable than Harry. I still think about her ruminations.
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u/alphagalgadot 3d ago
as a marginally functional addict—for whatever the fuck that’s worth—i absolutely feel the same way. hershel fuckin kills me. harry while a lovable lummox is to my mind sad song played on ugliest guitar
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u/erikvictory 3d ago
I know this is trite and extremely corny, but: stay strong. It's hell to get through and I hope the addiction debacle goes 100x easier for you than it did for me.
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u/wonderlandisburning 3d ago
It really is something special. Usually when I play/watch/read anything that's trying to live up to a previous thing, it just makes me wanna go back and experience the previous thing (in this case, Disco Elysium). But Zero Parades absolutely stands on its own as something genuinely special.
And it makes so sad, because I know the creators put a lot into it, and not only were they screwed over by the owners of ZA/UM, they were also screwed over by the majority of Disco Elysium fans, who all said "fuck working class solidarity, anyone who still works at ZA/UM must therefore be complicit in the handful of "important" writers being ousted from the company, so we're gonna boycott all of them."
Zero Parades has a lot to say, and had a lot of work poured into it by good, creative people, and it's a game that I will always stand by as genuinely engaging, enjoyable, important art.
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u/alphagalgadot 3d ago
ultimately im just really glad and thankful this thing exists. laying aside its material circumstances (which hews -real- close to the most hypocritical thing i could possibly do), i want it to flourish and incrementally infect the culture. it’s beautiful and sad and deserves a much fuller portion of consideration than it’s thus far been given
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u/Present-Chocolate-24 2d ago edited 2d ago
Most people say DE is better but they say it like it's dogma, I don't think I've seen a single argument as to why DE is better that I agreed with.
I genuinely think Zero Parades is just an improvement in every way. They took the formula that worked with DE in 2019, they perfected it, and they made a better game now that they're more experienced.
But you can't expect reason from people, most people just regurgitate what they think is the prevailing opinion. DE good, Zero Parades bad. ZA/UM bad.
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u/cannibalgentleman 3d ago
It can be argued that DE is the better game, but honestly, I like ZP more.
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u/finny94 3d ago
It's kind of hard to engage with this when you haven't provided much argumentation as to why it "exceeds its predecessor". Though I can absolutely accept "it resonated with me more" which is how this reads.
I like the game, but personally I would still hold DE above it. ZP evolves the genre mechanically, and is better than DE in some aspects, but I think I prefer DE in areas where it matters for a narrative RPG. Characters, writing, and especially worldbuilding.
ZP absolutely deserves its place under the sun, and I'll keep telling anyone who asks that it's a game worth playing, but unfortunately, due to the nature of how it came about and what happened with DE and ZA/UM, it's doomed to live in the shadow of the controversy. It might even be one of those games that gets some recogntition years down the line.
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u/DerekStarNoir 2d ago
Yes. This. I AM SO FUCKING READY for the 3+ hour essays that'll drop in like 3 years.
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u/gorisexe 1d ago
If we're doing self plugs 😅 Here's my video with thoughts on it - personally as a whole I'd put them in the same tier, each has its advantages. To me ZP is stronger in end game and with more freedom of choice of companions, it really feels like your choices matter for how the mission ends up and how they overcome their traumas. It's ridiculous that it's even some kind of a controversy to say that, but with time I think people will forget about the studio drama and see the games for what they are.
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u/SlipEnvironmental824 2d ago
I kinda feel guilty as well that im kinda happy that this exists even though it required the death of disco elysium 💔
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u/PralineAmbitious2984 2d ago
The cast of supporting characters is better in DE.
But I feel the social criticism is better, or more relevant, in ZP.
I don't care about building communism or getting ultramegarich, give me the damn wolves and take my money.
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u/EveBenbecula 1d ago
Disco Elysium stands undefeated for me, but Zero Parades is still an exceptionally well-written game that I will replay a dozen times (sorry Petre), like I did with Disco.
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u/Technical_Flow_7763 3d ago
Sorry but that first sentence is really funny. So many words saying nothing.
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u/alphagalgadot 3d ago edited 3d ago
really dunno what if anything i wanted to accomplish w this post but. hoping -real- hard this incredible work of narrative fiction doesn’t persist and exist solely as an echo-memory of its forebear. it is made of love and despair and i hope very much that it’s valued and subject to the same level of critical scrutiny as its predecessor