Being a spy means living a double life. There’s the inner self – who you truly are – and the outer self, the version of you that is presented to the world. A spy must switch out this outer self frequently in order to take on different identities, either to manipulate a situation or to enshroud who they really are. What this means for their inner self is their own problem to deal with.
In ZERO PARADES, this tension between inner and outer lives extends across our art style and UI as well.
What we mean by the ‘Objective’ in ZERO PARADES is the outer world that you move through as Hershel. This is where you can explore the city of Portofiro from an isometric view, speak to the citizens – with all their histories and human dramas – and get up to all sorts of trouble as you complete your assignment.
The ‘Subjective’, however, exists on a totally different layer, and so the art and visual design must reflect this. Here is Hershel's inner world, one that only she and you, as the player, get to explore and interact with.
Objective art inspiration: Davis Lawn Care by contemporary American painter and animator Matt Bollinger. Source.
Subjective art inspiration: contemporary Italian master of comics, Gigi Cavenago. Source.
Objective art: from ZA/UM, early concept for architecture.
This imaginary (or Subjective) layer is spread out across our menus and HUD, as this is where you manipulate Hershel’s psyche. You can raise her skills, reinforce thoughts, change her priorities, and switch out her clothing.
This layer of the game also extends to any 2D overlays that are placed on top of the ‘real’ world. For example, during Dramatic Encounters, there are colourful, artistic images alongside the text-based options. Here we see the Subjective layer intruding on the Objective world, as Hershel’s training slows the perception of time, allowing her to contemplate her next move.
Inspiration for UI: Metal Gear Solid V. Decorative enough, but utilitarian/functional first.
ZA/UM early prototype of intended dialogue menu, visuals layered atop environment art.
ZERO PARADES: layering Objective and Subjective.
The Journal is where your current and completed tasks are recorded. This process of logging information is especially important in ZERO PARADES, as there’s plenty of intrigue and many subplots unfolding at once. Your journal is where all the threads are laid out for you to disentangle.
We wanted to expand the utilitarian function of most RPG journals by giving ours a more tactile and personal feeling. This started with looking towards real-life journals that people keep for themselves, which are far from the neat, straight lines you usually see in-game journals, instead being scribbled upon at all angles with notes and sometimes pictures to help with visualisation.
This approach encourages the player to more actively engage with their assignment, making sense of loose ends, strategising about their next steps, and reflecting on their progress thus far. As such, the journal is updated with a unique set of illustrations each playthrough, reflecting the way you handled certain characters and situations.
Your successes, failures, and any hard-to-achieve (or potentially secret) paths you came across are recorded so you can remember the details, or even compare your journey across multiple playthroughs.
Inspiration: the alternate ending achievements from Pilgrims by Amanita Design.
Inspiration: Fifty-three Stations on the Tokaido Road (Tōkaidō gojūsan tsugi) 東海道五十三次. Source.
ZERO PARADES: Journal Menu.
Hershel’s inventory is governed by the metaphor of the scrapbook: Just as a spy’s identity is a collage of different lives (and lies), so too are the clothes and equipment you acquire as your adventure unfolds.
Of course, what the collage means is left to the player’s imagination. Are clothes a utilitarian approach to your work, or is it all just a game of make-believe? Again, the boundaries between your Objective presentation and your Subjective self-image are porous and slippery.
Inspiration: Katy Swims Fashions (1956).
ZERO PARADES Inventory Menu with Paper Doll system.
ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies launches on Thursday, 21st May! Wishlist now to be notified: