Replaced

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A neon dystopia where humanity fades and identity becomes a commodity.

The combat is the star of REPLACED. It’s so satisfying and slick that I couldn’t get enough of it, and when combined with numerous traversal puzzles, stealth sections, and action set-pieces the whole is far more glorious than the sum of its parts.

Although I can identify areas where Replaced falls a little short, I’m still walking away from the game impressed and satisfied. Its visuals are stunning, its story is risky and full of heart, and what its gameplay lacks in complexity, it makes up for in variety, never feeling complacent even despite occasional pacing issues. Replaced is a terrific experience, especially for the price and hopefully, it’s also just the beginning for Sad Cat Studios.

What a long time coming for highly anticipated indie. I remember being absolutely blown away by its pixel art during Xbox’s showcase back in 2021, I was hyped and eagerly awaiting its arrival every year. Equally bummed each time it didn’t show back up or there was a delay, but games with this level of art from an indie dev take time. Was the wait for Replaced worth it? Let’s find out.

Replaced is a cinematic cautionary tale about the dangers of replacing human emotion with cold rationality.

Replaced delivers a striking and atmospheric experience, backed by exceptional pixel art, a compelling narrative, and fluid, satisfying combat. While its platforming and stealth systems lack the same level of polish, and pacing can dip in places, the game’s strengths consistently shine through. It may not hit every mark, but it’s a confident and memorable debut from Sad Cat Studios.

REPLACED is a genuinely brilliant cyberpunk platformer. While it occasionally suffers from major glitches, frustrating mechanics, and pacing issues due to the combat, puzzles, and platforming, the gameplay high moments, incredible narrative, and gorgeous presentation more than make up for these issues. If you're a fan of the cyberpunk genre, then this is an absolute must-play. The five-year wait was worth it after all.

You'll want to take in Replaced's retrofuturistic version of dystopian USA as much as possible, but the phenomenal visuals can only do so much to make up for the above-average combat and puzzle-platforming.

Replaced's art style is simply incredible to look at, and its narrative concerning AI and megacorps feels original rather than derivative. Even so, it's a very slow burn, with pretty basic platforming and mundane Simon Says-style combat.

A story full of mystery and moral dilemmas

Replaced is a visually stunning 2D platformer that ambitiously strives to give a thrilling and emotional experience in the still relatively exclusive cyberpunk niche. Alongside its numerous incredibly detailed, hand-crafted backdrops, its splendidly fluid combat system feels dynamic and addictingly fun to play from one encounter to the next. That said, the game evidently still needs some polishing in terms of combat balance, along with notably disjointed character movement when traversing through each zone's platform mechanics. However, that doesn't diminish what the game has accomplished from...