I went into Replaced with high expectations. First announced in 2021 as the debut game from Sad Cat Studios, Replaced made waves with its initial showing, especially with me. The cyberpunk aesthetic, smashed together with incredible pixel art, grabbed my attention immediately. I wanted it. I wanted something that could be new and gorgeous and enthralling. So I followed along, patiently waiting since that initial announcement.
Time passed. Dates came and went. A war didn’t help. Innovating new lighting technology slowed things down even more. But finally, finally, I have played Replaced. I have finished Replaced. And I can finally say, out loud, that Replaced is an experience worth having.
Is it perfect? Not at all. The gameplay can drag, the combat can become rote, and the minute-to-minute moments can get stale. But is it special? Unquestionably.
A Clog in the Works
Replaced begins in a very different 1984, somewhere in the United States. Out of the ashes of a World War II where the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on its own shores, a new ruling structure has taken form. Phoenix Corporation runs and rules over Phoenix City, a metropolis surrounded by an impenetrable wall. Players take the role of Warren Marsh, a scientist in the depths of grief due to the death of his best friend and research partner. Amid the pain, Marsh’s life’s work has culminated in R.E.A.C.H.: an AI designed to help pair terminally ill patients with viable organ donors from throughout the populace. R.E.A.C.H. has been learning and growing more and more, and Phoenix Corp is ready to bring R.E.A.C.H. even further beyond the lab.
But before that can happen, an explosion rocks the lab while Warren is neurologically entangled with R.E.A.C.H. In the ensuing blackout, a new figure wakes up. R.E.A.C.H. has been uploaded to Warren’s body, with Warren’s mind nowhere to be found. R.E.A.C.H., now referred to simply as “Reach,” escapes the facility as the arriving Phoenix Corp Police attempt to dispose of them. After a pursuit, Reach washes up outside the Wall, in a land they never knew existed: the land of the Disposals.
Reach’s journeys outside the Wall make up the vast majority of Replaced, as they attempt to get back to the lab to undo the upload process. Along the way, Reach learns more about the true nature of the world around them: The details that aren’t intensively covered in the files and documents they once had access to. The cruel world of Phoenix Corp, which identifies donors without consent, kidnaps them, steals their body parts, and dumps them outside the wall to become Disposals. The irrationality of the human experience, and our inherent drive to do good. But, most importantly, Reach learns why they exist in the first place, and what they can do to leave the world better.
Narrative Hits
Throughout my 12 hours with Replaced, I was enthralled with the narrative around me. The characters Reach meets are vibrant and well-written, with fantastic shots of levity dispersed through the grim story. The writing is clever and thoughtful, especially in the collectible scans found throughout each level. I found myself scrounging every corner just to find more pieces of information to help flesh out this living world. The world of Replaced is dark and grimy, but never once did I find the tone of the story to become dour.
The ending of Replaced does land slightly heavy-handedly, but I did not find it off-putting. If anything, I was impressed with Replaced’s willingness to pull no punches and simply lay its themes at the viewer’s feet. I walked away from Replaced with a heavy sense of melancholy toward how good dreams and ideas can get twisted and perverted by people in power, but also a deep hope toward the drive of humans to do better. It all works.
Walking, Punching, Jumping, Sneaking
Replaced consists largely of two gameplay loops, each broken up by a wanderable hub area with side quests.
Players will spend most of their time solving environmental platforming puzzles. Most objectives involve getting from one location to another while using various traversal mechanics to do so efficiently. Starting with just their hands and legs, Reach slowly adds more mobility to their arsenal. A pickaxe to hang from, a contextual double jump, and a spoilery ability I will not reveal here help round out the movement over time, adding complexity to later areas. Although relatively simple, I found the platforming mostly enjoyable. Movement can feel heavy and finicky, especially for timing-based puzzles later in the campaign, but all in all, it is successful.
Much more awkward, however, is combat. Built around the parry system innovated by the Arkham series, combat tasks players with fending off groups of enemies who can very easily overwhelm. Luckily, an indicator will flash above an enemy’s head if an attack can be interrupted with an attack, parried, or dodged. Paying close attention to the indicator is the only way to survive and thrive against enemies.
Over the course of the game, however, Replaced only continues to layer on new mechanics. First, it adds heavy enemies whose armor must be broken by a slow, heavy attack with Reach’s pickaxe. Next, you’ll find a gun whose shot recharges as you hit enemies but drains if you play passively. Want to dodge around and find a strategic new angle? Kiss your bullet charge goodbye. Then there’s a parry specifically for gunshots. Then there’s a recharging knockback mechanic. And finally, you’ll gain an “Overcharge” ability — which also builds up as you strike things but at a much slower rate — that allows you to fire endless bullets for a short time.
Sounds like a lot to juggle? It is! Combat becomes a frustrating puzzle by the end of Replaced, with almost too many different things that can happen at once. Not to mention that two of the mechanics (the way-too-slow heavy attack and the Overcharge) feel just bad to weave in. My strategy became the same for every encounter: Pick off non-armored enemies first, so I wouldn’t get hit when winding up a heavy attack for tougher brutes. Although effective, it was also a headache. While I did not hate Replaced’s combat at its core, and I did genuinely enjoy it when the mechanics all worked together (especially in boss fights), your mileage may vary.
A Visual Masterpiece
For all the faults in its gameplay, Replaced more than makes up for it in style.
Replaced is an awe-inspiring game to look at. I can’t count the number of times I was simply floored by the amazing lighting, camera shots, pixel work, environment design, music… You name it, Replaced does it right. Everything works in conjunction to showcase the talents of the design team. Long walks down dark corridors allow the camera to sweep through foreground and background, creating an eerie sense of size. Sweeping vistas lit orange by the fading sun, with gentle wind pushing through corn stalks, as Reach pushes through their journey.
Every time I would grow frustrated with a climbing sequence or a combat encounter, I would take a step back to appreciate the grandeur before me. Rain beating against neon lights as huddled pedestrians fight against the cold. Sterile labs where grime creeps at the corners. By choosing a cyberpunk aesthetic, the team at Sad Cat found a way to lean into the natural blockiness of pixel art, and it pays off in spades. I could write more, but I think Replaced speaks for itself even in stills.
Memento Mori: A Reminder to Carpe Diem
Replaced fits its narrative in many ways. The story and visuals are incredible, among some of the best I have seen. The combat tries too many things, but does get credit for trying. The characters feel alive, with history baked into their every interaction. And Reach is a superb main character, a childlike AI forced to be a different type of tool in search of what their purpose is.
Replaced has its flaws, especially during combat. But I don’t think those flaws stack up enough to detract from the things it does with a master’s touch. Replaced reaches for the stars, but only ends up hitting the moon. And that’s still pretty good.
Score: 8.8/10
Replaced, developed by Sad Cat Studios and published by Thunderful Publishing, released on April 14, 2026, for PC (via Steam and GOG) and Xbox Series X/S. MSRP: $19.99; also available on Xbox Game Pass. Version reviewed: Xbox Series X.
Disclaimer: A review code was provided by the publisher.
Gary is a jack-of-all-trades video game enthusiast based in Boston, MA. A semi-professional fighting game player, even less professional Apex Legends player, and even less professional adult, he spends most of his time poking at strange indie gems and reading about the need for more diverse voices in gaming criticism. He invites anyone to recommend anything he's missed in the gaming world via Twitter or BlueSky, where he can found under the username @grtnpwrfl. When he isn't spending his time playing games, Gary is an avid New England Patriots fan and frequent hiker.
