Forgive me, Sad Cat Studios, but REPLACED didn’t do enough to stand out the first time I played the demo. Sure, you can shout the title, though that’s not going to win you any favours. It looked alright, but the pacing was off, and the movement felt too floaty. In the context of Steam Next Fest, where I’m playing between 50 and 100 demos, you really have to have a USP.
It’s not that it didn’t appeal to me, as cyberpunk and narrative-driven adventures are my thing. Now, with it being released and lucky ol’ me having time for some new reviews, I thought I’d give it a go. With the glaring distractions of Steam Next Fest firmly out of the way, I can confidently say that it is worth the attention. You just gotta let it cook for a while.
REPLACED’s intro is somewhat chaotic as we’re introduced to a scientist named Warren who is mid-hyperfocus on a task where the A.I. he’s connected to, R.E.A.C.H., tells him to calm down – have a Jaffa Cake and a cuppa, then come back to the screen. Warren will have none of it, and as a cautionary tale, the facility he works in has some sort of accident, Warren’s mind vacates, and R.E.A.C.H. is ‘uploaded’ to Warren’s sweaty vessel. With the place about to blow, R.E.A.C.H. heads out to seek support from the fuzz, and they start executing people. Time to dash.
Think The Drifter, Inside, and perhaps Octopath Traveller for aesthetics, and you have a good ‘it’s X meets Y meets Z’ scenario. R.E.A.C.H. is soon running away from pursuers in an alternative 80s America, which has some gangbangers intent on murder death killing him. Gameplay is a blend of side-scrolling platforming similar to Flashback, or the more recent Planet of Lana II, then methodical combat where R.E.A.C.H. is using a baton (that has a charged shot) to crack skulls, parry attacks and roll through to evade unblockable moves. The combat is basic, but I liked the rhythm of it.
The Drifter reference comes from the levels of dystopia (but also the cool visuals), where you reach ‘past the wall’ and meet the community of Disposals. These are humans who have donated body parts and been left to their own devices – a juxtaposition from where Warren was living in Phoenix City. Cue evil corporations and all that cyberpunk jazz. The real revelation, which in itself is a first-hand revelation, is that everything is told from the perspective of R.E.A.C.H. It talks to Warren, but that’s essentially you, the player – Boom! Fourth wall gone! Though it is controlling Warren’s body, it is encountering the human condition in a very different light than what its programming entails. This discovery is found through speaking to the locals, completing fetch quests, and then dramatically pausing to take in the gorgeous visuals.
From the opening scenes of REPLACED, I was transfixed by how in-depth the scenery was. Sure, movement is a little floaty still, but it works. The sheer volume of details makes for an excellent world-building experience. I was built in the 80s, so I have that comparison of what it was like. However, it’s an alternative reality, and while it didn’t exist (unless Marvel is onto something with metaverses), this one is a very believable one and immersive. Really, I take it all back from the first impression, as I could quite easily forget myself due to the pacing and well-suited soundtrack.
REPLACED pacing was good as I was leisurely taking it all in. If you want a hard-boiled action romp, you could be disappointed. While Warren’s body is at stake and R.E.A.C.H. is trying to reunite him with his… soul, and nefarious parties want you dead, there’s something about it that doesn’t instil urgency. I say that when another light beam threatens to insta-kill me with a sniper, or missing a jump without timing my pickaxe to embed within crumbling rock and hitting the deck like a ragdoll. None of it made me frustrated and wanting to kick off. I’ll say it again, the pacing was good.
Approximately five years ago, I was covering several cyberpunk games a week, along with zombie titles. They seem to have died down quite significantly, and now we’re seeing a higher calibre of title peering through. While dystopian settings are two-a-penny, and the even the story here goes a little Total Recall and formulaic. Then again, considering the number of games I consume, alongside a healthy dose of cinema, it’s inevitable they’ll be patterns. It’s ironic that the reason the REPLACED demo didn’t catch my eye was due to the pacing, and here I am telling you to go stick out the demo, and if you like what you see, well, you know what to do.
