Video games have long been treading down the path of the cinematic for decades. For a long time, it was an endeavor only available to those with a good deal of money. The modern reality is that the pursuit has never ended but has taken different forms. This is where games like Replaced fit in.
Set in an alternative sci-fi 1980s America, Replaced follows an AI trapped within a human body. Thus begins an exploration of a dystopian world in which R.E.A.C.H, the AI in question, witnesses the reality of his creators’ actions upon the world.
It’s an expected but well-rounded plot that covers the expected themes. The quality and commodification of life, while in the shadow cast by a mega corporation, are the anchor of the world. Questions about whether AI can ever be seen as ‘life’ and how much value that life has, if any, compared to humans in a world that cares not for the lower class, provide the driving force of the story. While the themes are not new and have been explored in video games and broader media, Replaced adds a worthy tale to the pile, though not without issues.
While on the surface, Replaced may seem like an action-platformer, it’s not exactly what the game is. A good part of the experience is split and bookended by dialogue and short side quests within a hub world. While this does pad out the world, adding color to characters and context to names, it teeters on the verge of overstaying its welcome. These inclusions, even more so at the start, constantly feel like they’re slowing down the pace of Replaced. It’s a trend that doesn’t stalk the entirety of the game, but the initial few hours are a fairly bumpy onboarding littered with peaks and troughs.
Replaced does understand one thing above all others: style. Everything drips with a sense of focus and push for a certain look. Bleached in tones that reflect a decaying future, still laced with a human sense of optimism. The 2.5D visuals work perfectly to marry the idea of a future 80s America, maintaining a sense of retro while coated in a heavy glaze of modern techniques. Animation work is fantastic, flowing beautifully and breathing life into each movement. This is especially evident in the combat, with movements dancing in tandem to create gorgeous visual delights. Everything tied together makes for a genuinely beautiful game to witness, with a great score.
Engaging with the gameplay of Replaced is a smooth process that never quite gets all that interesting. Combat is the popular setup of attacks, dodges, and counters, the old Arkham Asylum special. It works, looks good, and rewards attention, but it doesn’t take long before it becomes just a process rather than an engagement. There is variation with certain enemies requiring certain attacks to be pulled off before they can die, but even this becomes a little long in the tooth. Enemies mostly attack in small groups, requiring the player to figure out which enemy will be the biggest threat.
The groups of enemies make sense and add a bit of chaos to combat, but they can be annoying. Intending to pull off a certain attack to damage a specific enemy, only for a basic foe to walk in the way and take the damage is grating. Of course, this is something that happens in most games, but in a 2.5D game where the planes of existence are either left or right (much like on social media) it causes issues. Spamming dodges and counters till the crowds are grinded down is an option, but it doesn’t quite feel right when the animation work is so punchy.
Smashing people’s skulls aside, Replaced features a good chunk of platforming. It’s hard not to have flashbacks to the likes of, well, Flashback. Big lunges towards platforms, clambering up chunks of metal and ledges alike. Replace has a strange, occasional quirk where the platforming feels good, but never leaves you confident that some of the plunges into the abyss are strictly your fault. There are some pretty swish tools thrown into the mix that help build a sense of momentum during extending the platform and traversals aspects of Replaced, but beyond that, everything else feels…fine…but looks great!
Ultimately, the idea of feeling fine, but looking great, is the best way to summarise Replaced. From a production point of view, it’s great, amazing. Sounds beautiful, looks fantastic, but as a game, it struggles in places that matter, or could matter. A solid story, strong world-building, and great production are the most potent aspects of Replaced. The gameplay is very much okay most of the time, and sometimes good.
Replaced gleams on the eye and sings to the ear, but with an uneven pace and some fairly hollow gameplay, it does feel like it could have been something better. What we do have is a decent, visually appealing playing experience. The somewhat challenging combat might make it a bit of a mismatch for those just looking for cinema, and the low amounts of gameplay might leave people a little starved.
Average
The Final Word
Replaced will go down as a wonderful production that could have been a more robust package.
