Replaced Reviews
Sad Cat elegantly depicts these themes, and I believe anyone who plays Replaced is going to have an enlightening experience, which I imagine is exactly what the studio was going for.
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Review in German | Read full review
Sad Cat Studios has finally delivered the game they've been promising for years, and it's every bit as brilliant as I'd hoped. Featuring an incredible tale of what it is to be human, Reach touches hearts and rips some out as he hops and whacks his way across Phoenix City and beyond. This is an Indie Game of the Year contender, no doubt about it.
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.
The key factor in Replaced is whether you’ll be captivated by the visuals and immersed in the cyberpunk universe enough for them to push you forward despite the setbacks – and there are plenty of those, as the repetitive combat and unresponsive controls in the platforming sections can really try your patience. Ultimately, this is a game that’s better to look at than to play.
Review in Polish | Read full review
A sci-fi indie game with enjoyable gameplay and truly excellent direction: it's a shame about the side quests, which aren't quite up to par, and the lack of originality in the narrative.
Review in Italian | Read full review
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Review in German | Read full review
What can I say? This is a great game. You could argue that indie games are for a niche audience, that it’s too short, or that it doesn’t offer anything groundbreaking. That may be true, but the fact remains that Replaced excels at what it sets out to do and keeps you glued to the screen without you even noticing the time passing. The cyberpunk settings in a post-apocalyptic world, the story to uncover, the highly realistic battles against enemies, and the urge to ask yourself more and more questions and see the world from the perspective of a computer that has just taken on the body of a human being. If you want to do the right thing, try Replaced and you won’t be disappointed. There are many doubts about human nature, but one thing is certain: indie games can convey much more than big-budget titles, as Sad Cat Studios has proven.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Replaced is certainly worth the wait, and is something you get with a great artistic vision and thematic consistency throughout the experience. Its ability to immerse the player in its world is fantastic, elevated by an OST that's reminiscent of its setting. Despite its simplicity, its combat adds much-needed depth, engaging players with a flow-like system that lets them smoothly shift from offense to defense with a single button press.
REPLACED is like watching an eleven-hour movie that's surprising, fluid, and fun. Its gameplay is enjoyable, and the story pulls you in from the start with depth at every turn. Combats land at just the right moments, each chapter brings something new, and the pixel art is practically flawless. I wanted more enemy variety and tougher bosses, but this is easily one of the best adventures of the year. Give me more.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
With weighty platforming and crunchy, satisfying combat, this is a world full of heart and incredible detail presented with an eye-catching art style. It’s backed up by a punchy soundtrack that elevates every pixel on display. REPLACED oozes style and imagination, and it’s almost everything I wanted it to be.
Replaced is a very solid cyberpunk narrative adventure, featuring an outstanding world and atmosphere that draw you in from the very start. Its story, though somewhat clichéd, is well-told and gains strength thanks to its characters and the world it builds. The gameplay doesn’t quite reach the same level, but it’s a very good video game and more than lives up to expectations.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Replaced’s strong narrative, excellent world building and well realised audio and visual style make it a must play. Exploring the question of humanity via cinematic storytelling and visceral combat makes this 80s cyberpunk thriller worthy of your time. Say goodbye to the current game you’re playing, because it is getting Replaced!
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.
REPLACED is ultimately defined by how strongly it commits to its identity. Even when its gameplay structure leans repetitive or its combat pacing becomes overwhelming, the experience rarely loses its grip thanks to its exceptional visual direction and emotionally grounded storytelling. It doesn’t aim to reinvent its genre mechanically, but instead refines how a cinematic 2.5D world can feel to inhabit. And the stylish, atmospheric, and quietly human experience will stay with you well after it ends.
Replaced doesn’t just deliver a distinctive visual identity that blends pixel art with a 3D world—it also offers a fast-paced combat system that makes every encounter more thrilling. Despite a relatively simple progression system and some repetition in combat, the level design, music, and other gameplay elements give the experience a much more enjoyable and engaging feel.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
In spite of its glitches, you can't fault the game and its team for having ambition. Replaced's attempt at immersing you in its lush and beautiful-yet-dystopian future, and its intriguing premise accompanied with a rockin' synth soundtrack; it really works when you experience that early in-game chase scene and how Reach/Warren figure out their conundrum in the game's short-but-sweet runtime. Just like with this week's many narrative-driven releases in this particular week of April, Replaced is that one title you can't pass up.
REPLACED is an unforgettable adventure that was well worth the wait all these years. It’s the perfect blend of a cinematic action-adventure set in a pixel-art world with a profound story about the division of society and the journey of self-discovery. Beautiful art style, a very good combat system, platforming elements, puzzles, and phenomenal music and cinematography come together to create a unique combination that makes this one of the best indie games of the year.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Supremely beautiful and with impeccable atmosphere at every turn, Replaced struggles with its game-to-narrative pacing and repetitive gameplay mechanics. Still, the big picture is so lovingly crafted and gorgeous that all minor issues are fairly easy to ignore.
Review in Finnish | Read full review
An atmospheric action game with enchanting 2.5D pixel graphics. The combat is wonderfully dynamic. When it all comes together, I feel like John Wick on steroids – or whatever the performance-enhancing drugs are called in this retro-futuristic world.
Review in German | Read full review