Replaced Review

Who left the neon lite-on?

When we first played the demo for Replaced, we were in love with everything it offered, but queried just how long it could keep up its basic action and platforming elements given its overall presentation. We also, incorrectly, assumed the demo was ‘it’ in terms of its gameplay loop that may or may not ramp up in difficulty as the player progressed through its already awesome story.

How wrong we were.

It turns out this is an RPG-lite action-adventure-platformer with so much to offer, it’s wild that it hasn’t wholly been billed as such. Keeping its cards close to its chest, especially via its demo offering, developer Sad Cat Studios has led us to assume the simplest of truths: Replaced is a dystopian cyberpunk story that runs left to right on a 2.5D plane with Batman: Arkham-style combat, except it’s not and that might be the best Big Brother hoodwink of all time in this space. Rather, Replaced is an engaging adventure title that features quests, repeat characters and locations, progression and a genuine sense of growth across all of its elements.

Lite-on, of course.

That’s not to diminish what is here. Sad Cat knew what to bite into, and what not to bite too much of. The studio’s budget constraints have been well documented yet what lies before you is a game brimming with style and confidence. You’ll get lost in its presentation and achieve bicep gains for the amount of times you’ll be picking your jaw up from the ground from that aspect alone. And it’s not just the artstyle or visuals, it's the direction of the camera, it’s the cadence of story beats and progressive moments, it’s the human story of an AI learning the truth for the first time… it’s in potentially misplaced hope that remains forever permeable among the forgotten and destitute that you somehow bolster, in presence alone...

Replaced is, well, it’s just something else and you absolutely need to play it.

Replaced

Genre: Side-Scrolling Action-Adventure
Developer: Sad Cat Studios
Publisher: Thunderful
Release Date: April 14, 2026
Classification: MA 15+
Author: Stephen Farrelly
Date: April 15, 2026

R.E.A.C.H for the Truth

Replaced’s story is actually its best part, which after you conclude this review, is saying a lot. The Cyberpunk, Dystopian Alt-History/Future setting has been played to the nines in games, but Replaced approaches its narrative with reverence to that, as well as with measured restraint. That last bit is important because while the game presents as short-ish and constrained, it’s where narrative bombast could have filled any seeming void, but doesn’t. And Replaced is all the better for it.

"Big corp won on face value, but behind the scenes is, naturally, as sinister as they come..."

We’ve been here before, natch, but the way in which the game-world exposition is doled out to the player is fantastic, and tends to rely on your personal level of investment. At 3rd-Phase Boss we are unashamedly Nosey Parkers, and love to unravel the full experience of most games through exploration and lore. What we learnt about the world of Replaced is that it’s an alt-history spin on big corp versus government. Big corp won on face value, but behind the scenes is naturally as sinister as they come. And all of this took place during the 60s and the era of JFK with plenty of throwback nods to actual history before the fictional timeline split (we come in at alt 80s). It's incredibly well-handled, reminding us of the writing and setup for Arkane Studios' Prey reboot.

All of the above brings us to R.E.A.C.H, which is an AI of sorts -- to use modern and topical labelling -- but might better be placed as a Cyberdyne-type, from a sci-fi setting perspective. Warren Marsh created (or helped to create) R.E.A.C.H for the Phoenix Corporation and after an incident in their shared lab, Reach is now Warren (read our first “Would you like to know more?” box out for… MORE!). This means Reach now has control of Warren meaning Warren now has Neo-level skills and abilities and a resilience not normally capable of humans. And is also thrust into a world it didn’t know existed. You see, the aforementioned Phoenix Corporation has been propagandising its position in America as a bastion for advancement, growth and safety, but also built walls and rejected certain folk from its 'perfect' society. This is all fairly Orwellian and Gibson but also feels very much its own because of how Sad Cat has approached it all.

Reach’s reach toward humanity and understanding the plight of the downtrodden story, then, is as trope-heavy as they come, but the studio has excelled at making it feel not like that at all.

Would you like to know more?
Warren and Reach barely converse, which suggests early on that Warren has simply been taken over by an AI. It's not quite Johnny Silverhands-level of dual personality tropeism, but definitely presents in a unique way. R.E.A.C.H, you see, has been believing the corpo propaganda it has been fed and so now gets to experience both human feelings and emotion, while also digesting the truth of its parent company and the actual evils it's doing. We've seen this type of thing play out before, but it's a neat narrative tool in Replaced that allows Reach to narrate - even for us - the woes and hopes of the world before it. Well played, Sad Cat Studio.

Of Termites and Arcades 

When players get to the “Station”, Replaced suddenly lifts its veil as an RPG-lite replete with NPC fetch quests, expanded story and even an arcade you eventually unlock all cabinets of based on your chapter progression -- all of which you can play. It’s a neat way to show a sense of time without that aspect having to be dynamic. And we say “lite” because you really only progress your health bar and gun-charging abilities. Certain other buffs come to your pickaxe and movement, but it’s all fairly basic, but so is the game in its essential interaction, so it works.

"Overall this is a less expansive playspace, though in its limitations it does a lot to make you feel like you’re covering a lot of ground and vertical real estate..."

You climb and scale the world with intricate platforming elements, while also engaging in combat skirmishes utilising the heavily-touted Batman: Arkham influence. Movement through the world is relegated to a single plane, but you can shift between forward and back based on level design, but overall this is a less expansive playspace, though in its limitations it does a lot to make you feel like you’re covering a lot of ground and vertical real estate, in equal measure. Discoverables come in the form of the earlier-mentioned propaganda as well as diary entries, security logs, news posts, graffiti and more, and all are recorded on your youbeaut Wingman 2 device (boy, do we desperately want one of these in the real-world -- read our second “Would you like to know more?” box out for… MORE!), which also manages your ‘to-do’ list as well as allowing you to listen to audio tracks found throughout the game.

It’s a collector’s dream filling it up, but also a nightmare if you miss one of the game-world magpie sparkles that invite you to investigate, which is more than likely why we’ll play the game again given we already reviewed on the hardest difficulty setting.

Would you like to know more?
The Wingman 2 device is about the coolest tech in the game. Both analogue and digital, it represents the best of the modern mixed with the past mixed with creatvity. Part GameBoy, part Walkman, all information, the device is also just fun to pull out and scroll through. In this day and age, also, we don't think it'd be a stretch for Sad Cat to get a Kickstarter going to have physical ones made. We certainly hope there's some sort of legal patent tied to its in-game design, because we'd buy and use one in a heartbeat... just sayin', SCS (if you're reading)!

Climb and “Y”

Not a flex, that last bit above, but more an indication of what to expect. We’re Batman: Arkham veterans here and, now absolute flex, pretty expert at Rocksteady’s game-changing combat system. It doesn’t mean combat in Replaced is easy; timing is a big factor and certain attacks mix up just enough to break any so-thought ‘rhythm’ you might think you have going on. There’s no combo meter here, but the game tracks your landed blows versus evades and reversals and your weapon’s power builds or diminishes accordingly. You can only use your weapon when its power is full and it’s always a one-off until you fill it again, meaning you need to be mindful of the economy at play here. It’s simple, but in line with the game’s basic approach to everything, works brilliantly.

"The game never hardfails you to your detriment and just resets you at pretty good checkpoints..."

That said, we did find some inputs using a wireless USB dongle and Xbox controller setup on PC sometimes felt like some presses or movements had delay, but we also know the game is being patched on Day One, so this has the potential to be addressed, but it did often rear its head enough to frustrate.

This also happened a lot in the game’s climbing moments, particularly when you’re using the pickaxe to cling to specific wall cracks where inputs weren’t recognised to the point of mashing. The game never hardfails you to your detriment and just resets you at pretty good checkpoints, though, which is nice. Failing at a handful of bosses, however, meant having to wait for the cut-scene to play out, which did feel a bit at odds with how the rest of the game handled these. (They are skippable, but just don’t play the cut-scene in future, devs?)

Poise Counts!

On the gameplay loop, world-building, narrative whole, though, Replaced is next-level. This is an Indie punching and Reversal-ing so far above its weight, it’s crazy. Our only gripes are those mentioned above and a lack of more peripheral dialogue bubbles for the background characters you walk by so often given most of the game’s quests are all fetch-based. And that’s another minor gripe that there’s not a lot of additional elements thrown into those, but as we’ve laced throughout this review, it’s intentionally lite.

"The game’s lighting and volumetric fill is incredible as is its overall use of depth-of-field and scale. It feels large without ever actually being so..."

In terms of direction though, Replaced is a rare beast. Each and every cut-scene feels and looks wholly thought out and cinematic without losing any of its videogame self. The game’s lighting and volumetric fill is incredible as is its overall use of depth-of-field and scale. It feels large without ever actually being so, while all aspects of each environment are unique and intricately detailed and never feel repeated from an assets perspective.

In all, it is a visual and directorial masterclass that we fell in love with from go to whoa. The lite-on stuff is awesome because it doesn’t try too hard to be any more than what the studio could present but, classically, that’s just made us want more. 

It’s also not short on replayability -- we just hope these guys can either add to the release down the track or use its hopeful success to go even bigger next time.

What’s Boss?

  • An engaging story that is never overbearing but always informative to the game-world and player intent
  • Stunning art and world design
  • Incredibly well-directed in terms of camera and cut-scenes - a masterclass, really
  • Excellent soundtrack and peripheral audio - this dystopia is alive!
  • The Batman: Arkham-style combat on a minimal plane is well executed
  • Brilliantly paced throughout

Not Boss Enough?

  • Some inputs felt delayed on controller on PC
  • Repeated NPC speech bubbles felt repetitive and pulled from the world a bit (not hugely)
  • We loved it being RPG-lite, but would have liked a bit more depth

A 2.5D-ish pixel-art action-adventure title with Batman: Arkham-style combat, platforming and an RPG-lite makeup set in a dystopian cyberpunk world. Directed like a sci-fi cinematic epic, too. Budget constraints be damned!

Learn about our reviews

About the Author

Written By Stephen Farrelly
Stephen Farrelly is a veteran journalist and editor with more than two decades experience in the worlds of gaming, entertainment, lifestyle and sport. He is a proud pug dad, loves art in all forms (particularly street and tattoo culture), and is the director of Swear Jar Editorial and Media Pty Ltd, this site's owner and publisher. When not dispensing words, he's also dispensing boutique beers as a taproom fixture at Bracket Brewing in Marrickville, NSW...
More from this Author
  • + The Sharp Query Around Insomniac’s Wolverine
  • + Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Announced, Watch the Reveal Trailer!
  • + Saros Review
  • + Aussie Humour Reigns Supreme in My Arms Are Longer Now's Cinematic Trailer
  • + Subnautica 2 - After 30+ Hours of Submerged Bliss Here's 5 things we want in 1.0

    • Explore More in Gaming

    After Insomniac's brutal unveiling of Wolverine Snikting this way and that, we were left with one really genuine question around both the fantasy of being Logan and then... being Wolverine. Click through to understand just what we mean...

    Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 has been revealed alongside a spectacular trailer and a handful of in-game assets. This entry comes directly from series creator, Infinity Ward and is set to offer up a number of firsts for the franchise - head inside for more!

    Housemarque's newest spin on the roguelite genre is high-budget and big in scope. So, what has the studio learnt since Returnal, and does this new joint one-up that venture, or is it altogether its own thing? Our full review inside!

    Ever just wanted Mr Fantastic arms you could stretch to no ends and use them to, as Bart would say, "annoy!"? Yeah, us too! So that's why My Arms Are Longer Now has grabbed us from afar and drawn us right in!

    Subnautica 2's Early Access self is an impressive display of polish and scale, and it's just the beginning of what the team has planned. Still, we couldn't help but come up with a list of things we'd love to see in the final 1.0 release down the track, above and beyond the planned stuff already - take a look!

    As it races towards its Early Access fin(n)ish line, Bugbear Entertainment's Wreckfest 2 has received a major update ensuring that when it sees its checker flag, it hasn't got their limping. New trailer, screens and details inside!

    Check out a host of new information around The Sinking City 2, as well as an all-new gameplay trailer showcasing the game's stellar art and Eldritch setting!

    Has a game's intro hit you so hard you just couldn't shake it? Did it give you everything you needed to know about the journey ahead with ease and seemingly no force? We've ranked the 10 best to do the above, and more, in our definitive list -- click on through to learn who made the cut!

    Not quite the original and new Star Fox many of us have been wanting, but we'll take it! Star Fox is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 in a heavily updated reimagining of the N64 classic. New features and an incredible visual overhaul should be enough for any Fox McCloud fan -- jump in and take a squiz at what to expect!

    Diablo IV's second expansion is here, and Lord of Hatred not only wraps up the story that began in the main campaign but overhauls just about every system in the game while also introducing two new playable classes. Check out our full review to hear our thoughts on Diablo IV's big 2026 update.

    Comment

    Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.