REPLACED (Demo)

REPLACED is a 2.5D cinematic action platformer set in an alternative 1980s cyberpunk style world. You play as R.E.A.C.H or just ‘Reach’, an artificial intelligence inhabiting a human body on a mission to escape and / or take down the sinister Phoenix Corporation that created you.

The demo was only about twenty minutes long and rather light on narrative, hence me somewhat lifting the Steam store page description. I can’t remember exactly when I first saw REPLACED – it must have been during a summer game show because I added it to my Steam Wishlist way back in June 2021. I’d honestly kind of forgotten about it, but then this demo suddenly appeared.

As I said, it’s only about twenty minutes but it does give you a sense of how REPLACED plays. You can run, jump and climb to progress your way through some very striking pixel art environments. This is a game going for a very ‘cinematic’ vibe through its visuals and I’d say it achieves its goal.

The demo is clearly from an early area of the game designed to serve as a tutorial with a few simple platform puzzles to ease you in and several small combat segments. Combat operates like a 2D version of the Batman Arkham games, with an alert icon appearing over an enemy about to attack giving you a chance to block and counter. Yellow alerts mean it’s safe to do so, Red alerts mean you need to dodge. Simple, but effective.

You have a basic attack and a gun that charges over time to perform stylish one shot counters. I don’t know if the game will introduce more weapons or different types of counters or attacks, but the basic foundation of the combat system is solid.

I think the most important thing I can say about this demo is that it left me wanting more. I love the gritty, moody look of it, the combat – though rather basic and easy – was still fun, and there’s an appropriating pounding synth-driven soundtrack pushing you on.

Will the game turn out to be more style than substance? Perhaps. I think it will likely live and die on its narrative aspects rather than its gameplay. The world. The characters. The story. If it can nail those, then we might have something pretty special.