REPLACED Review
, by Enzo
REPLACED: taking pixel art to higher heights
In a gaming landscape where indie titles are increasingly competing with the biggest names, REPLACED managed to get lots of attention. Announced several years ago, this title from Sad Cat Studios immediately intrigued players with its sumptuous pixel art style, retro-futuristic atmosphere, and impressively fluid animations. But after a long development period and several delays, the wait inevitably gave way to a certain impatience. Now that it’s available, the game faces a major challenge: transforming its particularly appealing aesthetic into a true gaming experience. Does it truly live up to all its promises?
Art direction
Wow. That’s undoubtedly the word with which to begin a paragraph discussing the artistic aspect of REPLACED. To elaborate a bit more on our impressions, we were particularly captivated by the game’s art direction, and few games can boast of having inspired us to take as many screenshots as this one did. What a delight!
You quickly realize just how much effort the developers put into creating a visual experience that’s not only exceptional but also unique. Here, photorealism and hyper detailed 4K textures are cast aside in favor of… some pixel art work that would put some next-gen games to shame. Also, the soundtrack features some rather unconventional sounds but fits the intended atmosphere perfectly.
For those who think this is just a very classic 2D side-scroller, think again. Right from the start, there’s a remarkable sense of depth. The scrolling of the various camera angles is flawlessly executed, the lighting is exceptional, and the cinematography offers a wide variety of point of views for numerous actions, scenes, and interactions. The game’s fluidity is impressive, whether in cutscenes, transitions, or even in the middle of a combat sequence.
Gameplay
When it comes to gameplay, let’s admit that REPLACED quickly scores points, particularly thanks to its exceptionally gripping and perfectly fluid combat. Simple and quick to pick up in the first few hours, the battles gradually gain depth with the introduction of new mechanics, eventually taking on a whole new dimension halfway through the adventure.
Hits, dodges, jumps, and counters flow together with a very satisfying precision, while certain finishers punctuate the battles with particularly polished sequences, sometimes accompanied by camera angles that heighten their impact. And this attention to detail doesn’t stop at the fights: movement is also impressively fluid, as is the level design, which is intended to be intuitive without ever feeling like it’s artificially guiding the player.
If you go all the way to the end of a hallway, the character doesn’t just stop abruptly at the wall, he actually bumps into it! If you miss a jump and hit an obstacle, he stumbles and falls flat on the ground. These are all small animations that may seem trivial, but they demonstrate the care taken with even the smallest details.
Contrary to what its side-scrolling appearance might suggest, REPLACED is by no means limited to a simple 2D journey: there’s a real sense of depth, particularly through more open environments and a train station that serves as a true hub, complete with its own activities and interactions. Finally, frequent saves let you pick up the adventure without ever having to go back very far, which prevents any frustration. One thing is certain: rarely has a game felt this smooth, right down to the camera movements.
Improvements
While REPLACED is quite compelling, both artistically and in terms of its quite enjoyable gameplay, the game isn’t quite perfect. There are no big flaws to speak of, but rather several minor issues worth noting. Some dialogue sometimes scrolls by too quickly, making it impossible to read in its entirety, and the puzzles aren’t always very intuitive. Those aren’t very long either, but it’s sometimes difficult to figure out the right line of thinking.
Otherwise, one of the game’s chapters is intended to be entirely narrative-driven. The idea isn’t bad on paper, but it didn’t strike us as a wise choice. The plot twist at that point didn’t seem interesting enough to justify nearly an hour of narrative exploration. The inclusion of a chapter like this in an experience focused primarily on combat and exploring the various environments ends up disrupting the adventure’s pacing. Furthermore, the many side quests scattered throughout the levels didn’t particularly captivate us.
As for parkour, it generally works pretty well, except for a few specific spots that can be a bit finicky. You’d expect the character to be unable to cover such a distance with a jump, so you look for another route to avoid a needless death. After a few minutes of fruitless searching, it turned out that this was actually the right route, and that the jump animation seemed slightly boosted compared to usual in order to clear this section.
Tested on PC. See our rating policy here.
8.5/10
REPLACED is a vibrant, immersive, and deeply satisfying experience. The artwork is simply exceptional, ranking the game among the most beautiful pixel art games ever. From surprising character models and varied environments to exquisite lighting and a soundtrack that perfectly complements the game, it’s hard not to fall in love with it. The gameplay, which is simple yet surprisingly effective, offers an immediate learning curve and palpable satisfaction to anyone who tries their hand at beating up the bad guys. It's a hidden gem you can miss!
- + Exceptional art direction
- + Elaborate presentation
- + Polished down to the last detail
- + The gameplay is quite enjoyable
- - Some puzzles can be unintuitives
- - The notes and lore aren't that interesting