Replaced is a side-scroller jump&run, parcours, platform and combat game in a Sci-Fi dystopian cyberpunk Blade Runner Mad Max setting in an alternative 1980’s city of Phoenix in America (although some buildings are more similar to NYC) with retro pixel graphics. In that timeline, big corporations are heavily experimenting with human-cybernetic augmentation and AI. The player escapes some kind of cybernetics lab after a catastrophic incident and gradually discovers the machinations which lead to the event.
After about 14,5 hours play time in a completionist approach, here’s my pros/con s list:
Pros:
+ awesome intro
+ great retro pixel style
+ retro style graphics combined with modern shading and lighting
+ great lighting effects
+ very good level design
+ abundant environmental detail
+ combines ideas of Blade Runner AI and Mad Max into a new, fresh story as well as setting
+ tutorials when progressing through the game
+ easy to learn and smooth combat mechanics
+ challenging fights
+ amazing, rewarding finishing moves
+ chapter selection from early on
+ good sound design
+ interesting soundtrack
+ varied levels and tasks
+ great riddles
+ platforming challenges
+ good balance between fights, exploration and story progression / cutscenes
+ camera movement well done
+ great Termites group inspired by Mad Max
+ flashbacks to deepen the main character’s background and explain the plot
+ amicable characters
+ tangible side-cast and NPCs
+ varied, sometimes tragic side-quests
+ seasonal changes emphasizing the feeling of time passed
+ very strong chapter when embarking on the journey to the wall through an abandoned city transformed into a daunting military zone
+ mind-blowing drone escape scene
+ good checkpoint distribution
Cons:
- Often strange that movement is strictly on an x-axis, even if there are better options in the level’s environment
- Lore could have explained and elaborated much more on the world and the state it’s in
- Felt like a build up to a big revelation to be uncovered but it didn’t happen
- Frequent FPS stutters
- Soundtrack is very subtle for most part of the game
- A bit underwhelming ending
- Last two chapters feel rather stretched
Conclusion:
Overall, Replaced is a well-developed game with smooth mechanics, varied levels and a motivating plot. If you like the setting and style, you’ll have a lot of fun fighting your way through a dystopian alternative city of Phoenix. In my opinion, the game could have achieved an even higher rating if the developers would have included some more and surprising plot twists as well as a big revelation at some point to top up the dramatic character of the story and setting. Recommended!
Rating: 7/10 points
