I first came across Replaced about three or four years ago during one of the many Steam Next Fest events. The look, with its Blade Runner-esque vibes, felt like it could be something special. While I didn’t keep up with the game’s development over the years, I was still eager to give it a try. So when the opportunity finally came, I jumped into the game to see what this was all about. I was expecting a puzzle-platformer. While there is plenty of that here, this is also a game that tries to be so many things at once. Unfortunately, a strong atmosphere can’t mask the pacing and frustrating combat system.
Alternate History but still futuristic
Replaced puts you in control of a man named Warren. But Warren isn’t his normal self. He’s being ‘controlled’ by an AI called Reach. The game starts with a frantic pursuit. But when it seems like you’re cornered and left for dead, a mysterious person comes to your rescue. A man named Tempest saves you. He brings you back to the outskirts of the game’s main city, Phoenix City. From there, the two of you attempt to break back into the city and get to the bottom of what’s going on.
There is actually a lot more to Replaced than what I laid out. The game takes its time to reveal the world and its characters to the player. Because of that, you’re left with a lot of questions early. This is especially true in how Warren/Reach impact this world. While the game takes place in and around a city called Phoenix, this isn’t the famous Arizona city. The environment and aesthetics give it a more Chicago-like vibe. While the game takes place in an alternative 1980s US, the technology here is highly advanced.
The game doesn’t outright teach you about the world or the events that led to its existence. They do expect you to go out of your way to find items scattered throughout the game’s chapters. These are easy to spot, and they do give you some background information. But you don’t have to go out of your way to find them if you don’t want to. There is an obvious sense of mystery and uncertainty. But the fact that so much of the world-building isn’t fleshed out naturally might frustrate some.
Trying to be too many things at once
When you start Replaced, you might assume this is an Inside-type puzzle-platformer. The game begins with you trying to evade attackers off-screen. The slightest mistake will result in your character’s death. While puzzle-platforming is the primary gameplay loop, the game also incorporates other elements. It’s not long after the first pursuit that you start to see them.
Outside of moving through the different environments, the game offers opportunities to explore. On top of that, there are many combat sequences that you’ll get yourself into. The fetch quests are your standard “do X for someone”. These are optional and offer some rewards, but others are necessary to progress the story. None of these is outright difficult to complete. Thanks to the small environments, any backtracking is minimal.
Even though they aren’t difficult, none are that interesting. In a later part of the game, I encountered an annoying mandatory quest that wasn’t fun. It involves finding four technicians. While the first two are easy to find, the third requires the most work. You stumble upon the fourth one, and their task is underwhelming. It felt like the devs didn’t know how to structure this quest in a way that is interesting for the player. It sort of fizzles once you complete the task and you proceed with the rest of the game
The damn combat
My biggest gripe with the game is its combat system. Every combat scenario is the same: enter an area with enemies waiting for you, then fight waves of them. There are only a handful of different enemy types, so repetition hits early.
You have to rely on counters and dodging to win these fights. Progressing the story increases Reach’s combat abilities. He’ll gain access to more weapons and stronger attack types. Reach can deflect bullets. They can also fire their gun-baton, but only once they’ve powered it up enough.
Even with his abilities, which take a while to activate, the combat sequences are never fun. They incorporate the same theme every time. For example, every fight has enemies with shields. So, then there are speedy characters that can only get hit with a bullet or by deflecting their shot. Another strange thing is that all fights take place on the same 2D Plane. Because of that, you can only hit the enemy in front of you. However, their bullets, grenades, and attacks don’t impact other enemies. So, if an enemy tosses a grenade, it will only do damage to you, even if it explodes in front of another foe.
Fight sequences also feel like they drag on only for the sake of padding the game’s length. Even if you dish out a ton of attacks without a response, the game wants you to use your abilities to finish foes. It seems trying to mix up your standard and heavy attacks doesn’t do significant damage. It’s only when you counter or trigger an advanced attack that foes go down. Since you have to do the regular attacks to build up your abilities, this gets annoying.
Pacing Problems
The look of Replaced is incredible. The game offers plenty of variety in the locations Reach visits. From the wilderness back country to the busy streets, we see it all. But the problem is that the game feels padded rather than cohesive. As I mentioned earlier, the game incorporates some fetch quests in a few of the game’s chapters. These feel out of place with the rest of the game.
Sure, you can skip those sequences, but it still doesn’t hide the fact that the game has these breaks. There are a few flashback sequences where we control Warren pre-Reach. These also take you out of the action, but share more background around their involvement. These sequences are core to the story but are slower-paced.
Replaced takes place over the course of 10 chapters. I finished the game in just under 14 hours. The events in Replaced feel like they should take place over the course of one or two days. But they include a few ‘coma’ moments where your character is out of it for what feels like days/weeks. Because of that, the weather changes to Winter. This also seems strange. I can’t recall if they explained the weather change, but it is a strange change.
So much potential
In its current form, I can’t recommend Replaced even though I enjoyed the game’s mysterious story and world. This should have been a story-focused puzzle-platformer. The combat sequences are not fun and don’t offer enough variety once you start seeing the same enemy types. If there were a way to remove the combat, this would be a much better game.
