Sad Cat Studios unveiled their new, side-scrolling action game, Replaced, at this year’s Xbox briefing as a part of E3. Replaced takes place in an alternate, futuristic version of the 1980s where you play as R.E.A.C.H, a sentient AI that has been unwillingly placed inside a human body. The game’s stylish, pixel art drew attention during its reveal trailer, and what was shown of combat and platforming indicates a fluid animation style, unlike most other pixel art games.
From the game’s website: “Explore and uncover the mysteries in and around Phoenix-City from the perspective of R.E.A.C.H. who is learning how to be human in a society that has taken a turn for the worst”. Replaced looks to be telling an ambitious story, and the trailer shows off a wide variety of environments within Phoenix-City for R.E.A.C.H to explore.
R.E.A.C.H fights off enemies in Replaced.
There are city streets to navigate at night, dark woods to explore, and even a train you get to ride on top of (and presumably break into). Combat plays out on a 2.5-dimensional plane with R.E.A.C.H showing off some acrobatic martial arts abilities while dealing with adversaries. You’ll have to dig into the corruption that runs Phoenix-City while trying to solve the mystery of why you’ve been placed in a human body in the first place.
Replaced is being published by Coatsink, an indie publisher known for titles like Moonglow Bay and Phogs!. Replaced will be Sad Cat Studios’ debut game when it launches in 2022 on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, and the Epic Games Store. It will also launch as a part of Xbox Game Pass.
