From The Running Man to the Keanu classic Johnny Mnemonic, a lot of the sci-fi genre's prolific films have started a shift towards reflecting a future world that's time never truly arrives, which may explain why so many new cyberpunk visions have hit the scene in that same timeframe. CD Projekt Red's ill-fated Cyberpunk 2077 is one such example, but looking beyond the genre's most visible recent entry reveals quite a few interesting takes on sci-fi that feels more real all the time. REPLACED, a 2.5D action platformer that premiered during today's Xbox showcase, is one such game.
REPLACED draws heavily from the world of cinema, with developer Sad Cat Studios citing both Blade Runner 2049 and 2018's Upgrade as its main inspirations. The story sees an artificial intelligence called R.E.A.C.H. piloting a human body through an outlaw-infested Phoenix-City. The AI just wants to return to the warm embrace of the motherboard, but it will instead get a harsh lesson in how a depraved society operates in this alternative 1980s metropolis.
REPLACED's announcement trailer gets across this initial story in a striking intro, leading into a tiny taste of gameplay. While the influence and style of cinematic platformers is present, it doesn't replicate the prioritized animation that gave those games their distinct and polarizing playstyle. Instead, REPLACED will combine the style with fast-moving combat, even going so far as to borrow the "free flow" moniker from the Batman Arkham series. While the action looks satisfying in both its ranged and melee options, it's hard to focus in on the combat when first looking at the impressive style of this cyberpunk dystopia.
REPLACED uses a combination of pixels and voxels for its graphics, but in a way that challenges what players think of when those terms comes up. Instead of blocky Minecraft-esque characters or 16-bit heroes beating up a street of thugs, the setting and backgrounds merge the technology into something that's close to photo-realism. Lighting bounces off the skyscrapers as R.E.A.C.H. leaps from one ledge to the next. The neon glow of downtown bounces off of a train rushing towards its destination. The graphics are striking in the same way as 2020's Carrion, but with a different tone and more varied architecture that combine into something uniquely engaging.
Anyone enthusiastic about REPLACED's cyberpunk vision won't need to wait too long into the future to jack in. Sad Cat Studios and publisher Coatsink have signed on with Microsoft to premiere REPLACED on Game Pass free for subscribers when the game releases sometime in 2022. It will also see a release on PC and Xbox consoles simultaneously, and Xbox Series X owners will get their own optimized edition. Like any great film should, REPLACED has only hinted at where its narrative will go during its E3 unveiling, and there's plenty more to mine from this moody and exquisite-looking actioner.
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