Chris InglisI was first hooked on REPLACED when I saw a trailer as part of the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase earlier this year. REPLACED is a 2.5D sci-fi retro-futuristic action platformer by Coatsink and Sad Cat Studios where you play as R.E.A.C.H. – an artificial intelligence trapped in a human body against its own will. The game blends cinematic platforming, stunning pixel art, free-flow action combat and a deep engaging dystopian story set in an alternative 1980’s. A new trailer for REPLACED debuted today at The Game Awards which showed us more of the game’s jaw-dropping retro-futuristic dystopia, offering a tease about some of its backstory as we get glimpses of bleak abandoned landscapes, bustling neon cityscapes and stylish combat.
Inspired by cyberpunk cinema like Blade Runner 2049 & Upgrade, developers Sad Cat Studios want to build an in-depth, complex world, with pixel art at the heart of REPLACED’s gritty, dystopian past. In and around Phoenix-City, outlaws are rife in society. Everything is ruled by corruption and greed and the ones in power see humans and their organs as nothing more than currency. Explore and uncover the mysteries from the perspective of R.E.A.C.H, who is beginning to understand what it’s like to be human in a broken world.
When Coatsink revealed REPLACED back in 2021, a piece of music called “Void” was introduced. Due to the incredible response it received, Igor Gritsay at Sad Cat Studios decided to release a new track, “Rust,” to accompany the action in this second trailer. Igor didn’t want to lean too much on modern synthwave and instead opted for more grit to give the track a sense of hopelessness and anger, a grimmer tone that echoes the game’s atmosphere. The music of REPLACED is embedded in the game’s lore, and this is inspired, in part, by the amazing Hades soundtrack by Darren Korb. Both “Void” and “Rust” play a significant role in the story of one character you’ll meet in Phoenix-City, Veronica Dame.
REPLACED is planned for release in 2023 and will be available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox Game Pass for Console, Xbox Game Pass for PC, Replaced & Epic Games Store.
