Replaced Is Beautiful [Review]

Replaced is full of surprises. From the very first frame, I was surprised by its striking art style which, while on clear display in the game’s trailers, is infinitely more arresting with hands on sticks. I was surprised by how the combat sandbox, while not revolutionary, evolved into something challenging and exciting, and I was surprised by how much Replaced managed to surprise me late into my playthrough—a hallmark of a passionately, artfully crafted video game.

Coming from the consistently solid indie publisher Thunderful, Replaced is the debut release of Sad Cat Studios. The gaming world is no stranger to impressive indie debuts, with the past several years playing host to several up-and-coming industry darlings, like last year’s Sandfall Interactive, maker of Clair Obscur. While Replaced is perhaps not on the same level as that game, I would argue that it puts Sad Cat Studios in the same league as the likes of Sandfall, with its impressive, nuanced, and inventive art style, writing, and game design.

Even when Replaced stumbles, it quickly recovers with an astonishing setpiece, gorgeous view, or new mechanic, which keeps it on the up-and-up throughout its 11–12 hour runtime. It’s still a bit early, but Replaced has definitely earned its place among the best indies of 2026.

Replaced Is an Audiovisual Feast

I’m not sure that I’ve seen a game that looks quite like Replaced. The closest point of comparison might be Square Enix’s HD-2D games (e.g. Octopath Traveler), or the fantastic Tails Noir, but those don’t have the incredible attention to detail, nor the panache, of Replaced. Perhaps this is due to linearity: Replaced is a predetermined sequence of levels, for the most part, which helps it draw attention to its own beauty in subtle ways. For instance, the camera perspective will pivot slightly if you enter certain areas, indicating a difference in elevation or dimension.

You’ll see most of Replaced‘s environments just once, which only elevates the game’s sense of style and confidence.

Replaced’s visual design is overflowing with this kind of attention to detail. Characters are 2D sprites and backgrounds are composed primarily of 3D models, and juxtaposing these elements lends Replaced the same aesthetic texture as the aforementioned HD-2D games, but with a degree of darkness that’s missing from most titles under that label. I mean that both figuratively and literally: Replaced’s use of light is often mesmerizing, turning the player-character into a silhouette or illuminating him in a soft glow. And the game’s dystopian cyberpunk world, which is appropriately grimy and ramshackle, lends environments narrative and thematic intrigue as much as surface-level allure.

Perhaps the greatest strength of Replaced’s aesthetic smorgasbord is its cinematography. Most 2D games, if they feature cutscenes at all, will include them as mere extensions of the regular 2D stage. In other words, the cutscenes are static, without much thought given to the movement of the virtual “camera.” But Replaced will pan, zoom, and rotate its camera, which not only makes for a more dynamic cinematic experience, but also highlights the strengths of the 2.5D style, as the camera will move between the various layers of the game-world, making it feel like a series of painstakingly detailed, multilayered dioramas.

Replaced’s World and Story Will Keep You Guessing

I think that Replaced’s narrative is best experienced blind, so I won’t go into great detail about it, but suffice it to say that if you like games like Cyberpunk 2077, you’ll probably resonate with Replaced’s story to some degree. It hones in on the sociocultural commentary of the cyberpunk genre, but also its outlandishness, presenting a high-tech world defined, in large part, by some of the worst and most inventive aspects of humanity.

The only drawback of the Replaced story that’s worth mentioning is its pacing. Perhaps Sad Cat Studios simply wanted to pad out its game, or perhaps it had to mold the story around pre-designed setpieces or environments, but there’s a good bit of downtime in Replaced that doesn’t always work. Sometimes it’s fine, like when you first visit an implausibly cozy settlement built in an abandoned train station. The story slows down so you can enjoy new sights, sounds, characters, and even side activities, but other times, Replaced will grind its narrative to a screeching halt by having you embark on glorified fetch quests and other busy work, right as things are starting to get interesting. This is a problem that can impact Replaced’s gameplay as well.

Gameplay is Replaced’s Weakest Link

I didn’t expect much from Replaced’s combat sandbox, which presents itself as a watered-down version of the Batman Arkham combat. At their core, fights are about performing basic combos and counters with the press of a button, but the system blossoms into something more complex with the introduction of special abilities, different enemy types, and new defensive options. It’s certainly not the most expressive or experimental combat system out there, but it’s consistently entertaining and exceptionally flashy: you’ll always feel cool after clearing a room.

The same can’t quite be said about the game’s platforming, which sometimes feels sluggish and imprecise due to slow character movement, limited midair control, and inconsistencies like how the player-character will sometimes magnetize to ledges that they wouldn’t be able to reach regularly. Platforming sections are also typically more about timing and precision than freedom: you’ll regularly engage in activities like waiting for a spotlight to pass before walking down a corridor, or jumping between hazards on a timer. Such challenges are fine, but also disappointingly pedestrian and predictable, and are often akin to the filler that affects Replaced’s narrative.

Although I can identify areas where Replaced falls a little short, I’m still walking away from the game impressed and satisfied. Its visuals are stunning, its story is risky and full of heart, and what its gameplay lacks in complexity, it makes up for in variety, never feeling complacent even despite occasional pacing issues. Replaced is a terrific experience, especially for the price and hopefully, it’s also just the beginning for Sad Cat Studios.