Replaced: Cyberpunk Thriller Debuts at gamescom 2025

After years of playing video games, you eventually develop a kind of "Spidey Sense" for titles that feel destined to be extraordinary. You never truly know until the final product is installed, but more often than not, that instinct proves right.

Replaced, a 2.5D action-adventure game steeped in a breathtaking sci-fi cyberpunk pixel-art aesthetic – complete with masterful cinematography and a moody synth soundtrack – is making that intuition tingle. I played a brief three-part demo over a year ago, which only confirmed the feeling I had after the initial reveal four years prior. This time, I experienced the first 30 minutes of the campaign, and my enthusiasm for what could become an all-time indie classic – in the league of Limbo, Braid, Inside, and Balatro – only grew.

From the very beginning, it's clear that Replaced's art director is a master of their craft. This dystopian vision, set in an alternate-history 1980s America, takes the 16-bit graphics of my youth and elevates them with soft dynamic lighting and brilliant cinematic techniques. Add just the right amount of depth of field, and you get a world that feels genuinely lived-in. It exudes grit and despair, yet somehow manages to make them look stunning.

Replaced is set in an alternate-history 1980s America, revitalizing the 16-bit visuals of my childhood with subtle dynamic lighting and absolutely brilliant cinematography.

You assume the role of R.E.A.C.H., an artificial intelligence inhabiting the body of a man named Warren, who awakens discarded among a heap of corpses. The world of Phoenix City before you is the aftermath of a global nuclear catastrophe that occurred decades earlier. Diaries, news articles, and other fragments of world-building lore are scattered throughout the environment for you to collect and review on your Wingman – essentially this cyberpunk universe's version of a 1980s Walkman combined with a Palm Pilot.

Replaced starts simply, confining you to a classic left-to-right 2D plane with basic platforming. But it establishes its atmosphere with remarkable speed and effectiveness. Whether through the digital clippings that reveal parts of the radiation-scarred backstory or the searchlight-wielding snipers who can eliminate you with a single shot, the grim reality of Phoenix City is immediately apparent. Soon, you must fight for survival, engaging in hand-to-hand combat with faction members and eventually entire gangs.

This is where Replaced delivers its next impressive feature: a combat system reminiscent of Batman: Arkham. Enemies about to attack are marked with a yellow lightning bolt above their heads. Press Y when you see it to execute a timely counter. And, as Arkham veterans will anticipate, a red lightning bolt signals an unblockable attack, requiring you to press A at the right moment to dodge-roll away. Successful dodges and parries build a special-attack meter, allowing you to either fire a acquired firearm from a distance or perform a brutal melee execution at close range. The combat complexity escalates; rifle-wielding adversaries soon appear, with tighter timing windows for their unblockable shots. Heavier enemies also introduce new challenges. I encountered one early on, and likely by design, he wasn't overly difficult to defeat. While all his attacks were unblockable and he could absorb significant damage, I faced him alone, making it a straightforward introduction to the tougher brutes you'll meet later. I fully expect the brawls to intensify in every way – enemy numbers, difficulty, and variety – as the game progresses.

Before long, Replaced introduced its 2.5D elements, literally expanding the world by allowing movement into the background or foreground to retrieve items necessary for progression. You might need to slide dumpsters to create platforms for reaching higher ladders or bridging gaps, for example. While this initial section offered limited environmental freedom, I know it will expand, as I saw in last year's demo. Exploration is occasionally rewarded with collectibles tucked just out of sight – I wouldn't quite call them secrets – that expand your dossier, shed more light on this shattered world, or provide upgrades. I wouldn't say Replaced is designed for replayability in the traditional sense, but if the developers craft a compelling enough backstory for Phoenix City, that alone might motivate players to return and uncover every hidden piece of information.

Replaced features a proper Batman: Arkham-style combat system.

This year's demo, covering the very beginning of the game, also didn't showcase the biggest surprise from my initial hands-on last year: the RPG elements layered beneath its 2.5D cyberpunk exterior. Based on the first impressive trailers, I assumed Replaced was primarily a side-scrolling action-adventure. But it also includes sections with quest-giving NPCs and free-roaming exploration. I am incredibly eager to experience more of this aspect.

Returning to this newest segment of Replaced, I must praise the soundtrack. A moody synth score is essential for capturing the dystopian cyberpunk atmosphere, and Replaced immediately demonstrates its mastery in this area. I also want to revisit the game's visual identity once more. The pixel art is phenomenal, and the use of color and lighting is first-rate, but the animation deserves special mention. In striving for a retro aesthetic enhanced by modern visuals, there's a risk of the animation becoming too fluid. Sad Cat Studios, however, has struck a perfect balance. The movement of R.E.A.C.H. and his enemies retains a slightly deliberate, stilted quality that enhances the broken, weary spirit of Phoenix City and perfectly sells the neo-16-bit aesthetic.

When the demo concluded, my only desire was to keep playing. Replaced is a captivating experience from start to finish, and I'm eager to follow R.E.A.C.H.'s journey and uncover the deeper narrative. I'm also keen to discover the full depth of the combat and RPG systems. I sincerely hope my Spidey Sense is accurate and that Replaced becomes one of the most outstanding and memorable games of 2026 – even acknowledging that Grand Theft Auto VI will likely dominate the news cycle. While a specific release date for Replaced hasn't been announced, it feels imminent. Hopefully, we'll soon learn exactly when we can experience the final, exceptional product.