This Pixel is the Most Beautiful Pixel – REPLACED Review

REPLACED, the game that Russian developer Sad Cat Studios has been developing for years and has attracted serious attention, has finally been released. So does he really have the power to cause chaos? The reason for REPLACED’s delay is, of course, the war. Only the Ukrainian side is not affected by this madness. Sad Cat Studios also suffered from the economy affected by the war and said, “Let’s put it into your business” and moved their offices to Cyprus.

The game, which was announced almost 6 years ago, has finally seen the light of day thanks to the young homeland. Why has REPLACED been talked about so much? What immediately attracted attention at the fairs where it was shown was the visual language of the game. It seemed to convey the 2.5D pixel animation style in a way that we had perhaps not seen before, but we learned long before the game was released that the commenter’s tongue was stung by a wasp.

That’s why we waited patiently for REPLACED. Well, the game has finally come and the word is now in our hands. First, let’s briefly look at the story. We are in an alternative world and the nuclear apocalypse occurred in the 80s. Taking advantage of the chaos humanity has fallen into, Phoenix Corp. has control over the human body and organs. It manages the entire order. Artificial intelligence R.E.A.C.H., which got stuck in the human body as a result of a laboratory accident.

is the hero of the game. On the way he sets out to solve the problem he is experiencing, Reach experiences firsthand the corruption of the company and how humanity has become brutal when it is on the verge of extinction (let me write it like this from now on, put a period and put it to where). While trying to solve his own problem, he finds himself in the middle of bigger problems and the story of REPLACED begins. REPLACED’s visual language and the way it integrates pixel animations into the narrative is truly incredible.

From character models to space designs, everything has been carefully created from boxes, but the camera transitions are so effective that the game gains an incomparably cinematic spirit. In most places you will be staring at the screen with your mouth open, let’s stock up on napkins for the drool, gentlemen. The characters may be pixel by pixel, but the variety in animations is staggering. When you hit a wall while running, our hero Reach takes the blow and stumbles.

When it falls from a height or cannot overcome an obstacle (of course, you are the one holding the controller), it falls to the ground with realistic animations. You enjoy this visual feast during the action. You may think that the fine workmanship in space modeling has become obsolete and there is no pixel design language. In wide shots, it makes you think that only the characters are modeled in pixels. As the dynamic and constantly moving camera approaches, the spaces become pixelated.

Honestly, I haven’t seen an independent game with such an impressive visual language in a while, but thanks to Sad Cat Studios, it was a feast for the eyes. Of course, this is not an animated movie, the rest of REPLACED interests us very well. Unfortunately, this is where big and small stumbles begin. REPLACED has a duration of 10-12 hours, full of both action and location puzzles that are never challenging. His biggest problem is the parts where he struggles to tell the story.

The pace slows down so much around here that I even found myself staring at the TV remote while searching for the fast pass button. The story is beautiful, the cinematic spirit and camera use are wonderful, I wonder why the tempo was slowed down so much? If the problem ended with this, I would say okay, but unfortunately the problems continue. REPLACED’s action mechanics are like a two-dimensional version of the Batman Arkham series.

Let’s think about the XBOX controller; If yellow appears on the enemies’ heads, you must press Y; if red appears, press A. You already understand the seriousness of the tone of the colors. You block with yellow and counter-attack with X, the attack key. A gives life to the somersault and escape movement. If the enemies have shields or armor, Reach makes a piercing attack with the B key. The bottom left bar, which is filled with attacks, allows you to make a deadly firearm attack triggered by RT.

This familiar but enjoyable combat system makes REPLACED’s action enjoyable, but there are flaws here too. The biggest problem is lag; Unfortunately, there is a delay between pressing the button and the action taking place, which can be annoying. This problem forces you to keep the rhythm as if you were playing a music-themed game. Moreover, from time to time you are thrown into the middle of very brutal conflicts and this problem starts to become very annoying.

While it shows all its tricks in the first 2-3 hours, the action does not develop much in the remaining long time and repeats itself. If Sad Cat spent half the time on game mechanics as it does on visuals, maybe we would be talking about completely different things. REPLACED clearly needs deeper and richer action dynamics. Now on to the second game, if possible. Unfortunately, REPLACED cannot fully meet the expectations that have been placed on our bodies for years.

Don’t look at me by the way, it’s a very handsome game even as it is. It is not very difficult to overcome the action and tempo problems, even the visual language makes the game important and special. It just misses the opportunity to become a timeless classic with simple flaws, which makes one sad. If you like the genre, buy REPLACED without waiting for a discount or anything. Actors on the opposite coast should also give this production a chance, at least during the campaign period.

Sad Cat Studios, which has gone through difficult times and stood behind its productions, deserves at least this attention. REPLACED Review Story / Atmosphere – 8 Playability – 7 Visuality – 9 Sound / Music – 7.5 7.9 REPLACED is a production that does not play its cards very well, but fascinates people even with its visual language. You can approach it with care and love it, let us tell you.