Replaced is a highly detailed 2.5D pixel art action platformer that utilises modern cinematic techniques and features a retro futuristic cyberpunk thriller style. It follows Reach, an AI trapped in a human body against its will, as they have to survive in a world scarred by nuclear catastrophe and unravel the secrets of the Phoenix Corporation.
The other week, I got to play through the first few chapters of Replaced and spoke with Sad Cat Studios co-founder and composer Igor Gritsay about the inspirations behind the game and how they’ve managed to perfect the blend of 2D and 3D. After going hands-on with Replaced, I think they might just have found that perfect balance.
There’s much more to this cyberpunk thriller than you might think. I was impressed with how detailed the scenery was, how the sunlight filtered through a field of corn as if I was watching a movie, and surprised by how natural the character movement felt, from the way Reach slogs through areas when injured, or the way Tempest shook his butt. It feels like Replaced is pushing the boundaries of what a pixel game can do.
The Evolution And Inspiration Behind Replaced
The initial concept for Replaced was a mainline AI in a human brain, and from there, the team thought about what story they could tell with it within the budget they had. Gritsay tells me that as a freshly made studio, with many on the team new to the industry, “it’s too dangerous for us to tackle something bigger, like triple-A, and I’ve seen several teams who tried to do this as a first project. It rarely works out.
“Everybody is praising Sandfall [Interactive] for Clair Obscur, but it’s not like they’re a total newbie to this. I think the main guy is from Ubisoft, and it’s not like he hasn’t seen a game engine before. We just thought about what we can do to the best of our abilities, and then we came up with the direction that we want to move, and it will be a cinematic platformer.”
One of the main inspirations for Replaced was Inside. “Gameplay-wise, it’s a perfect platformer for us because of the sheer density of what they managed to put in this game, where every situation is unique, and you experience the story with no words, but you still have this heavy feeling of something is gruesome, something horrible is happening here. It’s very horrible, but the game is so, so, so amazing.”
Originally, though, Replaced was going to be a bit different. “The overall concept was similar in terms of it was still a cinematic platformer, with such a perspective that we have right now, but it was more akin to older games in this genre, like Flashback or Another World.” However, if the game were too simplistic, and more like a walking simulator, modern players might be less engaged.
“For example, games like Gris are more focused on showing you the beautiful visuals, they’re like two to three hours long, super short, but super sweet. We understood that we don’t want that, because we want to tell a story, but we also want to make some systems in the game so that the players feel more engaged. So that’s when we thought that now we should add the combat system, what should it be?”
Gritsay explains that he and the Replaced director, Yura Zhdanovich, were big fans of the Batman Arkham series. “How can we translate it into 2D? The answer is, you don’t, because it’s very difficult. But we still tried, and I think it’s one of the closest resemblances of the Arkham combat system that you can do in 2D.”
Enemies will alert you to what they’re about to do and how you should react. If they get little red signals above their head, you dodge; if they’re yellow, you counter, and in between, you just hammer them to pieces with melee and gun attacks in a fluid, free-flow combat style.
“I would say that we added platforming, the way it is right now, it’s kind of Uncharted-inspired, where it’s not super difficult, it’s more of the way for you to experience the world, the way to you to not rush through everything, but to feel the environment that you’re in, and another one is just to make you feel badass with the combat system, where you just kick everybody’s ass.”
Gritsay explains that “anything in this game requires an enormous amount of human work and labour to create”. The main character, Reach, has 800 clips of animation. And that’s just the one guy; there are lots of other characters and other elements to the game.
“Adding anything to this game in terms of systems is a total pain in the ass, because it multiplies our work enormously, just because with characters, we don’t have the 3D models, everything is hand-painted, and everything has to be a sprite.”
The Sound Of An Alternate ‘80s
Replaced has an incredible soundtrack, with the trailer showcasing one of the banging tracks. Because the game is set in an alternate 1980s America, I ask Gritsay if any ‘80s music inspired him.
“I mostly come from a heavier background, I listen to metal usually, hard rock and stuff like this. I had to learn new stuff to let myself experience something new. I always listen to some heavy music with incorporated electronic elements, like Nine Inch Nails, or Linkin Park, Magnet Hill Park. I had to learn a bit more about, for example, newer albums of Gary Newman.
Funnily enough, he was an inspiration for Nine Inch Nails, but then he got re-inspired by Nine Inch Nails in the reverse.
“Gunship, which is a really cool band, Health, maybe Carpenter Brut, and then there is also classics like Vangelis’ soundtrack for original Cyberpunk, or even Hans Zimmer’s soundtrack for [Bladerunner] 2049, but I would say that mostly it’s the mix of my inspirations from my original, more heavy background.”
Note: Blade Runner 2049 was in theatres when the team were first coming up with the idea for Replaced, while the Australian flick Upgrade, about an AI put into a human brain, was another influence.
A World You Can Dig Into
Going into the hands-on demo, I expected Replaced to be more run-and-gun, fast-paced barreling through 2D scenes and smashing the hell out of anyone who stood in my way. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was much more narrative-heavy, with optional side quests that you can complete to discover more about the characters and world you find yourself in.
“Our game is linear, in this fashion, from A to B, but we have this railway station where you return several times, and it changes every time a bit. So we decided if we want to tell a story, we want people to actually feel this world, we should tell the problems of people in this world… those are entirely optional if somebody wants to explore and learn more about the world.”
There are also a plethora of notes to find throughout your journey in Replaced, mostly in the form of diaries or news clippings, and it gives you insight about not only the world you are in now, but the world it used to be, as the original timeline of the story starts in the ‘40s.
However, Gritsay tells me you can fully appreciate and understand the narrative without reading all these. “We try to make sure that nothing that is in those notes is required, is a prerequisite for you to understand the main story. Of course, it will add additional flavour, it will add a sense of tragedy that this world is in, but I think that if you need to make people read additional stuff to experience the story, then it’s bad writing.”
There was also more to the game than combat and platforming. One section had us warding off strange attackers in the dark with flares while trying to keep slaves alive, while Gritsay showed us a later section where you can hack into machines in the city, and then blend into the crowd Assassin’s Creed-style to evade detection.
Though the subject of AI feels rather apt for the current climate, this is just a coincidence, as back when the team came up with the idea, AI wasn’t as prevalent, and so Gritsay tells me they are “not trying to make a commentary” on current AI issues.
American movies from the ‘80s and ‘90s, like Die Hard, Terminator, and Alien, were also influences. But because the team is from Eastern Europe, they had to do a lot of research to make the visuals believable. You can see the different eras represented in Replaced in the scenery, as some of the abandoned areas you explore at the start are more ‘50s-’60s vibes, whereas by the time you get to Phoenix City, it’s a very cyberpunk ‘80s aesthetic.
Blending 2D And 3D Worlds
One of the initial inspirations for Replaced’s 2.5D style is a game that was announced over a decade ago but still has yet to launch: The Last Night. Gritsay calls it “a pioneer of this revived 3D-inspired art style”, but also acknowledges there were several games that tried to do a similar thing on the original PlayStation, such as Disney’s Hercules and Strider.
“I remember all these old games from Sega, which tried to blend in that simplistic 3D stuff with pixel art, and it looked amazing. Also, one of the main things here is an old Sega game called Comix Zone. It’s fully 2D, but the way it was painted, it was pure art”.
Replaced features 2D characters and environments, and blends them into a 3D stage. Combined with the cinematic way in which it presents itself, it makes for impressive visuals. There was a point where I came across a Termite base, and you’re overlooking the gang as the camera pans around, but instead of just rotating around flat 2D cutouts, the Termites are standing there regardless of the angle.
“This art style is rare, and there is a reason for that, because it’s such a huge pain in the ass to actually create,” Gritsay says. “Because [with] pure 2D, you don’t have to think about camera perspective, you don’t have to think about how it works out in the overall perspective. When we blend sprites with real scenes, it’s always a problem. For example, when you played through the very first level, where there is a chase, in the very end, you see the camera turn to the drone. In this particular shot, our animators had to draw how the sprites are rotating, even though they are totally flat.
“It’s not always perfect, because you cannot adjust one for one with the 3D environment. But this is one of the things that we try to do. We try to surpass people’s expectations. They play it and think that this is a 2D game. It’s 3D at its core. But we are trying to do things with 2D sprites that I won’t say nobody has ever done, but it’s rare, because it’s just a huge amount of work.”
Replaced is launching on March 12, 2026, for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. A Steam demo will launch on February 11 for players to get an early taste.
- Developer(s)
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Sad Cat Studios
- Publisher(s)
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Coatsink, Thunderful Development
