It’s always interesting to see video games tackling the topic of AI as a tool of human suffering, given that’s the current reality we’re in. I am using the term ‘interesting’ lightly here because, most of the time, it can actually be terrifying when you think of facing a grimmer future.
REPLACED, however, does the opposite. Where most cyberpunk, post-apocalyptic games are set far into the future, REPLACED takes place in the 1980s within a nuclear-torn America, where you play as an AI named R.E.A.C.H.
It starts with a screen within a screen as R.E.A.C.H. views its operator and creator, Warren, in an unstable mood. Now, you don’t know what’s got Warren in a pissy mood, but he urges R.E.A.C.H. to continue analyzing for potential donors. The next minute, everything goes up in flames as both R.E.A.C.H. and Warren are part of a laboratory accident where it’s revealed that somehow R.E.A.C.H. has been transferred into Warren’s consciousness, taking over his physical body.
Fixing errors is what R.E.A.C.H. has been created for. So, when it finds itself in this dilemma, the first instinct is to save and bring back Warren to his own body and restore things as they used to be. But such a feat is not easy, as for some unknown reason, R.E.A.C.H.finds itself being hunted by the cops of the Phoenix City Police Department through an arduous journey across ten chapters.
As a player, you aren’t told much within the first hour of the game. In fact, you are left with more questions than answers. The storytelling in REPLACED is something of a slow burn that involves collecting and reading lots of lore upon lore during your playthrough. Even if this lore is easily missable, the main plot only picks up quite late in the game. There is just so much platforming and combat that one can easily lose track of the deeper story this game is trying to tell. And, what a story it tells.
Sure, REPLACED fits the sci-fi retro-futuristic label, but the more you play it, the more you begin to realize certain themes shown here aren’t too far-fetched. Two of them are a corporate-controlled government and how the invention of AI does more harm than good in the face of humanity.
What starts as an initiative to help the victims of a nuclear catastrophe slowly but surely becomes a corporation that doesn’t shy away from slaughtering the same people it vowed to protect. The lies disguised as promises and freedom in the name of nationalism by the Phoenix Corporation, which essentially rules America with a strong fist, are plastered throughout the story. The gaslighting is so good that it can almost make the player believe these are the good guys. R.E.A.C.H, who is the product of this very evil system, surely believes so because it was programmed to follow orders and not feel emotions or ask questions.
But human emotions and pain are something even R.E.A.C.H. can’t escape from. Being on the run, R.E.A.C.H. meets other humans situated outside the wall, or “Disposals” as the Corp calls them. They see R.E.A.C.H. for all its robotic weirdness and quietly embrace it as a part of their clan, as a human being. Soon, R.E.A.C.H. simply becomes Reach, someone, more than just an acronym, and takes up the mantle of protector against his own nature and creators.
Using Huxley, a flexible baton-to-gun weapon, Reach can unlock and perform several abilities like counters, shockwaves, deflects, and even hacking that leads to a very vexing minigame. The enemies Reach comes across are only of two types: the Termites, who are these cannibalistic bandits located in the outer wall of the city, and the other are the cops working under the Corp. The combat in REPLACED reminded me of the Arkham games because of how smooth every punch and counterattack felt. Performing certain actions like counterattacks and deflects against enemies is important to charge up your gun for a special attack or a finisher. What lost me, though, was the use of dodge in the game.
Enemies flash a certain color of indicator before they attack: yellow for counter, and red for dodge. If you can’t dodge, Reach gets hit and loses some health, so of course, dodging, especially against bosses and big brutes, is inescapable given their wider range of attacks. However, the game tells you that if you dodge often, the energy gained to charge up your gun for a special attack decreases. I can’t lie, this mechanic was more frustrating than I believed it to be because I realized the dodge button acts as an involuntary response when it comes to combat. So, yes, while the fast-paced combat was invigorating and challenging, it sometimes broke the immersion for me.
REPLACED doesn’t have many boss fights, though the ones that are there act as a well-factored break from the usual enemies. The bigger battle, however, is the game’s platforming.
As I said before, a good chunk of the game is dedicated to running, climbing, jumping, and double jumping across beautiful and vivid environments. Here, the lighting feels like its own entity and changes dramatically in certain locations, especially in low-lit areas. I think this is the first time I got so affected by the lighting within a video game that it completely threw me off during platforming-heavy sequences.
REPLACED has quite a lot of stealth gameplay, where Reach has to sneak by or run away from military drones and vehicles that are actively hunting him. Because of the darkness, and with movements typically being constrained in a 2D plane, sometimes, I couldn’t see where I had to go or which ledge I had to climb to get away from the chasing red spotlight of a drone. This led to a lot of trial-and-error methods.
The importance of human connections is very well seen in the game through Reach’s point of view. This is often done through the implementation of optional side quests where Reach helps and connects with other NPCs in the shelter. I found that doing these quests not only teaches Reach the meaning of community, but it also leads to purposeful interactions that make him evidently confused about why humans are the way they are. If you find yourself wanting a break from the usual chaos, I’d recommend doing these side quests and trying out the highly addictive arcade minigames that give you special rewards.
I won’t deny that the combat and platforming in REPLACED get a little repetitive and sometimes lack consistency. But it didn’t deter me from getting invested in Reach’s character arc, one of sacrifice and redemption. By no means is this a perfect game, but the story alone is praiseworthy enough. On top of that, its gorgeous pixel art style and wonderful side characters make for an exceptional indie game that you will experience this year.
You must be logged in to post a comment.