If I Only Had a Brain... An AI Brain! - Replaced by Sad Cat Studios

 In an alternative 1980s, the need for replacement organs is strong and Warren Marsh is working hard to match the people wanting the transplant with their perfect donor. In Phoenix City, the AI called R.E.A.C.H. does this work, at the direction of a human mind. An explosion occurs and so does the impossible, the AI (now calling itself simply Reach) is downloaded into Marsh's mind and lost outside of Phoenix City. This is the beginning of Reach's journey to find a way back into the system. What he finds along the way are a cast of misfit characters that show him what it means to be human. 

Welcome to Replaced.

It's not a cyberpunk game without a gritty train sequence and a grittier main character.

Oh my goodness, where do I start with this one? This reminded me of a combination of REPO: The Genetic Opera and old school Shadowrun/William Gibson. It was like my best Cyberpunk fever dream brought to life. I could probably sit and talk about the philosophy and design of this game for hours, but I'm going to narrow it down to the three things that impressed me the most (and not give spoilers). 

First, the art design. Even with the pixelated art style, the dark gritty style is gorgeous. In gameplay, there is usage of fore and background as you jump, fight, and crawl through the environment. You never know what you can find as you explore - and the lore is developed through the art style and gameplay in a beautifully cohesive way. The device you carry that holds all the information that you have gathered looks like an old school Sony Walkman, with physical buttons and dials to cycle through a screen that looks like the one-color monitors of yesteryear. Replaced makes the technology feel believable, grounded in an alternative time line for items like PDAs. 

Remember these? It's not a mini-computer, not a phone!

Second, the music. Some games, even some of the AAA ones, fall short in the music department. I learned at the school of Final Fantasy how important music can be to the story and this game uses that lesson well. The synth wave is strong and that's how we like it when it comes to our cyberpunk. I normally turn down the music when I play video games, but for this one, I tossed on my headphones and fell headfirst into the environment and story. 

Finally, the story. In current news, Artificial Intelligence has taken over in so many ways. Responsible use of AI is almost nonexistent and we continue the inevitable damage of the environment with how quickly data centers are being built. The thing to remember is that AI only knows what we tell it. It's why we have issues with it being blatantly racist in hiring, why it goes off the rails when given free reign to run things. In this game, the AI is ignorant to how the world really works. Reach is like a child and when the person who had been holding his hand was suddenly gone. He learns and grows and changes for the better, as we can only hope a real AI would do. However, it is also a cautionary tale, because R.E.A.C.H. (the AI) is responsible for some truly awful things in the game (LORE! Read the LORE!). 

That's it. That's all I can really say without giving away some of the better parts of the story. I will say, definitely repair the arcade and play the games there (it's worth it for the rewards and for befriending a young girl who other people all weird). And always, always look for the shiny marker to scan. You never know what you will learn. 

Remember, when the lo-fi synth wave plays and the safe emotional threshold of your operator gets crossed, I shall be here with another suggestion, should you need it. 

Replaced was created by Sad Cat Studios, published by Thunderful Publishing. It's available for PC and Xbox.