Replaced is an old school brawler with new ideas, and it looks absolutely gorgeous

The early days of Steam Next Fest are like the wild west; it's a lot of everything all at once, and it can be difficult to sift through to find the diamonds. While it isn't new, to us at least, I was super grateful to find Replaced, and even more grateful when it turned out to be super rad. A side-scrolling brawler with Arkham-style combat, ultra-slick visuals, and a lovely synth soundtrack, there isn't much to dislike here.

It isn't often that these borderline old-school brawlers put a lot of stock in the feel of combat, with the number of opponents usually taking precedent over quality. A few minutes into the Replaced demo, however, and I'm already in the groove of its hard-hitting, methodical brawls, utilizing the aforementioned Arkham-style counter system to exit fights without a scratch. Not necessarily difficult, but feeling like Neo has to come with an element of ease.

You play as an artificial intelligence stuck inside a human body and have ended up on the outside of the walled city, where, apparently, the bad people live. Feels a bit Judge Dredd in the best way, and with the Blade Runner aesthetic, it's ticking all of my millennial boxes. Give me heavy rain (not that one) and some neon lights, and I'm kind of sold.

Fighting isn't the only thing I found myself doing, either. There was evidence gathering, some light puzzle solving, and more than a few platforming sections. The 2.5D perspective also allows for some ingenious stealth sections, with the demo having me avoiding the sight of a sniper running parallel to my path.

The relatively simple controls, coupled with weighty animations, make Replaced extremely satisfying to play. Part power fantasy, part tantalizing mystery. I want to know more, and I want to know right now. The boss fight at the end of the demo proves that it isn't all a walk in the park and that there are enemies that can give you a run for your money.

It's a rock-paper-scissors situation, as it tends to be with brawlers that have generous counter windows. Waltzing through groups of enemies does make me feel very cool, though, and believe you me, that's something in very short supply these days. If the story manages to stick the landing, then we might be on to something special.

Replaced was due to come out way back in 2022, but suffered a few delays, and is now due for release on April 14, 2026. The demo is available now if you want to get a taste of what's to come; it's definitely something that has to be witnessed in motion to truly appreciate. Rest assured, though, this is an action game that I'll be playing on day one.