Cyberpunk platformer Replaced launching on Xbox Game Pass
Coming 2023.
Upcoming release Replaced, which is described as a 2.5D "retro-futuristic sci-fi platformer" and looks pretty darn good from what I have seen so far, will launch on Xbox Game Pass next year.
Earlier this year, Belarusian-based developer Sad Cat Studio announced it was delaying Replaced's release into 2023 in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"The priority for Sad Cat was for the safety of the team and their families. As a result, part of the team has now relocated and work has only recently restarted on Replaced," the studio said in May.
However, the studio and Replaced were highlighted as part of last night's Game Awards, with Sad Cat unveiling a new trailer for the game, which you can see below.
We don't yet have a firm launch date for Replaced, only knowing that it is still on the cards for a release some time next year. However, it has now been confirmed that when it does release it will be coming to Xbox Game Pass.
Meanwhile, in a new post, the Replaced team shared more details on what the studio has been up to since restarting work on the game.
Following its transition to a custom rendering solution, Sad Cat is now able to "[push] the fidelity of Replaced's hybrid pixel-art style even further, making it easier to achieve visual and performance goals."
This will see things like "more dynamic weather effects, more natural lighting, and ultimately more convincing materials" in the game.
In addition to a visual overhaul, Sad Cat has added "hundred of animations" throughout to allow Replaced's characters to "feel alive" as players make their way through its alternate 80's America setting.
"All these complex assets come together like a pixel-art movie, achieved using handcrafted camera direction present throughout the whole game," the team states.
Players have been told to expect "high speed stakes, bone-crunching combat, and unexpected modes of transport" on the game's debut. As well as Game Pass (for console and PC) Replaced will also be available to play on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Steam and Epic Games Store. There will be an optimised version for Xbox Series X/S.