At the tail end of last year, we finally got a proper release date for the long-in-development indie title Replaced, which is heading to Xbox Game Pass on March 12th. Now, ahead of its highly-anticipated launch next month, a final round of previews have landed, and it sounds like Sad Cat Studios could have some big surprises up its sleeve with this one.
The likes of IGN, Eurogamer and GamesRadar have recently been hands-on with the upcoming Game Pass title, and one thing these previews have in common is that Replaced delivers surprises in spades. Presented as a platformer, there's seemingly a lot more to the game than it first appears; one previewer "spent around 20 minutes enjoying a minigame within Replaced", adding "a layer of depth" to the experience that was unexpected.
We'll summarise some of these final previews down below to give you more of an idea of how these previews have surprised folks:
Eurogamer
"Replaced - from what I have played so far - actually has a healthy dose of side quests that build up this world if you chat with those around and about. And, I really suggest you do. Among other things, this saw me helping a young girl restore an arcade machine. I then spent around 20 minutes enjoying a minigame within Replaced, which added a new layer of depth to a game I thought was going to be a fairly straightforward action-based side-scroller [...] overall, I really think Replaced has the potential to be something special."
GamesRadar
"After spending just under three hours with it, it's safe to say that Replaced is not what I thought it would be. Unexpected moments of emotional depth and innovative tweaks to the side-scrolling platformer rulebook prove this one of the most unique new games of 2026. I completely get why Gritsay describes it as "no cookie-cutter" cyberpunk narrative; Reach's journey is a heartfelt, somehow optimistic one despite the unforgiving landscape, and I can't wait to see how the story ends when Replaced launches on March 12."
IGN
"Replaced utilises a surprising combination of ideas that make for a confident mix of platforming, puzzling, and combat. Across its opening three hours, it takes that well-worn Replicant shell, but augments it with aspects from the likes of Ninja Gaiden, Inside, and even LucasArts classics, to create an exciting new cyberpunk vehicle, all while looking and sounding absolutely gorgeous. It’s safe to say I’m excited. [...] I started my playthrough thinking I knew exactly what I was in for. I was wrong, but thankfully still ended it excited, knowing there’s still plenty left to discover when Replaced arrives for PC and Xbox on March 12."
Of course, we've linked to each full written preview up above as well if you'd like to read over them, and we'll chuck a couple of their video versions down below as well for good measure.