The Two Indies You Should Play Before Pragmata this Weekend

Indie games have gained popularity in the last 10 years, in the way that Stanleys have taken the world by storm, making water cool now. Weird comparison? Probably. My point is that indie games are probably just as popular, if not more, than AAA video games now. Stardew Valley has sold over 50 million copies at the time of writing, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won game of the year last year, and is technically an indie game, even though I sort of disagree. With all of that nonsense and boring statistics out of the way, two different indie games have hit the market this weekend, and this is why you should check out both before hopping into Capcom’s AAA Pragamata!

I want to start off talking about the cyberpunk action-adventure titled Replaced, which is the one I have spent the most time with. Replaced was first revealed on June 13th, 2021, at the Bethesda Xbox showcase (Rest in peace, E3, you are dearly missed here) and is developed by Sad Cat Studios. The title faced a few delays due to the Russo-Ukrainian war, even making the developer relocate their studio, but the game is finally out.

Replaced initially impressed the audience and me with its shockingly beautiful pixel graphics and Blade Runner aesthetics. After spending about 8 hours with it, it is so much more than just a beautiful world, and my god, it is one beautiful video game.

Replaced puts you in the shoes of an artificial intelligence named R.E.A.C.H., stuck inside its creator, Warren Marsh. The more you continue this 2.5D adventure, the more you find out about Marsh and the world’s mysterious corporations. The adventure takes you to the likes of sewers, back alleys, rooftops, and even arcades. Sad Cat Studios has you platforming and figuring out many clever but not too hard puzzles most of the time. A lot of these platforming sections are reminiscent of games like Limbo and Inside, but they also reminded me of Uncharted.

The combat here is fed to the player in sections. I mean, sections you cannot fight outside of these fighting sections. The combat is simple at first, but it has mechanics and tactics pressed on as you progress. Fighting is clearly and openly inspired by the combat in Batman: Arkham. You have a counter pop above someone’s head, and you press Y or triangle. You will get a gun and a pickaxe to break the enemies’ guard as well. Some of these fights get pretty tough, so make sure to really digest the mechanics that the developers really want you to fully interact with. I think the mechanics mesh pretty well for the most part, but when the buttons stop working, it can get frustrating. I am sure a patch is coming! The only thing regarding combat is that I really wish a skill tree were here. I know the point isn’t to be a purely combat-focused adventure, but this game sometimes screams upgrades.

The game’s strongest attribute, though, is its world and characters. It is alive, especially paired with the music composed by Igor Gritsay. Sad Cats Studios clearly cared the most about the world here, and it shows.

You can find Replaced on Windows (where I am playing) and Xbox Series X|S! I will have a full review up soon as I hit credits.

Mouse Mouse: P.I. For Hire is a rubberhose-style first-person shooter like…. well, there is no other, other than cuphead. Developed by Fumi Games. The game has you play as Jack Pepper, a mouse private detective voiced by the one and only Troy Baker. It is clearly inspired by classic cartoons from the 1930’s and noir films from the 1940’s. I am only 2 hours into the game, but I have adored everything it has thrown at me so far.

The story is somewhat simple, opening with a mysterious murder in Mouseberg. Yes, that’s right, Mouseberg is the name you read. It has style, beautiful animations, serviceable combat, and great voice acting. It is also chock full of cheese references, and man, I am here for some dad jokes. Fumi Games has done such a Gouda job… okay sorry.

The animations have been the one thing that has impressed me the most so far. Everything that you see that is 2d is hand-drawn. It is extremely refreshing to see something like this because it oozes passion. I mentioned on X that Mouse: P.I. For Hire reminds me of something we would’ve gotten in the early 2000’s on the PS2, in terms of its vision. It takes risks that aren’t typically taken nowadays. I sort of feel like this is where games are headed, given how expensive it is to make video games nowadays. Combat is sufficient. I am only 2 hours in, so I expect it will be fleshed out to clarify what is going on here.

Overall, both of these games make me happy to see on the market and have made me realize why I love video games yet again. I want to talk about these two games that are definitely getting their flowers, and I want to remind people to play both before Pragamta! You can expect to see actual reviews of both of these games here.