There’s been plenty of April showers this month, which makes it the perfect time to stay inside and play some new games. For this month’s Gamebox 2.0, we headed into the cyberpunk future of Replaced, survived the arcade horrors of Living Dead House, ran through some puzzle runs in Combotronica, and became a wasteland hero and more! Check out this month’s game reviews below.
Replaced (Zach): The highly anticipated cyberpunk action game Replaced finally released this month, and it was definitely worth the wait. Developed by Sad Cat Studios and published by Thunderful Publishing, Replaced is set in an alternate 1980s America where a nuclear disaster gave rise to The Phoenix Corporation, which maintains cities safe behind gigantic walls. In contrast, the world outside the walls has crumbled into ruins, leaving the people trapped inside to do whatever it takes to survive. You play as Reach, an AI who is transferred into the body of his creator, Warren, in an accident at a Phoenix Corp facility. Way beyond the walls of the city, you need to figure out some way back in so you can reverse whatever happened. The story is well-told, with interesting characters to meet, and Reach is an engaging main character who operates mainly on logic and equations as an AI, but slowly learns about humanity and what it means to be human as the game progresses, along with learning about the horrible actions being done by the people who created him. Along the way, you can also find and scan documents that will help build out the world and the characters, which you view on a cool handheld device (which also functions as a menu) that is a mix of digital and analog and is just one part of the overall incredible aesthetics of the game.
The first thing that should jump out to anyone playing or watching Replaced’s gameplay is how absolutely jaw-droppingly stunning the visuals are. The game uses a 2.5D pixel art style with some of the most detailed environments I’ve ever seen in this style, and elements like lighting and sound design help make it one of the most beautiful games in recent memory. The character sprites are also extremely well-animated and expressive, as shown in both cutscenes and combat sequences. The whole game is extremely cinematic, using various camera moves to zoom in or pull back to showcase elements of the environment or enhance on-screen action. There’s also some great use of slow-down and the sound dropping out in extremely dramatic scenes. I played it on my Steam Deck, and it was rock-solid in terms of performance; it is 100% verified to work well on that system.
Gameplay in Replaced falls into two different categories. As you explore the different chapters, you’ll be moving through the scenes and platforming to climb and reach new areas. Reach gets a pickaxe that can be used in both combat and for platforming to hook into crumbling walls. There are also some light environmental puzzles to solve, like moving platforms around or switching off rushing water, before you can progress. It feels like games like Out of this World or Flashback continued to evolve, as they have the cinematic quality of those games without the prickly, precise controls required to move through them. The game doesn’t do anything particularly new with the platforming, but it’s solid, and you move through quickly to keep the game moving forward.
Combat is interesting in Replaced because it’s Batman: Arkham-inspired, but in 2.5D (So I guess like Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate). You have a main attack button along with a dodge button, a counter button, and a heavy attack when you acquire the pickaxe. Enemies will get color-coded indicators above their heads, like in the Arkham games, and you need to counter or dodge depending on the color. The game does a good job, like in Arkham, of starting fights out fairly simply and then adding more diverse groups of enemies so that you have to strategize and prioritize who you take out first. You also acquire a pistol that charges up during combat. Once the gun is charged up enough, you can do a brutal finishing move on an enemy.
Replaced is an incredible experience on pretty much every level, especially graphically, as it’s one of the most stunning games in recent memory and arguably the best-looking 2.5D platformer ever made. The combat is engaging, with its Arkham-inspired melee; the platforming, while not unique, is solid; and the story is interesting and keeps you wanting to progress to find out what is going on in this world. Replaced is out on Steam, Xbox Series S/X, and Xbox Game Pass.
Chronominion Idler – Early Access (Chris): In an ever-shifting time dilation, a realm exists in a constant loop of growth and decay, making every decision have long-lasting effects. Chronominion Idler, developed by Indie Addict Game Studio, steps into this space as an experimental early-access title that blends manufacturer mechanics with dynamic world-building. Instead of trying to gather and utilize resources across a single harsh terrain, Chronominion Idler is set on a landscape that shifts with each passing phase, undergoing different changes. A grassy plain filled with lush trees and woodland creatures erodes into a dry desert with scaly beings, then turns into a wintry wasteland before returning to calmer temperatures. All the while, you are in control of assembling a party of settlers, trying to establish and maintain a civilization. You will be assigning roles, building structures, and guiding a community of settlers through a world that refuses to stand still.
Creating a settlement that can last the test of time takes some effort to understand the basics. There are multiple complex systems to get comfortable with that involve base building, character development, item crafting, and expansion to the landscape. In this early access, Chronominion Idler offers a decent playable build that starts with a basic tutorial explaining the game’s core loop. Everything revolves around the Chrono Core, a magical device that generates ticks, which can be spent on abilities or upgrades. As the Chrono Core builds up and releases ticks, it advances reality further into the future. You build structures to attract settlers, giving them tasks to gather, fight, and upkeep the area. Depending on their jobs, certain skills will unlock with ticks, boosting their work efficiency. Hunting and gathering resources can be exchanged for gold, which can be used to purchase new items and expand a settlement into a larger community over time.
As the world changes over time, structures and vegetation will be impacted. Only objects built on an immortal title will avoid being eroded, but space will be limited, and not everything can be spared from time. Based on how production is going, certain structures can be left to decay or removed, freeing resources to strengthen other structures or build vital storage to last through the bleak conditions. The core concept leans into automation, but the surrounding systems add a layer of unpredictability that keeps the experience engaging. Ultimately, every system should become automated so you can focus on making big decisions while the micromanagement of small tasks already has its routines in place.
Chronominion Idler has a very broad scope, which makes this title feel a little overwhelming to tackle. The base building management is dependent on how well the settlers are managed, but they are reliant on skills and items you must also manage. Learning the different mechanics and progression systems has a steep learning curve, which, unfortunately, is not well explained in the UI. There are lots of temporary displays and text that easily distract the player. Indie Addict Game Studio has an interesting premise and a few creative twists on the automation genre, but the lack of polish and rough instructions will frustrate some players in the current build. Since the title was released in early March and the developers have been making monthly updates, Chronominion Idler could become a fun title for fans of interesting management sims. Indie Addict Game Studio has stated that the game will undergo many updates before it is considered finished, aiming for a full release in 2027. So if you are interested in seeing a game start its own automation, check out Chronominion Idler if you have the time.
Super Alloy Crush (Zach): Inspired by games like Mega Man X, Super Alloy Crush is a new side-scrolling roguelike brawler from developer and publisher Alloy Mushroom. You can choose to play as either Kelly, the equivalent of X, who uses firearms and long-range weaponry like grenades, or Muu, who plays more like Zero and specializes in close-up brawling with her energy claws. The duo is part of a crew of intergalactic treasure hunters searching for Planet AE-38, which contains immense riches. An invasion by an evil mechanical army throws a wrench into their plans, and they’ll need to battle the bad guys to both save the universe and get to their treasure.
You can play through either Story mode, where you progress through the stages linearly and get cutscenes and interactions with the other members of the treasure hunting crew, or Battle Rush mode, which plays like a roguelike where each run is random and you gain abilities as you progress. There’s also an Ultimate Challenge mode for those who have conquered the other modes. You can play the game solo, or you can team up with a friend for co-op action.
The game features fantastic sprite art, especially the bosses, which are full of detail and great animations, and the music is mostly excellent, nailing the old-school Mega Man X vibe the game is going for. The gameplay is also extremely smooth and responsive, which is vital for a game like this. You have a regular attack button and a secondary attack, and you can add additional moves by pressing the button and a direction. For instance, if you throw a regular grenade with Y on an Xbox controller, you can press up and Y to launch a missile once you unlock that ability. You earn currency throughout the stages by blowing up scenery and defeating enemies, and you can then spend it back on your home base ship to unlock upgrades and abilities. Each character has a meter that builds up, which lets you unleash a massive screen-clearing attack, and you can also get support characters who can fly in and drop things like health items if you need them. Each character has over 50 different abilities you can unlock and mix and match to modify things to your style of play.
If you’re looking for some old-school Mega Man X-style action with some more modern roguelike elements, you can check out Super Alloy Crush in Early Access on Steam now, and there’s also a demo available if you want to try before you buy.
Living Dead House (Zach): Available on Nintendo Switch, Living Dead House is the latest arcade-style offering from publisher Flynn’s Arcade. Developed by Deprecated Games, Living Dead House is a single-screen arcade game that sees you trying to survive the night, facing an undead horde of zombies. Each stage is a different creepy house with a different layout of floors and stairways. You have to survive the night as the zombies pour in through the windows of the house and, once the sun rises, the zombies disintegrate, and you can move on to the next stage. There are 20 stages to play through, and there is both an arcade mode, where you progress through each stage, and a survival mode, where you choose a stage and then try to last as long as you can. There are online leaderboards where you can submit your best high score, and you can also play the game with a friend in co-op.
To help in your battle against the undead, there are a few different weapons you can collect, including a shotgun, an axe, and a bear trap. Most of these are single-use, but you can collect multiple weapons and then cycle through them. You don’t have any attack without a weapon, so you need to use the platforms and stairs to avoid the undead until you can get something. There are environmental elements, like faulty wires, that can cause a massive electrical surge that can also help you against the undead. You can also find wooden beams that you can nail over a window to temporarily stop the zombies from coming through it.
The game nails the old-school 16-bit look, and it has a fun, spooky atmosphere with a nice variety of zombies and houses you find yourself in. While not the most in-depth game, there is an interesting progression as the stages go on, introducing new elements like doors that take you to different sections of the house and moving platforms. The controls are simple but solid, and it feels like this could be in an arcade cabinet next to games like Burger Time or Elevator Action. The music is also great, giving a mix of energetic and spooky that helps drive the action.
It’s not a massive, in-depth experience, but if you want some quick, fun arcade action, Living Dead House is a good time, with simple yet entertaining gameplay and a spooky atmosphere.
Ground Zero Hero – Demo (Chris): Having a sweet tooth in a post-apocalyptic wasteland should be a nearly impossible craving to satiate, but with enough mutations and some bold moves, a survivor can get their fill of sugary sweets and be a hero too. Created by a solo developer, Rowan Edmondson, and published by Ground Zero Hero, it is an action-packed Vampire Survivors-like roguelite where players control a candy-seeking survivor, battling their way through a deadly wasteland of mutated creatures and ghostly predators that hunt for fresh prey. From giant bugs, killer snakes, and deadly cacti, every enemy will be making their way toward the player to stop them from getting their fill on candy. However, the wasteland has radiated the surroundings, stocking enemies with radiation ooze and barrels of nuclear waste that can be used for the player to evolve into something deadly of their own. Choosing one from a variety of mutations, the player can customize their attacks and dramatically alter the appearance of their hero. From spikey quills that shoot out, manic speed that makes them twitchy, or lasers that beam out of their eyes, the player will transform into a top predator to survive to see another day.
Ground Zero Hero has many mechanics typically found in Vampire Survivors-like titles, but it also features an interesting day-night cycle that changes the intensity of the run. During the day, common enemy types provide an easy-to-moderate challenge, but at night, stronger creatures like vampires come out and chase the player. These vampires are not unstoppable, but do require the player to build up their character stats before they can stand a chance against a swarm of them. Bunkers are scattered across the field, providing temporary shelter at night and allowing the player to awaken during the day. However, visiting a shelter means all the dropped radiation ooze goes away.
At early levels, the hero is too weak to take on enemies for a full day and night cycle. However, the grind to power up the hero to a top mutate slayer doesn’t take too long. The fun character designs keep the enemy variety nicely paced, and valuable targets are clearly marked to give you plenty of time to decide if you want to take them on or build up more abilities. The roguelite elements mean that any gold and progression gained during a run helps unlock new permanent abilities that can be purchased and new mutations that will be available on the next run. While grinding is expected for a Vampire Survivors-like game, the cartoon visuals and pumping soundtrack will keep players engaged for a while. The demo is now available on Steam, with a release date not confirmed yet. If you are a fan of obscure and wacky humor, check out Ground Zero Hero today.
Combotronica (Zach): A puzzle roguelike from Grid Cortex Games, Combotronica sees you combining tiles and trying to meet increasingly difficult scoring objectives. Each stage of Combotronica features a grid of multi-colored, numbered tiles. You combine tiles and then submit the combo to score it and add it to your point total. You may get points for tiles of all the same color or all the same number, and the bigger the combo, the more points you score. You usually have four turns to try to meet the stage’s score requirement, and if you don’t, you lose, and your run is over.
Similar to something like Balatro, you can acquire different items to help boost your score and help you progress through the stages. You can buy Amulets that will activate if certain requirements are met, like stringing together a certain color or a specific number of tiles, along with Chips that permanently unlock new abilities, Scripts that can provide a one-time boost, and Tokens, which are power-ups you can choose to play to manipulate the grid. After each level, you can spend the coins you acquired in the level to buy new items, gradually building a points generation engine that can lead to massive bonuses. Every couple of levels, you’ll face a boss character, who imposes a challenging restriction that will make you have to rethink your strategy.
The tile-based gameplay is simplistic, but the other elements help make it more interesting and challenging than it initially seems. The combo submission mechanic is extremely satisfying, especially if you manage to build up a huge combo with tons of points and coins. It’s a nice hit of dopamine, and the variety of items you can mix and match means that no run is ever the same. The game has a nice, clean look with an elegant gold-and-gray style that makes you feel like you are operating an extremely high-end, futuristic device.
Combining some tried and true puzzle gameplay with Baltro/roguelike elements, Combotronica is an entertaining game that will probably draw you in for much longer than you expect as you go for “just one more run.” There’s a great variety of different upgrades and power-ups you can acquire to really tailor things to your playstyle, and it has that slot machine/gambling dopamine hit when you hit a really big combo. It’s out now on Steam.
