2nd May
Hello, and welcome back to our regular feature where we talk about the games we’ve been getting into. This week, Victoria is completely smitten with Replaced—at least on-screen; Bertie is pretending he’s been in Paris (though, yes, he really has been in Paris!); Connor can’t stop thinking about catching an exceptionally rare fish; Kelsey is sorting through some unusual relationship hurdles so she can still help others; Chris continues his own path of discovery with Pokémon; and Mat keeps things brief.
What games have you been enjoying this week?
One more question: do you remember what you played last week? No worries—you don’t have to. The What We’ve Been Playing archive has everything covered.
Replaced, Xbox Series X
I can’t stop thinking about the care Sad Cat has put into creating Phoenix City’s post-apocalyptic world in its debut game, Replaced. Without question, it’s among the most striking titles I’ve played in a long time. It’s genuinely stunning. I’m especially taken with how it mixes 2D pixel art with 3D visuals in this cyberpunk setting. I also like the soundtrack, too—those slightly wistful synth melodies help set the tone for what you do in the game.
Even so, the story in Replaced feels a bit slow to me. I don’t mind taking my time, but at the same time, I feel like I should be getting further along than I am. From what I’ve seen online, I know it isn’t supposed to be particularly long—some people say it can be finished in 10 hours—yet my attention has started to wander. I’d really like Reach, the main character, to move a bit faster; he feels sluggish even in combat.
Still, Replaced is a standout effort for the studio’s first release. Especially when it comes to audio and visual presentation, it’s genuinely impressive.
-Victoria
A variety of topics I mostly can’t discuss, but…
I’ve been in Paris for a couple of days checking out some titles from Focus Home and Dotemu, though most of what I played is under embargo, so I can’t share details just yet. That said, on Tuesday evening after I arrived, Devolver hosted a petit soirée in a small Parisian bar with a few games to try. The most captivating—quite literally—was Heave Ho 2, which Connor recently wrote about. It boils down to a party game: a co-op experience for up to four players where you guide characters with two arms, goofy expressions, and not much else to worry about.
You control the arms using a thumbstick and handle grabs with the triggers, then use that to toss yourselves and others around.
It’s a cheerful, upbeat game with plenty of silliness (there’s even a button you can hold to fart, launching you—or nearby players—through the air for a short distance). But there’s also a smart challenge beneath the fun. For example: can you all work together to build a giant chicken burger? For roughly 10 minutes, the answer is probably no. One big change in the sequel is the addition of online multiplayer, so you don’t have to convince friends to come over in person to play.
I also tried Dark Scrolls, which was enjoyable, and it probably has the best game name I’ve come across in ages. Maybe the title came first? It brings to mind Ghosts n’ Goblins in how it plays, since it’s a quick, fairly demanding side-scrolling action platformer. Of course, it also has a range of characters, a roguelike setup, and it’s clearly been designed with care.
Both games are “coming soon”.
-Bertie
Old School RuneScape, with a twist
My desktop PC has completely died—potentially for good. For now, I’m using my PS5 and my work laptop. Rather than spending time digging through Sony’s new-title library, I decided to reinstall Old School RuneScape and go after sharks.
Why am I catching sharks? Let’s start with the sensible reasons and work our way down. Once cooked, sharks make excellent healing items, which is why they’re a dependable go-to for mid-to-late-game player-versus-monster activities. Right now, I’m trying to level up Slayer and bring all my attack styles to 80, so I need solid, nutritious food. I’m finished with trout and swordfish.
However, there’s also a less sensible reason. When you catch certain fish, there’s a chance you’ll land a big fish. These big fish can be taken to a taxidermist, preserved, and displayed in your home. On top of that, every big fish also shows up in the game’s collection log, which tracks all the rare items you’ve collected—and it’s a major part of what keeps my RuneScape obsession going.
The chance of getting a big shark is one in 5000, so I’m set up at the Fishing Guild with the full set of Spirit Angler’s fishing outfit in my inventory, plus a harpoon, while I catch sharks. That’s basically my routine right now—at least until The Adventures of Elliot launches in June, or until I finally land this Big Shark. Fingers crossed?
-Connor
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, Nintendo Switch 2 (and a bit of Elden Ring on PC)
I’m still playing Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, and while my excitement is slowly easing off (there’s only so many times you can watch the same kind of interaction play out between different Miis), I’m still genuinely having a good time winding down with it for about an hour each day.
Looking after my Miis, especially when it comes to their relationship problems (and their empty stomachs), feels like I’m managing a set of demanding pets every evening. Right now, my own Mii has a crush on Professor Layton (which is funny, since I’ve been waiting for Professor Layton and the New World of Steam), but he’s also fixed his attention on… Hatsune Miku. I can’t allow that. In the meantime, Lara Croft and Breaking Bad’s Walter White have just welcomed their first child (who I promptly sent off the island).
When I’m not playing Tomodachi Life, I’ve been getting absorbed in yet another New Game Plus run of Elden Ring. It’s a game I never seem to get tired of. This time, I’m trying to put together a build I haven’t used before, but because testing Elden Ring builds for guides was once part of my everyday work, it’s hard to find something I haven’t already played. Any suggestions are welcome!
-Kelsey R
Pokémon Leaf Green, Switch 2
I’ve got plenty to say about Pokémon FRLG, of course—I’ve missed these puzzles. I’ve missed these dungeons! I can’t quite believe I’m admitting it, but I’ve started to miss HMs, because they genuinely make you think about your team. Why are there almost no Fire-types in Leaf Green? Still, the update on my progress is that I’m now at the Snorlax point and in Silph Co. This time, I’ve also found a secret method for hitting jackpots in the Game Corner casino and managed to get an early Dratini. A Dratini—surprisingly, since Dratini is usually pretty awkward to train—is temporarily overpowered here, because it learns Dragon Rage at a point in the game where it can nearly take out every opponent you run into in one go. Thirty years later, and I’m still getting enjoyment from two of the best games ever made.
-Chris T
Deadlock, PC
Trophy Collector is now a 1600 soul item. It’s the best game ever released.
-Mat J.