Replaced: Chapter 1 Walkthrough — All 10 Scans, Upgrade & Early Tips

Chapter 1 of Replaced is the only time the game stops to teach you, and it does it while pretending to be a cinematic action set-piece. It is called Non-Standard Task, runs 60–90 minutes, and contains 10 scans, one health upgrade (Genetic Profile #1, in the South Labor District), and one music track (“Lab Rat”, in the sewers). The route is fixed: lab escape to sewers to the Outskirts forest to Termite Camp to the South Labor District to the Laboratory archive. The single mechanic people get wrong is the long jump — you keep the sprint modifier held through the jump rather than stopping at the edge first. Miss what this chapter quietly drills and Chapter 3 punishes you for it.

Where Replaced stands in July 2026

Quick context before the route, because it changes how you should read any walkthrough written near launch. Replaced shipped on 14 April 2026 after slipping from its announced 12 March date, and it landed on PC (Steam, Epic, GOG) and Xbox Series X|S, day one on Game Pass. Reception settled at 76 on Metacritic for PC and 78 on Xbox — IGN gave it 7/10 and called it “gripping and gorgeous” while flagging bugs, Destructoid went 7.5/10 for the writing, and The Guardian landed on 3/5. Steam user sentiment has stayed Very Positive.

The important part for a walkthrough: Sad Cat Studios publicly acknowledged the game shipped with rough edges — camera problems that could force a manual restart in a few spots, overlapping character animations, and interaction prompts firing at the wrong moment — and promised a quality-of-life roadmap. Steam has logged updates into at least late May 2026. What none of those patches did, as far as any public patch note or guide shows, is move a scan, relocate an upgrade, or rewrite a boss pattern. The layout below still matches the current build. If something refuses to trigger, the odds heavily favour a known interaction bug over a changed route — reload the checkpoint before you assume the guide is stale.

Core mechanics to internalise before you push forward

Chapter 1 is a systems tutorial disguised as an opening. Locking these in early makes every later segment safer, and it is the difference between cruising and dying repeatedly in Chapter 3’s Termite Base laser gauntlet.

Movement and long jumps

• Basic run: tilt the stick fully and hold your run input.
• Long jump: keep the sprint/run modifier held as you jump. The extra distance comes from carrying run speed into the jump, not from releasing the direction or stopping first.
• Context vaults: approaching low obstacles or ledges at speed triggers automatic vaults and grabs with the standard jump.

You need the running long jump for several gaps in this chapter, so start carrying speed into your jumps the moment you gain control.

Controller vs keyboard

The route is identical on PC and Xbox — no platform-exclusive mechanics, no separate control paths. What differs is feel. On a pad the run modifier is a held trigger or bumper, so carrying speed into a jump is one continuous squeeze and most players get it immediately. On keyboard the same input is a held shift while you also hit jump and hold direction, and it is far easier to feather off shift a frame early and lose distance. If long jumps are failing on keyboard, rebind sprint to a key you can comfortably hold with a different finger than the one on jump. Controller is the smoother option for the platforming stretches; mouse aim is the better option later once the gun matters more.

Combat: dodging, countering, and stringing attacks

• Light attacks: fast and chainable; use them to open and maintain combos.
• Heavy attacks: slower, but they break guard and end combos with knockdowns.
• Dodge: a directional dodge with a brief invulnerability window; this is what keeps you alive in gang fights.
• Counter: time it to an enemy’s wind-up to turn defence straight into damage.

Treat every early fight as a timing exercise. Do not mash. Identify the pre-attack animation, then test how late you can safely dodge or counter.

Scanning and collectibles

All 10 scans, the music track and the health upgrade are reachable on a first playthrough. The practical rule: whenever the environment widens, check both horizontal directions before advancing; watch for subtle glows or interaction prompts near benches, desks, banisters and dead ends; and scan anything that visually stands out — papers, posters, terminals, unusual objects.

Prologue: destroyed laboratory escape

The opening puts you in control of Warren Marsh’s body with the AI R.E.A.C.H. at the wheel, inside a collapsing laboratory.

• Initial corridor: move right, staying just ahead of falling debris. Prioritise forward motion over background detail.
• First jumps: jump the gaps and ledges as debris falls. Normal jumps are fine here; the timing is forgiving.
• Window exit: follow the prompt through a broken window onto the exterior scaffolding.
• Vertical pathing: climb up and down scaffolding frames. Highlighted or white-painted ledges almost always mark the intended route.
• Elevator: use the interaction prompt to ride down and continue.

There are no real fail-state fights here; the only hazard is misreading a jump during a timed collapse. When unsure, line up at the absolute edge before jumping — a habit that pays off in later platforming. This is also one of the sections where the launch-era camera bug most often shows up: if the frame refuses to follow you and you cannot see the next ledge, reload the checkpoint rather than jumping blind.

Sewers: baseline controls and the “Lab Rat” track

After the lab, Warren wakes in the sewers. This is where the game slows down and teaches its baseline control scheme — and where you grab your first collectible.

• Move right through shallow water and broken platforms; water depth changes affect your jump distance, so watch your footing.
• The first gaps that reward a running long jump appear here. Build speed and keep the run modifier held through the jump.
• Minor moving threats are tuned so a single well-timed dodge or jump carries you through.

Collect: “Lab Rat” music track

The “Lab Rat” music track sits in this sewer corridor, tucked beneath a dimly lit light just before you climb out. Grab it before you exit; you do not return here. Leaving the sewers transitions you to the forested Outskirts beyond Phoenix City’s walls.

Outskirts and forest: platforming before the fighting starts

• Traversal: a mix of ground-level running and simple platforming. The camera generally frames the intended path, but check foreground silhouettes that may hide ladders or ledges.
• Pursuit beats: moments of implied chasing are scripted — focus on clean inputs, not raw speed.
• Constructed areas: as you near built structures, explore upper beams and back corners for early narrative objects.

By the time you reach the outskirts of Phoenix City you should be comfortable carrying speed into your jumps and reading the environment for climbable geometry. That is the intended prep for the first serious fight.

Termite Camp: how to survive the first gang fights

Termite Camp is the first place mistakes get punished consistently. You face groups, and the game assumes you understand dodging and basic combo structure.

Reading enemy telegraphs

Most basic Termite enemies share one pattern: a short step or shuffle toward you, a wind-up with the arm or weapon pulled back, then a brief flash right before the strike. Treat the telegraph as your cue, then either dodge through the enemy to land behind them and open a light-attack combo, or counter if the attack is parryable.

Positioning and crowd control

• Drift to one side of the arena before the fight escalates.
• Force enemies onto a single horizontal line so incoming attacks are easy to read.
• Dodge through enemies rather than away — it repositions you behind the group and keeps them compact.
• Finish with heavy attacks only when no off-screen telegraph is incoming.

Scans in and around Termite Camp

• Survivor’s Memoir — after you defeat Termite Dale.
• The Catastrophe: 20 Years Later — in the open area, after pushing a crate.
• Board Game Box — after defeating Termite Kyle’s gang.
• Goodbye Letter — near a camper van by the billboard.

Check behind crates, makeshift walls and tents. Grab these now; later access to the camp is limited.

South Labor District: the first real stealth test (and your health upgrade)

After the open aggression of Termite Camp, the South Labor District shifts to stealth. Direct confrontation is rarely optimal here.

• Use the layers. Many routes let you slip into a foreground or background lane that bypasses patrols entirely.
• Read patrols from cover. You usually get enough time to watch one full patrol cycle before committing.
• Prioritise staying hidden over speed. Detection costs you control; patience keeps it.

Collect: Health Upgrade (Genetic Profile #1)

Chapter 1 contains exactly one health upgrade — Genetic Profile #1 — and it is here, not in Termite Camp. After you drop down into the district past the first stealth section, take the path to the left to pick it up. This is the only permanent stat gain in the chapter, so do not skip it.

Scans in the district

• Eviction Notice — found in an archway.
• Pawn Shopkeeper’s Note — in a box after clearing the grocery store.
• Preacher’s Diary — in a crate in the Preacher’s yard.
• Portative Battery — obtained by inserting a battery into a terminal.

Sniper run, Library archive, and meeting Tempest

The sniper evade

Before the interior, you cross a section under a Termite sniper and a sweeping red spotlight. Move cover-to-cover; if the light catches you in the open, you get shot.

• Time your dashes to the spotlight’s sweep — never leave cover until the light is moving away.
• Plan your next piece of cover before you leave the current one.
• Do not linger in open ground.

The last two scans

Inside the Laboratory’s archive, two final scans sit together as you head upstairs: Inaugural Address on a banister going up the stairs, and Archived Poster right next to it. That is all 10 scans for the chapter.

Meeting Tempest

Your first encounter with Tempest is primarily narrative and closes out Non-Standard Task. Pay attention to the dialogue; it sets up threads that pay off immediately in Chapter 2’s Station Hub.

Common mistakes

• Stopping before you jump. The long jump needs your run speed carried through the jump.
• Mashing in Termite Camp. Spamming light attacks gets you flanked. Read the wind-up, dodge through, then commit.
• Hunting the health upgrade in Termite Camp. Genetic Profile #1 is in the South Labor District, left after you drop down.
• Skipping the “Lab Rat” track. It is in the sewers under a dim light; you cannot return for it later.
• Fighting through the spotlight section. The sniper run is a stealth puzzle, not a fight.
• Assuming a stuck trigger means you missed something. Replaced shipped with known interaction and animation bugs. Reload the checkpoint first.

FAQ

How long is Chapter 1 of Replaced?

Roughly 60–90 minutes on a first run. A clean route that skips optional sweeps lands closer to 45 minutes, but you will leave scans behind.

Can I go back for missed Chapter 1 collectibles?

Not within the chapter — the route is one-way, and the “Lab Rat” track in particular is gone the moment you climb out of the sewers. Grab everything on the pass.

Have patches changed Chapter 1’s scan or upgrade locations?

No public patch note or guide documents any scan, music track or Genetic Profile being moved since the 14 April 2026 launch. Sad Cat’s post-launch work has targeted bugs and quality-of-life, not level layout.

Is Replaced better on Xbox or PC?

Metacritic aggregates put Xbox Series X|S marginally ahead (78 vs 76), and it is on Game Pass on both. PC gives you frame-rate headroom and mouse aim; Xbox gives you the pad, which suits the platforming. Series S owners have had the roughest time of it technically.

Practical takeaway

Carry your run speed into every long jump, treat combat as a timing read instead of a button mash, and sweep each area’s edges before you leave. Follow the fixed route and you finish Chapter 1 with all 10 scans, the lone health upgrade and the “Lab Rat” track. From there, the full chapter-by-chapter collectible index and the Replaced game hub cover the rest of the run through the finale.