I’m completely engrossed in this tactical cat roguelike as I strive to perfect my kitten army.
The Ranger quickly became my go-to class in Mewgenics. At first glance, it seems like just another archer archetype, but it soon reveals the rich diversity that defines this eagerly awaited roguelike strategy game. A Ranger can take on the role of an assassin, ramping up their ranged damage and critical hit chance to eliminate foes from a distance. They can also act as a machine-gunner, unleashing multiple shots in a single turn to decimate enemy ranks. Alternatively, they can serve as a sentry, picking off anything that moves within range to chip away at health points. They have the ability to set up crowd-controlling traps around the battlefield or summon multiple familiars to hinder enemy advances.
However, my affection for the Ranger has also led to my downfall. In this particular run, I teamed them up with a Cleric, whose abilities typically focus on healing but this time are centered around designating an ‘Alpha’ and granting powerful buffs to this new leader. During a pivotal boss fight, I saved enough mana to supercharge my Ranger with upgrades, allowing them to take out half of the boss’s health in one turn. Unfortunately, I overlooked the fact that this boss has a deadly counterattack when defeated, which meant I was now up against one of the most formidable characters I’ve ever created. Even with the odds stacked three-to-one against me, my Alpha Ranger wiped out the entire enemy team, leading to my loss.
Mewgenics is a roguelike strategy game that draws inspiration from the tight combat arenas of turn-based games like Into the Breach. Instead of epic city-wide battles against kaiju, these skirmishes take place in more intimate settings, starting on the litter-strewn asphalt of a grimy alleyway, battling against rats, mice, bugs, and various stray cats. The fairness of these fights is maintained because your fighters are also stray cats, marking a significant departure from conventional gaming norms.
The brainchild of the creator of The Binding of Isaac, Mewgenics incorporates elements from its predecessor. While its roguelike structure is fresh, it retains a toilet-humor aesthetic and numerous Isaac-themed Easter eggs, all while embracing a combat philosophy centered on replayability. As you encounter foes repeatedly, you’ll learn to anticipate their behavior, though your initial encounters may leave you puzzled as you figure out their attack patterns.
Your cats will generally help you navigate each battle, but Mewgenics adheres to the roguelike formula by rarely allowing you to reuse the same characters. Once a unit returns home safely, they are ‘retired’ and cannot be sent on new missions. Additionally, their gear may be worn out and unsuitable for a new cat. This system encourages you to frequently rotate through cats, classes, and items, requiring you to build from scratch with each new expedition. Initially, this can feel jarring, as it demands you to make numerous decisions without having all the necessary information.
Over time, however, the game establishes a satisfying loop. Your cats venture out, ideally returning home with enhanced stats and new gear. These feline heirlooms are then passed down to the next generation, with retired cats helping to raise future adventurers. Each night, there’s a chance for cats to breed, passing on their vital stats and sometimes abilities to their offspring. A retired cat in a cozy, well-furnished home will breed more often and produce healthier kittens, giving you an advantage when they embark on their own quests.
Breeding, however, is not straightforward. I spent several days trying to interbreed my retired Tank class cats to create a batch of powerful kittens, but I couldn’t figure out why they weren’t interested in each other. On another occasion, I discovered that the strong Fighter I was trying to breed kept rejecting advances because he preferred his male housemates over the females. Even when breeding does occur, there’s no guarantee that the chosen mate will produce the desired offspring or that the resulting kittens will inherit the stats you hoped for. Rather than a precise breeding program, Mewgenics opts for a gradual improvement approach, where the overall condition of your breeding stock contributes to a slow, steady rise in the population’s quality.
However, it doesn’t take much to fall down the evolutionary ladder. ‘Fair’ isn’t a word that aligns with McMillen’s design philosophy, and Mewgenics is no exception. Regularly outnumbered and outgunned, especially in unfamiliar boss encounters, you remain the master of your cats’ fates, but a single bad roll can trigger a chain reaction that leads to inevitable defeat. You can abandon a run after the battles at the end of each area if you sense you won’t survive the next one, but if you fall before then, your cats, their genes, and all their gear will be lost forever.
Maintaining that constant level of risk is crucial, but there are moments when I’ve found myself frustrated with certain aspects of Mewgenics. Random events are unavoidable, and while some can be beneficial, others can be quite detrimental. One such event causes a cat to smell bad—seemingly a minor issue, but it forces allied cats to waste their movement action escaping from their stinky companion, often costing you an entire opening round and giving your opponents a free shot. A bad roll is one thing, but the inability to position your cats as you wish can lead to a run ending due to sheer bad luck, affecting subsequent attempts as well.
Despite its chaotic elements, Mewgenics perfectly balances the detail required for a strategy roguelike. The wildly varied build paths complement the tight gameplay, allowing for genuine skill expression alongside tactical planning. Countless combinations of skills, perks, and items ensure that you’re constantly experimenting with new strategies, even against familiar foes. The lack of safety nets that can make Mewgenics feel unfair is also what makes it exhilarating when you have a run where your cats dominate the competition—navigating a barrage of randomness keeps the experience fresh and avoids the predictability that can plague other titles.
The gross-out humor and quirky build interactions that have characterized McMillen’s work for years enhance rather than detract from the finely crafted combat encounters. For those seeking replayability, optional challenges, and cryptic puzzles reminiscent of The Binding of Isaac, Mewgenics offers a vast experience—nearly 50 hours in, and I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface of what the game has to offer, with my progression diverging significantly from what other players have reported.
For a game that has been in development for 15 years and has evolved dramatically since its inception, Mewgenics could have easily faded into obscurity. Instead, it stands as a remarkable addition to its creator’s impressive portfolio and a significant new entry in the roguelike genre he helped to pioneer.
