Mewgenics is the latest offering from “The Binding of Isaac” creator Edmund McMillen – and at least as wacky as the indie roguelike.
Mewgenics, a new game from “The Binding of Isaac” creator Edmund McMillen, has been released. According to McMillen himself, he worked on the game for over 12 years – not continuously, of course. He also says it’s the game he’s always wanted to make and has finally been able to. To understand what kind of game Mewgenics is, you should definitely check out The Binding of Isaac, as it shares many of its core elements. First and foremost: the humor. But to put it simply: Mewgenics is a turn-based tactics game with roguelike elements, in which we primarily breed cats to use in combat. We took a look at the title and will tell you what to expect.
Dr. Beanies
Of course, there are also a few story elements, primarily revolving around the game’s introduction. Dr. Beanies gives us two cats to take our first steps with—the third, available for selection, is “disposed of” after our choice. In turn-based battles, we then pit the furry felines against creatures of varying degrees of absurdity. Some of these are even familiar from Isaac—so fans of McMillen are in for a treat!
Once we’ve navigated the path and returned home, the game’s second core element is revealed: breeding. We don’t just let the cats live with us and feed them; we want them to pass on their genes and abilities. The ultimate goal is to create the perfect cat, bred to its fullest potential!
Slamming the Cats
After the brief introduction, we can send groups of four cats on adventures. Before each adventure, we choose which cat will wear which collar. This defines each cat’s class, ranging from the robust tank to the spellcasting mage to the elven ranged fighter. As the game progresses, we acquire additional class collars, such as those for the cleric or the necromancer.
But the collars don’t just define the class; they also enhance class-specific attributes, of which the cats always have a base value. Furthermore, they grant additional skills that can be used in combat. The cats’ strength and survivability depend heavily on their attributes. A high Constitution stat means they can withstand more damage. A melee fighter with a high Strength stat will dish out correspondingly bigger hits. And that’s exactly what we intend to do!
Turn by Turn
In combat itself, everything is turn-based, taking place on a square grid. A turn order dictates who gets to act at which point in the battle. We can move the cats each turn, they can activate their own unique abilities, and they can also cast spells. The latter, however, requires mana, some of which we receive each round. These spells can then be cast as often as desired—provided we have enough mana. We can also equip our cats with gear, which can also have special effects. More on that in a moment.
Opponents act in the same way each round, so our own moves should always be carefully considered. Especially since the game itself determines the path the feline moves when we target a space. Unfortunately, we can’t move forward incrementally and, for example, dodge flaming spaces to avoid damage. We find this somewhat disappointing, as every single point of damage can ultimately determine victory or defeat.
Exciting Combination Possibilities
We prefer the loot we receive at the end of a battle. This consists not only of money and food, but we might also receive an item with which we can equip our cats. This equipment enhances certain cat attributes and can grant them new abilities or spells that we can activate. It’s definitely worthwhile to consider which item best complements each of our magnificent creations. This becomes especially important as the game progresses.
At the beginning, we mostly just mindlessly pummel our enemies, focusing on survival and maximizing loot. But with each subsequent round, we discover more of the game’s nuances and realize the value of using our surroundings. This allows us to gather even more money and items, uncovering even more unusual combinations and strategies to employ in combat. There are simply so many exciting and mutually reinforcing combinations.
Permadeath
If a battle doesn’t go as planned and our party dies, the game confronts us with the harsh reality of permadeath. Dead cats stay dead, and equipped items are lost. We’ve mourned the loss of a cat or two ourselves, because they possessed such a fantastic mix of attributes and active and passive abilities—plus expensive equipment. But that makes the feeling all the sweeter when the entire party survives a run!
After a run, as mentioned before, it’s back home, and our adventurers need a break. After a successful excursion, they’re “retired,” meaning we can’t send the same party out again. And this is where breeding comes into play, because we need new champions of justice! So, every day we take in new strays that fit in with the others and get rid of “old” cats by giving them to neighbors, who help us upgrade our house.
Crude Humor
And that’s very important, because without the right atmosphere in the house, we’ll run into trouble. If the comfort level is too low, the furry felines won’t mate and instead often fight to the death. Losing breeding stock is very bad for us! Because, especially later in the game, we pay more and more attention to combining the best possible genes. Unlocking the ability to view our cats’ pedigrees helps with this. We often see that inbreeding isn’t as minimal as we’d like.
What we wouldn’t change is the art style, which is very similar to Isaac’s. It’s simply sometimes very grotesque and repulsive, but always fitting. The same goes for Mewgenics’ humor, which mainly revolves around toilet humor and sexual innuendo. There are definitely some crude jokes, but so far nothing that made us cringe or that we found offensive. Humor is, of course, subjective, and everyone will have a different opinion. The soundtrack is also quite spot-on and always perfectly complements the action on screen.
Conclusion
“Rarely has a game left me so speechless and so thrilled at the same time as Mewgenics. It’s simply this absurd mix of everything, especially the art style and humor, coupled with this profound, tactical roguelike experience. Those who enjoy a few superficial turn-based battles will find just as much enjoyment in the game as those who want to—and can—explore the full breeding repertoire! Easy to learn, hard to master, as they say. Mewgenics is truly unique and an absolute masterpiece that I didn’t see coming.“
- Story/Atmosphere: 90/100
- Game Design: 100/100
- Balance: 100/100
- Scope: 90/100
- Presentation: 100/100
The review key for the PC was kindly provided to us by Guillotine Agency.
