Mewgenics Review — Cat’s Out of The Bag

Mewgenics is a turn-based roguelike with a twist. If you can’t already tell from the game’s title, that twist is a twofold combination of cats and eugenics, the process of selectively breeding animals to create a desired genetic effect. While an understandably controversial and even more understandably discredited theory in humans, it’s something that is actively practiced on animals, especially pets and even more especially dogs. In the context of Mewgenics, it’s your main mechanic and key to victory.

Essentially, a game of Mewgenics sees you breeding cats to create increasingly powerful offspring, which inherit stats and abilities from their parents. After sending cats on a roguelike adventure to gather food and treasure, you then retire them to your house, where they’ll occasionally create new kitten warriors for your sick and twisted neighborhood conquest. Cats become stronger and stronger (theoretically, not accounting for inbreeding or undesirable genetics) with each generation, until you’re sending out the ultimate feline warrior to conquer your runs.

It’s a strong premise, combining the satisfying collection and fusion mechanics of monster-rancher games, the endlessly replayable loop of the roguelike genre, and the addictively lovable nature of cats. Honestly, if Mewgenics stopped there, I could still see it having the breakout success it had on launch. However, that’s only half of this game’s successful equation.

The powerful premise of Mewgenics is just a delivery device for the game’s strong, instantly recognizable humor, born from co-creators Edmund McMillen and Tyler Glaiel, who between the two of them are responsible for cult-classic titles like The Binding of Isaac, Super Meat Boy, and Aether. There is a familiar feel between Mewgenics and the past projects of the pair, perfectly capturing a laughably dark, surreal, and internet-culture-defining comedic styling I like to refer to (perhaps incorrectly) as “Newgrounds humor,” based on the website that helped popularize and form a community around the aforementioned artists and similar creatives in their sphere.

For the unaware, Mewgenics can be a bit unapologetic and surprising with its unique brand of humor. You might be shocked the first time you watch your malformed cats hump and spit out an equally ugly baby, or when you meet any of the cast of characters who each have their own oddly specific strangeness, or when you watch one of these characters make a pun on a word you probably wouldn’t say in polite company. I wouldn’t say any of the humor is outright offensive, or at least it wasn’t to me, and I certainly enjoyed it. However, I can see how it might, at times, shock the unprepared, and even how it might be designed specifically with that in mind. I knew this wasn’t going to be the kind of game that “can you pet the cat” X accounts were going to enjoy when I accidentally ordered my kitten soldier to murder his injured comrade and wear his skin like some kind of grim battle armor.

The humor of the game, driven by shocking or surreal moments and reinforced by characters who are clearly written to be jokes but still manage to be lovable, is certainly a big draw to the game. However, even without it, the title stands out and could succeed just on its strong gameplay, something that shouldn’t surprise me considering it came from the creativity behind The Binding of Isaac.

The monster-rancher-like loop is its own thing, and believe me when I say I was constantly chasing that high of making the best-stat-battle-cat, but the turn-based combat on its own is really well done as well. Fights move pretty quickly, prolonged only by fairly short movement phases, with attacks that deal tons of damage and incredibly satisfying combos to pull off, both of which are truths that exist on either side of the field. You can wipe an enemy out in one turn or lose your entire squad to the chaining spell attack of your own cat; the fact that both allies and enemies can, in essence, affect anyone on the map regardless of what side they’re on is a very fun twist. You can and probably will murder some of your own cats with friendly fire.

The multitude of unlockable abilities in the game is pretty cleverly designed, too, being more than just stat sticks and having some unique effects, though that isn’t to undermine the excitement that comes from having a well-built and straightforward one-shot feline. Brewing your ultimate warrior kitty and then watching him unleash a flurry of swipes on a boss, reducing his health from 75 to near zero in one turn, feels super rewarding. You can never stick to one strong cat, however, with the game forcing you to make a new squad of kittens on each run as a clever way to keep you from getting too attached to any one build or cat, and stopping you from cheesing your way through the game with one lucky build.

Mewgenics has exploded in popularity already, and it’s no surprise why. The game presents an innately interesting concept, backs it up with strong mechanics, and ties it all up in a bow with iconic humor that could only be pulled off by its unique creators. If somehow you’re still on the fence, I suggest you give Mewgenics a try; I highly doubt you’ll regret it.

Mewgenics was reviewed on the PC. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles on our Game Reviews page! Mewgenics is available on Steam.