Mewgenics

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Mewgenics
Teaser poster
DevelopersEdmund McMillen[a]
Tyler Glaiel
PublishersEdmund McMillen
Tyler Glaiel
ComposerRidiculon
EngineGlaiel Game Engine
PlatformWindows
ReleaseFebruary 10, 2026
GenresTactical role-playing, roguelike, life simulation
ModeSingle-player

Mewgenics is an upcoming tactical role-playing roguelike life simulation video game developed by Edmund McMillen and Tyler Glaiel. The gameplay revolves around the process of breeding cats that assume character classes and sending them out on adventures based on a series of tactical combats set up on procedurally-generated grids. Originally announced by Team Meat in 2012 as a follow-up to Super Meat Boy, the game experienced a protracted production cycle that led to a state of development hell, before being cancelled and subsequently reacquired by McMillen for development with Glaiel in 2018. Mewgenics is scheduled for release via the digital distribution platform Steam on February 10, 2026.

Gameplay

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Mewgenics is a tactical role-playing game divided into two stages: combat and cat breeding. At the beginning of the game, the player is assigned a team of four cats, which feature character classes, such as hunter, mage and healer. The cats have varying statistics, as well as access to mana reserves, which influence their roles and performance. The cats may additionally enhanced by equipping clothing and other paraphernalia. The combat portion of the game takes place, principally, on a procedurally-generated grid with a two-dimensional isometric perspective, where the team must eliminate all the enemies before advancing.[1] The combatants may take a move action, use an active ability, and get benefit from passive abilities.[2][better source needed] The combat is heavily influenced by the environment, including weather and foliage, the latter of which can work for and against the cats. If a cat loses all its hit points, it will be incapacitated yet remain in the battle, though it will suffer long-term consequences such as brain damage – and could still be killed with three subsequent blows from enemies. Should a cat die, its items will be lost, including any exclusive rarities that may only drop once. After a successful battle, the player may choose a cat to level up, thereby enhancing its abilities.[1]

The second stage of the game, breeding, comes into play once the player has completed their run.[clarification needed] Surviving cats return to the house hub, inheriting their statistics as well as equipment that may be used by other cats. Two cats in the same room may mate, resulting in the breeding of a new cat that inherits their parents' traits. Inherited traits may produce cats that are ideal for further runs. Inbreeding, the act of breeding cats with closely related parents, results in offspring with mutations and other deficiencies. As simulated in-game time passes, cats die from old age.[1]

Development

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Original design and cancellation

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The original Mew-Genics prototype featured turn-based arena combat.

Following release of the critically and commercially successful video game Super Meat Boy co-created by programmer Tommy Refenes and artist Edmund McMillen of Team Meat, McMillen collaborated with programmer Florian Himsl on the Flash video game The Binding of Isaac as a three-month exploration of the roguelike genre. After the game's release in 2011, McMillen worked with Refenes to develop Mew-Genics taking into consideration lessons learned from the development of The Binding of Isaac.[3][4] Announced in October 2012, the game was described by McMillen as being randomly generated, involving cats and the "strangest project [he had] ever worked on".[5] Mew-Genics featured turn-based strategy combat, while leaning heavily into house hub element,[clarification needed] drawing inspiration from The Sims, Pokémon, Animal Crossing and Tamagotchi, [6] The cats engaged bosses in a manner styled, principally, after Pokémon combat system, where opponents become progressively more difficult with every fight.[7] Outside combat, cats could participate in various activities, such as beauty pageants and sewer races – as well as be cryogenically frozen for longevity.[8] The game was intended to be a multi-platform title, with iOS being the first announced platform, followed by Steam and Android.[9] The game's soundtrack was composed by the two-member band Ridiculon, McMillen's repeat collaborators.[10]

Shortly after production began, McMillen and Refenes realized that they had underestimated the scope of Mew-Genics, with the game experiencing feature creep.[citation needed] Therefore, Team Meat temporarily shelved Super Meat Boy Forever, their planned handheld successor to Super Meat Boy, to prioritize Mew-Genics.[11] It was originally planned to be released in 2014, and available for beta-test at PAX Prime in Seattle, Washington, between August and September 2013, but Team Meat announced directly before the event that it would only be exhibited and not playable.[12] The game was playable for the public at PAX East in Boston, Massachusetts, in April 2014, with Team Meat insisting it would still release that year.[13] In August 2014, development of Mew-Genics was put on hold to work on refactoring the gameplay to make it more coherent.[14] After two years of no development, McMillen confirmed in 2016 that Mew-Genics had been cancelled while he's focused on his new project, The Legend of Bum-bo.[15] McMillen subsequently departed from Team Meat, which he credited to the divergent interests of the co-owners, with him wishing to pursue new intellectual properties while Refenes looked to further develop the Meat Boy franchise.[16]

Final design and release

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An early prototype of the final design in January 2020, featuring tactical combat and an isometric perspective

In January 2018, McMillen announced in a blog post that he had secured the rights to Mewgenics (unhyphenated)[4] from Team Meat and that the project would be developed with video game designer Tyler Glaiel, McMillen's collaborator from The End Is Nigh.Eurogamer reported that the game's design would undergo a complete overhaul, with an anticipated release date several years away.[17] While McMillen had been working on The Legend of Bum-bo, the final expansion for The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth called Repentance and the physical card game Tapeworm, Glaiel prototyped several gameplay variants for the rebooted Mewgenics.[18][19] The genres Glaiel tested included brawler and real-time strategy, though he found them to be too chaotic.[1] In early 2020, a turn-based tactical role-playing prototype moved forward as the game's design.[1] The game was built upon an engine developed by Glaiel in 2010, which was which was previously utilized for development of The End Is Nigh and capable of importing assets created in Adobe Flash.[20]

In October 2022, the official Steam page for Mewgenics was launched promoting it as a turn-based roguelike legacy game.[21] In April 2025, with most of the content for Mewgenics completed, developers released an official trailer blending live-action performances and in-game content.[22] During the 2025 PC Gaming Show, its release date was announced, set for February 10, 2026.[23] During September 2025 announcement, McMillen confirmed that all the major content for Mewgenics had been completed and showcased the first longform gameplay video.[24]

Reception

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The game was first previewed by journalist Russ Frushtick of Polygon on Halloween 2022, detailing his playthrough, as well as McMillen and Glaiel's account of the game's development history. He complimented it for being "one of the most ambitious and bizarre strategy games [he had] ever played."[1] IGN journalist Tom Marks was given an extended preview of Mewgenics in May 2025 and praised the game for being one of the most exciting and nuanced roguelikes he had played in years.[25] Tyler Wilde of PC Gamer, attending the early preview in July 2025, agreed with McMillen's assessment of Mewgenics as the best title of his career.[26]

Notes

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  1. ^ Originally Team Meat prior to cancellation in 2016

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Frushtick, Russ (October 31, 2022). "Mewgenics: The 'sequel to Binding of Isaac' is an infinitely expanding cat combat mashup". Polygon. Archived from the original on April 15, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  2. ^ McMillen, Edmund (January 17, 2023). "CAT FIGHT!". Steam. Archived from the original on August 31, 2023. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
  3. ^ McCrae, Scott (October 9, 2025). "The Binding of Isaac creator Edmund McMillen says he only made the genre-defining hit to try a 'basic roguelike' and 'get my feet in the water' before his real magnum opus". GamesRadar+. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  4. ^ a b Capel, Chris J (January 8, 2022). "Here's Mewgenics' 'super fun' cat DnD combat, but it's still two years away". PCGamesN. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  5. ^ Hilliard, Kyle (October 20, 2012). "Super Meat Boy Creators Announce New Game". Game Informer. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  6. ^ Conditt, Jessica (January 13, 2013). "Mew-Genics reveals the sordid world of sewer cat racing". Engadget. Archived from the original on August 31, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  7. ^ McMillen, Edmund (August 3, 2022). Unboxing of Isaac stream #5! (YouTube). Santa Cruz, California, United States. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  8. ^ Frushtick, Russ (October 31, 2022). "Mewgenics: The 'sequel to Binding of Isaac' is an infinitely expanding cat combat mashup". Polygon. Archived from the original on April 15, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  9. ^ Farokhmanesh, Megan (December 23, 2012). "First Mew-Genics platform revealed". Polygon. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  10. ^ Holmes, Jonathan (October 10, 2013). "Mew-Genics music reveals hints on the game's secrets". Destructoid. Archived from the original on August 31, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  11. ^ Sliwinski, Alexander (February 5, 2013). "Super Meat Boy development for mobile paused". Joystiq. Archived from the original on February 8, 2013.
  12. ^ Crecente, Brian (August 31, 2013). "Mew-Genics won't be playable at PAX after all, but here's a teaser trailer". Polygon. Archived from the original on August 31, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  13. ^ Hilliard, Kyle (April 13, 2014). "Mew-Genics Preview – Cat Combat Showcased With Mew-Genics Animated Gifs". Game Informer. Archived from the original on April 14, 2014. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  14. ^ Suszek, Mike (August 30, 2014). "Mew-Genics on hold, will return when it's 'more coherent'". Engadget. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  15. ^ Matulef, Jeffrey (March 24, 2016). "The Binding of Isaac dev announces The Legend of Bum-bo". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  16. ^ Shea, Brian (December 27, 2021). "The Outcast Comes Home – The Life And Career Of Edmund McMillen". Game Informer. Archived from the original on December 27, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  17. ^ Wales, Matt (January 11, 2018). "Binding of Isaac creator Edmund McMillen's cat game Mew-Genics is back from the dead". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  18. ^ Tarason, Dominic (June 17, 2019). "Mew-genics back in production after six years stuck up a tree". Rock Paper Shotgun. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  19. ^ Kapron, Nicola Jean (January 9, 2022). "Super Meat Boy Developer Shows Off Mew-Genics Combat". Game Rant. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  20. ^ Ściga, Łukasz (April 12, 2025). Highly anticipated Mewgenics! (YouTube). Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  21. ^ Stewart, Marcus (October 28, 2022). "The Binding Of Isaac Creator's Long-Awaited Mewgenics Has A New Release Window". Game Informer. Archived from the original on October 28, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  22. ^ Chalk, Andy (April 4, 2025). "13 years after it was first teased, the official Mewgenics trailer is here with live-action sexual dysfunction, brutal violence, a divine grudge, and more than 100 truly awful cats". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on April 21, 2025. Retrieved June 6, 2025.
  23. ^ Jones, Ali (June 8, 2025). "Legendary roguelike dev behind The Binding of Isaac finally reveals the release date for his cat-eugenics strategy game, 13 years after it was originally announced". GamesRadar+. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  24. ^ Warren, Mark (September 4, 2025). "Edmund McMillen says the 'big important bits' of Mewgenics are done, shows off 50 minutes of weird cat roguelikery". Rock Paper Shotgun. Archived from the original on September 4, 2025. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  25. ^ Marks, Tom (May 9, 2025). "Mewgenics Is One of the Most Exciting Roguelikes I've Played in Years". IGN. Retrieved June 6, 2025.
  26. ^ Wilde, Tyler (July 30, 2025). "Edmund McMillen thinks Mewgenics is his best game yet, and after playing it myself, I can see why". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on August 11, 2025. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
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