Mewgenics Preview — Edmund McMillen's New Roguelike Looks Purrfect
Our first look at Mewgenics reveals a deep cat-breeding tactical roguelike with Edmund McMillen's signature style.
After years of anticipation, Mewgenics is finally here — and it’s everything fans of Edmund McMillen’s twisted creativity could hope for. We went hands-on with the Early Access launch to bring you our first impressions.
First Impressions
Mewgenics is dense. There’s no other word for it. Within the first hour, the game throws dozens of interconnected systems at you: cat breeding, tactical combat, home management, NPC relationships, item collection, and an overarching roguelike progression loop. It’s a lot — but it works.
The core loop goes something like this:
- Wake up in your home with your cats
- Feed them, clean up, manage breeding
- Send a squad on a tactical combat adventure
- Survive battles, collect loot, explore events
- Return home, deal with the aftermath
- Repeat
What makes this different from other roguelikes is the breeding system. Your cats are temporary — they age, retire, and die. But their offspring inherit abilities and stats, creating a lineage-based progression that feels unlike anything else.
Combat System
The tactical combat is turn-based on a grid, similar to games like Fire Emblem or Into the Breach. Each cat has abilities determined by their collar (class), inherited traits, and equipped items. Positioning matters enormously — attacking from behind deals bonus damage, and many abilities have specific range patterns.
What elevates the combat is the sheer variety. With 14 different collar classes, dozens of abilities that can be inherited across generations, and items that modify behavior, no two battles feel the same.
The McMillen Touch
If you’ve played The Binding of Isaac, you know what to expect aesthetically. Mewgenics has that same mix of cute and grotesque. Your cats can be adorable one moment and horrifying the next — especially when mutations stack up from inbreeding.
The humor is dark, the art is distinctive, and the game isn’t afraid to make you feel uncomfortable. Cats can die. Breeding can go horribly wrong. And the whole thing is packaged with McMillen’s trademark irreverence.
Early Access State
As an Early Access title, Mewgenics feels surprisingly polished. The core loop is satisfying, the systems are deep, and the content is substantial. We encountered minimal bugs during our preview session.
That said, there are areas that need work:
- Tutorial and onboarding could be much clearer
- UI can be overwhelming with so many systems
- Some balance issues with class power levels
- Performance hiccups during large battles
Verdict So Far
Mewgenics is shaping up to be something special. It combines tactical combat depth with a breeding meta-game that creates genuine attachment to your cat lineages. If you’re a fan of roguelikes, tactical RPGs, or Edmund McMillen’s previous work, this is absolutely worth your attention.
We’ll have a full review once we’ve spent more time with the game and seen how the later acts develop.