Published by Nicalis and developed by Edmund McMillen of Super Meat Boy and The Binding of Isaac fame, Mewgenics is the next example of exceptional game design mixed with grotesque humor. However, instead of being a platformer or top-down dungeon crawler, this cat-based quest is a tactical RPG, the most underappreciated and under represented genre in all of gaming.
Mewgenics is one of those games that might be a little overwhelming at first since the rules don’t really follow a familiar playbook but quickly grows on you. This is going to sound weird, but you play as a cat hoarder and essentially breed them into soldiers. After the game provides the initial starting lineup, the player will eventually breed cats, recycle veteran warriors, and adopt strays. Just when cats are starting to get strong, their offspring, which can combine the abilities of their parents, will take their place on the battlefield. The constant revolving door of playable fighters is an engaging way to keep things fresh dozens of hours into the quest. Then, as the hours of gameplay start to pass, more options become available to enhance your army of felines.
Battles take place on a single screen and usually only takes a few minutes to clear. If you played FFT, Fire Emblem, or even Vandal Hearts, you’ll have an idea what to expect. When it is that cat’s turn, they can move a certain distance and then perform some type of action just as long as enough ability points are in the queue. The tactical combat is easy to understand but is constantly changing thanks to the continuous roster of cats with different abilities. This might sound a little crazy on paper but the execution is balanced, crazy deep, horribly addicting.
The black and white newspaper presentation is also filled with personality despite being limited on colors. If the inbred cats weren’t enough, the colorful cast of NPCs, breeding cutscenes, and silly abilities can create some laugh out loud moments. This is a well written game and the opening hour or so does a good job of teaching the player the seemingly complicated tactics… which become second nature quickly.
There are so many examples of finely tuned polish too. For example, each ability is creative and can genuinely help. Having the option to use both the analog stick like a mouse but also make snappy use of the d-pad makes the menu-based play control quick and intuitive. There is even a freakin’ “meow” button on the title screen and is only there to make a meow sound effect. It is these little details that make it easy to see how much the passion the dev team has.
Mewgenics is one of those games that makes it easy to burn a few dozen hours without realizing it. It is exceptionally thoughtful, well designed, and hekka-creative. Also, it is important to simply acknowledge the fact that this is a new, really well made TRPG and TRPGs are so few and far between these days. At the very least, I hope this game does well so this under-appreciated genre can grow, applaud developers for making a game that isn’t another ridiculous simulator or survivors clone, and reward taking risks on new and interesting ideas. Mewgenics is great. Play it. Wishlist it.
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
X/Twitter: @ZackGaz
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RATING
OUR SCORE - 9
9
SCORE
Mewgenics is a stupidly creative, highly engaging, and tightly designed TRPG experience that makes it easy to lose dozens of hours of your life.