Mewgenics moved over 150,000 copies in roughly six hours after its release. The creators described the launch as “beating expectations by quite a lot.”
The turn-based tactics roguelike comes from Edmund McMillen and Tyler Glaiel. McMillen created The Binding of Isaac and co-created Super Meat Boy, making this a high-profile indie release with years of built-up anticipation.
The game centers on breeding and battling cats through procedurally generated runs. Players build parties of cats with randomly assigned traits, then take them through tactical combat encounters where a single bad decision can end everything.
McMillen and Glaiel self-published Mewgenics and handled most of the promotion themselves. They appeared on podcasts like Castle Super Beast and Remap Radio, popped up on smaller streams, and stayed active on TikTok answering player questions leading up to launch.
Early players are sharing disaster stories that highlight the game’s chaotic nature. Reports include party members eating forbidden fruit and wiping entire teams, cats going mad and destroying their own allies, and random events offering seemingly worthless trades for crucial party members. One player described a Russian roulette event where their fighter dealt 999 damage to himself.
The volatility mirrors The Binding of Isaac‘s design philosophy. Runs can break in your favor or collapse spectacularly based on item combinations and random events.
Steam Deck performance
The game runs on Steam Deck with acceptable performance, but several players note control issues. Mewgenics uses a cursor-based interface where the analog stick moves a mouse pointer rather than direct controller navigation. Players recommend mapping common actions to back buttons for smoother gameplay.
Console ports haven’t been officially announced. During a recent Q&A, the developers suggested console versions could happen eventually but are likely at least a year away. The team hasn’t begun looking for a publisher for ports yet.
