2026 has gotten off to a rip-roaring start. We’ve got a new Resident Evil on the way, Grasshopper Manufacture released its first new IP in ages in the form of Romeo Is a Dead Man, and Cairn is easily The Game Bakers’ magnum opus. But for my money, the most addictive game of the year so far is Mewgenics, and I’m not quite sure how to feel about that.
Despite being a huge fan of The Binding of Isaac, a game developed by Mewgenics co-creator Edmund McMillen, I only learned of Mewgenics a few short months ago. Imagine my surprise, then, when I learned that McMillen and Tyler Gladiel had actually been working on Mewgenics since 2012, meaning that it has been in development for well over a decade. That decade-plus of work certainly shows. While Mewgenics might seem graphically and mechanically quaint, it’s actually shockingly deep and expansive, making me quite concerned about my ability to turn it off and actually get work done. But unlike something like Balatro, which has been equally life-ruining as far as its impact on my free time, Mewgenics is extremely brutal, gross, and violent, bordering on what some would consider virtual animal cruelty. I’m sure PETA is already drafting a statement about it.
Not Sure If You’re ‘Allowed’ to Like Mewgenics? Same Here
I like to think of myself as a friend to animals, fascinated and enchanted by them for as long as I can remember. Over the course of my life, I’ve had birds, hamsters, snakes, frogs, axolotls, you name it—but my deepest relationships have been with dogs and cats. This isn’t exactly surprising, as these free-roaming furry friends have basically evolved alongside humans, our ancient ancestors nurturing a generations-spanning symbiotic dynamic with them. We think of them as rather human-like, linking them inextricably to our social customs and history.
Balance the critic averages
Balance the critic averages
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Since people, especially pet owners, assume the role of caretaker for these animals, we tend to be rather protective of them. This is why a game like Mewgenics has the potential to rub people the wrong way: it’s obvious that the cats being bred, thrown into battle, maimed, and even killed are not real, but it’s not something I like to think about, regardless. In my mind, as in the minds of many others, cats are associated with comfort and affection. My own cat is purring in my lap right now, and the thought of sending him on a Mewgenics-style adventure pains me (though I’m sure he’d do a great job).
Put plainly, Mewgenics is a grotesque and often cold depiction of cat life, in spite of its obvious, crudely comedic approach. When I first started playing it, there was definitely a part of my brain that threw up warning signals whenever I saw my beloved virtual cats being set ablaze, impaled, or crippled. But then I looked over from my computer at my other cat, a 17-year-old domestic shorthair with various minor scars on her face and ears, and I started to see things from a different perspective.
It Might Not Always Be Pretty, but Mewgenics Is One of the Most Respectful and Accurate Depictions of Cats I’ve Seen Yet
Here’s the thing: cats are not as helpless as people like to think they are. My 17-year-old cat, Sedona, would leave the house every morning from the ages of one to about ten, only coming back home to eat, sleep, or snuggle. For a while, we could determine her general whereabouts by the sounds of cat-fighting—those unmistakable hisses and snarls—and sometimes she would come home with a fresh scar or a bite mark on her ear. But she insisted upon this lifestyle regardless. Eventually, the rest of the neighborhood cats left her alone. She had become top dog (cat). When she left my family home and moved in with me, she adopted a more sedentary lifestyle befitting of a lady her age, not unlike the retired cats of Mewgenics.
I’ve heard all the reasons why cats shouldn’t be let outside, how indoor cats live longer on average and all that, but Sedona wanted to spend her time outside, and she always came back home. Even now, scarred and geriatric, she’s a complete sweetheart, lacking psychological or emotional damage from the years she chose to spend as a roaming adventurer. Humans assume that we are doing the right thing by locking our cats up all the time, but this is an assumption rooted in human superiority. We think that we can better decide how these animals should live, even though cats are, by definition, apex predators. They can certainly take care of themselves, and Mewgenics‘ ridiculous and over-the-top “adventures” are the perfect encapsulation of this.
To be clear, I’m not saying every single cat should be an outdoor cat. Whether this is right for a given cat depends on a lot of factors, including location: a rural area is obviously a lot better for an outdoor cat than an urban one.
Cats love their owners, but they aren’t like dogs. Dogs are attached to humans, and most of them, especially if they are fully mature, don’t want to stray too far. But cats want to explore. They want to go on adventures and aren’t afraid to get into fights or other risky situations. Mewgenics is, of course, not a realistic depiction of this, but it’s faithful to the bold and independent nature of felines, generally speaking. Yes, they are precious and sweet and all that jazz, and they should be protected, but they aren’t just smaller, furrier human children. Cats are more like Solid Snake: not invincible, but stealthy, highly skilled, resourceful, and intelligent in ways that most people can’t fully comprehend.
Thus, Mewgenics manages to be a surprisingly honest and decent representation of cats, albeit within a ridiculous cartoon context. It’s not romantic and clean like Stray, nor is it anthropomorphic like Animal Crossing or A Night in the Woods. It’s intense, silly, reckless, rebellious, and graceful—perfect for capturing the heart and soul of our beloved feline friends.
- Released
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February 10, 2026
- Developer(s)
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Edmund McMillen, Tyler Glaiel
- Publisher(s)
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Edmund McMillen, Tyler Glaiel
- Number of Players
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Single-player
- Steam Deck Compatibility
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Unknown
