Mewgenics: Cat Breeding Roguelike Turns Autism, Dyslexia Into Unique Traits
▼ Summary
– Mewgenics, a new game by Edmund McMillen, explores controversial themes like eugenics through cat breeding and turn-based battles.
– The game includes human conditions like autism and dyslexia as inheritable traits for cats, challenging players to reconsider their perceptions of these traits.
– McMillen aims to show that conditions like autism and dyslexia have both challenges and unique advantages, such as enhanced spell-casting abilities.
– The game encourages players to find creative ways to leverage perceived disadvantages, like primordial dwarfism granting extreme luck.
– Mewgenics is set to release on February 10, 2026, and McMillen believes it may be his best game yet, blending deep themes with strategic gameplay.
Mewgenics, the upcoming cat-breeding roguelike from Edmund McMillen (creator of Super Meat Boy and The Binding of Isaac), isn’t shying away from provocative themes. The game’s title alone, a twist on “eugenics”, hints at its deeper exploration of genetics, both in feline and human contexts. Players will breed generations of cats, each inheriting unique traits, including conditions like autism, dyslexia, and primordial dwarfism, reframing these not as mere disadvantages but as opportunities for strategic gameplay.
McMillen’s approach challenges players to reconsider how they perceive genetic differences. For example, cats with autism may struggle in certain areas but excel at mastering innate spells, while those with dyslexia (a condition McMillen personally experiences) see swapped numbers in damage values, a mechanic that, with creativity, can be leveraged for advantage. Even primordial dwarfism, which drastically reduces a cat’s size and stats, comes with an extraordinary luck boost, turning what might seem like a weakness into a potential powerhouse.
The game’s deeper narrative reflects McMillen’s personal evolution. Now a father, he describes Mewgenics as a meditation on legacy, inheritance, and the unpredictability of traits passed through generations. Fans have even suggested ways to incorporate their own conditions into the game, seeing it as a rare chance to explore identity through an unconventional lens.
Despite its controversial premise, McMillen and collaborator Tyler Glaiel emphasize that Mewgenics is not endorsing eugenics. Glaiel compares it to The Binding of Isaac, which tackles dark themes like child abuse without glorifying them. The game’s story mode, surprisingly expansive, could take 200 hours for newcomers to complete, with Glaiel estimating a 50-hour speedrun.
Set for release on Steam in February 2026, Mewgenics promises to blend tactical depth with McMillen’s signature irreverence. After hands-on time with the project, it’s clear this isn’t just another breeding simulator, it’s a bold, thought-provoking experiment that could redefine how games approach complex real-world topics.
(Source: PCGAMER)
