Mewgenics Is Finally Back From the Dead, and It’s Gloriously Weird

Mewgenics is one of those games people either forgot about or never stopped waiting for. Originally teased back in 2012, the bizarre cat RPG from The Binding of Isaac creator Edmund McMillen has finally clawed its way back into the spotlight—with a new trailer and a confirmed 2025 release window.

This game’s journey is wild. Back in the day, it was pitched as a mash-up of The Sims, Pokémon, Animal Crossing, and Tamagotchi, all wrapped in a weird, scrappy, cat-heavy aesthetic. It was meant to be the next big thing from Team Meat, the folks behind Super Meat Boy. Then it just… disappeared.

McMillen and Team Meat co-founder Tommy Refenes eventually split, and the project was shelved. In the meantime, McMillen made hits like The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, The End is Nigh, and The Legend of Bum-bo. But in 2018, McMillen revealed he wasn’t done with Mewgenics—he had brought it back to life with a new dev team, and work had resumed.

Now, more than a decade after that first announcement, we’ve got our best look yet. A chaotic live-action trailer just dropped, and it’s everything you'd expect from McMillen: unsettling, hilarious, and weirdly touching. The trailer features a couple rediscovering their spark thanks to some very... active cats. It even sneaks in a bit of gameplay, though you might miss it between the awkward petting and musical chaos.

"Mewgenics is currently undergoing a bit of polishing ahead of a more thorough showing next month," McMillen said in a new post on Steam.

"There'll be more news on the release date next month, too."

Here’s what we know about the actual gameplay. It’s now a tactical RPG with two main components: breeding and combat. You’ll raise an army of genetically unique cats and send them into battle. Think turn-based strategy, but with fur, fangs, and absurd abilities. Every cat you breed will have stats, traits, and mutations that affect how they perform in fights. And yes, it’s as strange as it sounds.

The original concept leaned more toward life sim and management, but over the years, McMillen shifted it into something way more gameplay-heavy. That might disappoint fans who were expecting something slower-paced and cozy, but for others, it’s a huge upgrade. Tactical combat plus cat chaos? Sounds like a niche hit in the making.

According to the game’s Steam page, Mewgenics will launch in 2025. It’s PC-only for now, but given McMillen’s track record, console ports aren’t off the table. No specific date yet, but the devs promise more news “next month,” along with a deeper dive into gameplay and systems.

• The game will feature roguelike elements, so every playthrough will be different.
• Your cats can age, mutate, and even pass traits down through generations.
• Combat will be turn-based, with positioning and abilities playing a big role.
• And yes, the art style is still that familiar grim-cute look McMillen is known for.

It’s been a long wait, but Mewgenics finally looks like a real, finished game—and more importantly, it looks fun. There’s still a lot we don’t know, but fans of McMillen’s oddball design style should be hyped. If you liked Isaac and don’t mind some chaotic cat breeding mixed with strategy, this one’s worth wishlisting.

You can find the trailer on YouTube and wishlist the game now on Steam. Just be ready—this isn’t your grandma’s cat sim.

What is The Binding of Isaac?

The Binding of Isaac is a dark, fast-paced roguelike game where players control a young boy named Isaac as he escapes into the monster-filled basement beneath his house. The game is known for its randomly generated levels, bizarre enemies, and disturbing themes inspired by religious stories.

Created by Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl, it first launched in 2011 as a Flash game. It quickly gained a cult following for its challenging gameplay, unique art style, and replayability. An expanded remake called The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth was released in 2014, followed by several DLCs.

Each run through the game is different, with hundreds of items to collect that change Isaac’s abilities and appearance. Players never know what they'll face next, which makes every playthrough fresh and unpredictable. It’s brutal, weird, and strangely addictive.