Mewgenics has completely exploded into the roguelike landscape, bringing with it plenty of gore, grime, and a whole lot of strangeness that have long been the trademarks of the Isaac developers. One of the central mechanics of the game is breeding, which allows players to combine and merge the stats and abilities of two cats, in the hopes of creating a more powerful feline to take into the next run.
Mewgenics Tips & Tricks
Looking to get the most out your cats and every run in Mewgenics? Check out our tips and tricks to help you through this creepy cat adventure.
However, much like real life, the birthing process isn't always a walk in the park, and in this case, many cats can end up with some odd mutations that provide them with unique effects, whilst also changing their appearance in pretty drastic ways. A lot of these changes come with a few basic stat alterations, but a few go even further, giving players an incredibly unique party member that both looks weird and also has an extra surprise waiting in store.
Long Legs
Far Above The Danger
Details:
- This unit is immune to any tile effects
Players who have played even a little bit of Binding of Isaac: Rebirth will know all about Daddy Long Legs and the multitude of items that are related to his elongated limbs. Now in Mewgenics, the trend continues, with a large mutation that extends the cat high above any dangers, at least those lying on the ground.
Not only does it make the little kitten look incredibly silly, especially on the battlefield, but it also serves a functional purpose that is incredibly powerful in certain stages, like the Boneyard, what with all the broken glass. Being able to straight-up avoid ground effects can reduce and even nullify a lot of enemies, making it a powerful, albeit strange mutation.
Cat Limbs
Far More Than Nine Lives
Details:
- Spawn a Charmed Kitten familiar when you get downed.
A lot of the mutations in Mewgenics are either visually or mechanically absurd, but this one manages to tick both boxes at once. The effect can come from multiple different sources, like the cat's legs or even their body, the latter of which makes them downright horrifying well before they enter the fight.
Mewgenics Combat Guide
Mewgenics is heavily combat-focused, so knowing how to fight is a no-brainer, and this guide will exactly help with that.
The actual benefit is also equally unusual, providing players with an extra unit that can assist them in those tricky situations when the cat goes down. From a thematic perspective, it is almost as if the mutation leaps from the corpse and into the fight, an image that is somehow more odd than the actual effect itself.
Wings
Who Said Cats Can't Fly?
Details:
- +2 Speed
- Fly away when hit.
As players progress through a run, they will encounter several passive birds that run around aimlessly, flying away from anything that takes a swipe at them. Once chased down, the stat buff is pretty handy, making them a great point of focus, even if they can be a little slippery to pin down.
If players are lucky enough, they can actually gain this effect for themselves, with a pair of wings that let their unit escape in the middle of a fight, without even needing to move. The extra speed is also helpful, as it allows them to reposition afterwards wherever necessary, making it a decently powerful mutation for movement-loving cats.
Bone Ears
Becoming One With The Dead
Details:
- Whenever you down a unit, you have a 10% chance to reanimate that unit with 50% HP.
After clearing the Boneyard and battling the devious Dybbuk, players are rewarded with the Necromancer collar, which brings with it some interesting new effects like reanimating corpses. Being able to bring units back from the dead is incredibly powerful, given how good summons are in the game, and whenever players get a chance to, they should be more than happy to have a little zombie running around for them.
The bone mutation feeds into this idea, giving players a passive effect that has a random chance of reanimating units whenever they down an enemy. While the summons are weaker than the actual enemy itself, any extra body is nice to have, and the fact that it comes from a mutation and not an active spell is why it's so strong, and more than a good enough reason to add the poor kitty to the party.
Fit the 9 games into the grid.
Lazy Eye
No Time To Sleep Around
Details:
- Apply -20 Initiative
- Take your turn later
Because Mewgenics is a turn-based game, many players from the D&D world will feel right at home with their knowledge about mechanics like initiative. The stat effectively dictates which unit attacks in what order, with a higher number meaning sooner turns, and vice versa, making it an important concept to understand right from the start.
This mutation, however, completely ignores the need to act, and instead, keeps the cat in a stationary position for far longer than they probably need to be. It is arguably one of the worst mutations in the game, as the -20 debuff can mean the unit misses several turns all at once, which could be all it takes to turn an otherwise winnable fight into an instant loss.
Isaac Eye
Plenty Of Tears Left Over
Details:
- +1 DivineShield
- Your basic attack creates water tiles.
It might not be his game, but Isaac is still around in some shape or form. This teary-eyed mutation gives players a water effect to their basic attack, which falls in line nicely in a thematic sense, and it actually proves to be surprisingly effective, due to how useful movement slows are in the game.
All Cat Stats in Mewgenics (& What They Do)
As you venture further from home in Mewgenics, you'll need to take on tougher enemies. That means you'll need cats with better stats.
The DivineShield it brings with it is another great bonus that lets the cat block an entire attack all at once, only making the mutation stronger overall. Thinking from an Easter egg-related perspective, it could be a call-back to The Lost, a character in Isaac that begins its runs with a similar shield item, whilst also having the signature crying attacks that have now been brought over to a completely different experience.
Backstab Head
All Back To Front
Details:
- Attacks against your face count as backstabs.
Backstabs are a crucial mechanic in the game that can give players a huge advantage in virtually every fight. They work both on allies and enemies, and aside from the obvious benefits in the Thief class, they should be something that players incorporate into their future runs if they want some free extra damage.
This mutation takes friendly backstabs and makes them apply to the front as well, which turns the cat into a prime target for some heavy blows. Connotations aside, there is one synergy that can actually benefit from this otherwise terrible downside, being the Frying Pan item, which not only blocks all backstab damage, but also lets the player counter-attack, transforming the mutation into a surprisingly powerful one in the right situation.
Gemini Head
Two Heads Are Better Than One
Details:
- Take an extra turn at the start of the battle.
Actions and turns are the core components of any successful run, as if players can't dish out enough damage quickly, they can soon be overrun and outstatted by their enemies. However, with enough speed and a few refresh abilities, players can abuse turn orders and traditional action sequences and squeeze in some extra abilities before enemies can even react.
This mutation goes beyond that, granting players an extra turn to use right at the start, which can easily be an insane bonus if used correctly. They could set up for an insane early turn, or save up their mana and unleash a heavy spell sooner, so if they can overlook the obvious deformity, then it could easily become the player's next favourite mutation.
Corpse Mouth
The Biggest Bodies Ever
Details:t
- +100 corpse health
Corpse health is a very important component of the fights in Mewgenics, as it lets a downed ally remain savable, even when things go completely haywire. So long as they don't get smacked too many times, they will stand up with the rest of the team when the fight is over, although they will suffer a stat loss as a punishment for being knocked out.
However, the base three hit points still feels pretty low, so why not add an extra 100 to really make sure that the cat is okay? This little mutation can be the centre-piece for an entire build, as players can quite happily send in a sacrificial unit, knowing full well that there is no way the enemies can deal even close to lethal damage before the whole fight is over.
Syringe Leg
Say Yes To Drugs
Details:
- Your basic attack inflicts a random debuff
- Apply +1 randomly of: Poison, Burn, Bleed, Blind, Weakness
Isaac players will know all about the different syringes in the game, as they are all pretty handy items to grab, even if a few are a bit more out-there in terms of effectiveness. In this case, the same power remains, as despite clearly ruining the cat's day, this mutation is actually insanely good on and against virtually every single unit in the game.
Each attack will add one of five great debuffs, ranging from Poison to Bleed, and it doesn't matter which one the player lands on, they will always be pretty happy with the outcome. There are also so many different synergies that can be made with the mutation, like AoE basic attacks and debuff amplifiers, so if players can stomach the visuals, then they should for sure keep the mutated cat around.
