Mewgenics is not a typical roguelite. You are not building one overpowered team and snowballing your way to the end. Instead, it focuses on long-term progression, base management, genetic planning, and managing loss. Treating it like Slay the Spire will lead to frustration fast.
1. Do Not Get Attached to Your Cats
In most games, once you find a synergy, you ride it to the end. In Mewgenics, you are going to lose your cats. Even if you build the ideal team with strong combos, the game forces them into retirement when you reach major milestones or complete new locations. You might try to recreate that same Hunter-Cleric-Fighter trio, but the new generation will have different skills and spells. You have to shift your focus to bloodlines instead of individual heroes. Long-term breeding plans matter more than preserving your best units.
2. Food Disappears Sooner Than You Expect
You begin with 50 portions of food and feel like you are set. With just four cats, that seems like plenty. It is not. As strays show up and kittens are born, the number of mouths to feed multiplies fast. Always pick up food on runs and keep checking the shop. That 100-coin food storage upgrade is essential for keeping your early economy from collapsing.
3. Clean Up Poop Right Away
This may sound like a joke, but since it is an Edmund McMillen game, poop is a mechanic. It can help in battle by blocking tiles or powering up cats, but in your base, it is a real problem. Leaving poop around lowers your cats’ wellbeing. Skip the fancy furniture early on and just clean up with those sweet curlers. A clean base matters more than a stylish one. It also helps prevent mood drops that can derail your entire room’s efficiency.
4. Use the Middle Mouse Button for Clarity Mode
The art style is great, but sometimes it is hard to tell what is going on. Hold down the middle mouse button, or press Y on a controller, and the screen shifts into a simplified board game view. Your cats are green, enemies are red, and it becomes much easier to spot smaller threats hiding in the grass.
5. Eat What Is On the Ground
Healing does not always have to come from your Cleric. Most levels are scattered with edible junk. If you are not sure what is food, hover your mouse over objects to check tooltips. If a cat is standing on something edible, they will just eat it on their own and recover a bit of health.
6. Always Kill Neutral Birds
You will sometimes see birds that do not attack you. In Clarity Mode, they show up as grey counters. They may look harmless, but you want to eliminate them before they fly off. The cat who gets the kill earns a stat boost, and the birds often drop useful loot.
7. The Game Has Way More Depth Than It Looks Like
The map layout may remind you of Slay the Spire, but that is just the surface. You can play for hours and still have a save file sitting at 8 percent completion. There are hidden paths, rare events, breeding combinations, and systems that only unlock after many failed runs. Every map node can hide something new, and the real progression happens between missions.
8. There Is No True Game Over
Even when your squad gets wiped out and you return home broke, the run is not wasted. New strays show up regularly to help rebuild your team. Retired cats can also be donated to other characters for permanent bonuses, so every attempt adds to your long-term growth. Failure is part of the design, and the colony always finds a way to continue.
9. Turn Off the Film Grain If It Gets in the Way
The flickering film grain looks cool for atmosphere, but over time it can be hard on the eyes. If you feel some strain, head to the options menu and turn it off. It makes it easier to focus on the tactical side of fights. Visual fatigue ruins concentration, especially in longer play sessions.
10. Handle Problem Cats Proactively
Not every cat is helpful. Some come with bad traits or ugly faces that ruin the comfort levels of your nicer rooms. Do not waste high-comfort areas on low-value cats. Move them to the basement or into empty spaces with no upgrades. Keep your best rooms reserved for cats with high potential or rare abilities.
Mewgenics rewards long-term planning. Success comes from understanding how mutations work, being open to change, and not getting too attached to any single cat. Careful resource management, learning the deeper systems, and experimenting with breeding strategies will consistently lead to better results.