10 Games Mewgenics Players Will Love

As one of the highest-rated video games of the year, Mewgenics has been a hot topic of conversation for the past few months, especially among fans of Roguelikes.

Given the depth of its systems, massive amounts of content, and endless gameplay possibilities that offer hundreds of hours of fun, it should come as no surprise that the title has resonated so deeply with the gaming community.

However, even with all its complexity, I'm sure there are already many players who have completed the entire game and are eager for more experiences that are at least remotely similar.

For these people, I can say you're in luck, because I've curated a list of ten games to play if you love Mewgenics.

10 The End is Nigh

Another Son of McMillen and Glaiel

Edmund McMillen and Tyler Glaiel had previously collaborated on various projects, but I dare say their most outstanding work before Mewgenics was, without a doubt, The End is Nigh.

Although it's a traditional platformer without any Roguelike features or complex mechanical structures, it maintains the aesthetic and tonal essence that its creators typically imbue in their work.

It's devilishly challenging, with numerous secrets and a bizarre audiovisual design, which helps you tolerate the hundreds of attempts each room will take, even with its perfectly finely tuned controls.

Of all the games on this list, The End is Nigh is the least like Mewgenics, but the vibe is still there. If you loved it so much, I think there's something special about revisiting the history of its creators, and that includes enjoying this magnificent platforming collaboration.

9 Caves of Qud

For System Enthusiasts

At first glance, Caves of Qud doesn't resemble Mewgenics or anything you've played before, but it only takes a couple of minutes of gameplay to discover they're much more similar than they appear.

With unprecedented systemic depth, both titles center their approach on the idea of ​​genetic mutations as transformative elements of gameplay, which in Caves of Qud allows you to create all sorts of mutants (instead of cats) that completely change the gameplay.

Procedurally generated worlds and even stories, numerous and unexpected interactions between elements, an aesthetic that initially repels you but that you eventually come to love… They are, frankly, two peas in a pod.

Caves of Qud isn't an easy game to recommend due to its high barrier to entry and seemingly unappealing presentation, but if Mewgenics hooked you, I don't see how this one couldn't do the same.

8 Pit People

The Surrealism of Strategy

I've gradually become more interested in tactical games that don't necessarily belong to the RTS genre, and when I stumbled upon Pit People, I honestly felt like I'd struck gold.

Being from Castle Crashers' creators, which you'll immediately recognize from its unmistakable art style, it shares with Mewgenics the emphasis on positioning and pre-battle decisions, which are crucial for success.

Given its grid-based format, numerous playable class combinations, and dozens of environmental hazards, it's like swapping cats for vampires and robots and replacing the scatological aesthetic with a more colorful one, all while maintaining the same irreverent humor.

I'd say the difference lies in the amount of content: even achieving 100% completion is probably equivalent to about a third of Mewgenics' core gameplay, yet Pit People is much more than its relatively short playtime.

7 The Legend of Bum-bo

Bizarre and Scatological

The Legend of Bum-bo is the closest thing you'll find to Mewgenics in terms of theme and art style, and that's because it's another game developed by McMillen, albeit perhaps his least known.

However, this game's lack of popularity shouldn't fool anyone, because even though it hasn't reached the same level of media attention as the developer's other projects, it's still an immeasurable source of fun.

And the reasons for their similarity are essentially the same: hundreds of items that modify your runs, dozens of bosses and enemies that change how you approach fights, unique characters with their own abilities, more poop than you need to see in a lifetime…

The Legend of Bum-bo is what happens when The Binding of Isaac meets Candy Crush, and it's brilliant. It's more creative than functional, and I think it's McMillen's creation that most quickly loses its appeal, though it's still highly recommended.

6 Darkest Dungeon

Handling Misery

One of the ways I most enjoy understanding Darkest Dungeon is through the concept of misery, as I've recently felt the game is about dealing with the harsh realities of its world and being more utilitarian than emotional.

Mewgenics and Red Hook Studios' title share this foundation, granting you access to countless disposable avatars who are there not because they are heroes, but because they are a means to a greater end than any of them individually.

Considering permanent death, characters who develop special abilities due to their traumas, the imperative need for synergy to win, and the return to a hub after each expedition, the loop is exactly the same, so you'll feel right at home.

In terms of design, Darkest Dungeon is among the games most similar to Mewgenics, and although the feelings they evoke are quite different, the activities they ultimately demand of you are practically identical.

5 Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle

Similar Opposites

When you see Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle on this list, I'm pretty sure you'll think I've lost my mind, but its connection to Mewgenics is quite clear once you delve into both.

The relationship is obvious from the start, as both are grid-based tactical games, and that alone is enough to draw parallels in numerous aspects, though what I'd most like to emphasize is their dynamism.

Since both games abhor being static, movement is a fundamental key to every battle, making choosing where to move and how to manipulate enemy positions absolutely vital, whether by jumping on them, passing through them, and so on.

Along with the great attention both games pay to using the environment to vary encounters, playing Mewgenics brought back memories of my time with Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. There may be other games on this list that are more similar, but my experience is completely unmistakable.

4 Death Howl

Tactics in a World of Death

Frankly, any description I could offer to compare Death Howl to Mewgenics is already done (or I will do it later), so I think I'll just skip straight to the part where I shower it with recognition.

If I include it on this list, rest assured it's because it shares many of the elements with McMillen's game that made both you and me love it, but my affection for The Outer Zone's creation goes beyond mere similarities.

Perhaps it's the inclusion of cards, which is one of my weak points, or its majestic art style, whose creativity and immersion are magnificent, but it's a game that feels different despite being quite similar to its peers.

Death Howl doesn't reinvent the wheel or bring anything particularly innovative to the table, but it's so excellent in its foundations and has such a strong imaginative identity that I can't help but sing its praises.

The Punishing Side of Management

Grid-based games have existed long before I was born, but I think it's fair to say XCOM 2, along with its predecessor, is largely responsible for the genre's resurgence after so long.

The revitalization of this type of game that it brought about left absolutely no one indifferent, and I'd venture to say games like Mewgenics itself benefited from its existence to such an extent that they imitated several of the elements that made it a success.

Aspects such as risk management, the permanent loss of units, the naturally progressive increase in difficulty, the combination of combat and resource management in a headquarters, and many more are present in both installments, and XCOM 2 did it first.

Obviously, many games also did it before XCOM 2, but I feel very little is said about how vital Firaxis and Feral Interactive were in bringing the spotlight back to a genre that, for a long time, had disappeared.

2 Into the Breach

Grid-Based Mastery

I'm not sure whether to say Into the Breach is more or less similar to Mewgenics than the other games on this list, but if we assume the article isn't just about finding the most exact game but similar experiences that are just as good, then this is an undeniable contender.

Rarely in my life have I felt so motivated to carefully consider every decision as with this game, practically reminding me of my school days when I became obsessed with math because of the satisfaction I got from staring at a problem for ages until I finally solved it.

Thus, Into the Breach makes me feel like a true commander, analyzing the battlefield to win short but intense conflicts, making sure to summon the right soldiers based on their abilities to increase my chances of victory, without relying on luck, as most games in the genre do.

It's not that far removed from what can be said of Mewgenics, but Into the Breach's perfection within its genre is more than just worthy of comparison. At this point, I think it's one of this century's completely indispensable games, so that description should suffice.

1 The Binding of Isaac

Benchmark for Roguelikes

Just as I began this list with a McMillen game that doesn't really resemble Mewgenics much, I'll close it with a title by the same author that's also quite different, namely The Binding of Isaac.

However, the reason is straightforward: if the idea of ​​this article is to suggest games you'll enjoy based on what you've seen in Mewgenics, I can't think of a better alternative than the Roguelike that practically gave birth to the entire genre.

If you praise the thousands of variations in each run, countless playable combinations, an almost unbearable number of secrets, and deep mechanical density that warrants hundreds of hours just to begin to understand it, then you praise The Binding of Isaac.

The core gameplay is completely different, though the feeling isn't, especially when you realize you're seeing practically the same designs and hearing the same tunes while forgetting you have responsibilities to fulfill.

The magic of Mewgenics is the magic of The Binding of Isaac, and without the latter, the former wouldn't exist. I wouldn't say it's aged enough to be enjoyed in 2026 as much as it was at the beginning of the last decade, but it's living video game history and a virtually endless source of entertainment everyone should try.