THE FUSE

The trick to most roguelites is your mastery of a particular deck or build. Whether it’s your cast of characters, deck of cards, or collection of spells, progress is gained as much from incremental additions as it is from your increased skill at playing that build. Chances are you’ve dedicated a huge amount of time to one specific build in Slay the Spire, or a preferred range of Jokers in Balatro, such that next time you head out you’re both better equipped and better acquainted to cope with the familiar path of enemies, challenges and incidents. Mewgenics, the latest game from Edmund McMillen and Tyler Glaiel, responds to this format by saying, “What if we screwed that all up and threw it in the trash?” Oh, and added, “And threw in as much toilet humor as we possibly can?” The result, I’m delighted to report, is really rather impressive.