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Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? – Issue 649
Developed over time first seen 2 months ago
This Push Square Talking Point piece invites readers to share what they're playing this weekend, with the author focusing on an unnamed cat-themed roguelike role-playing game they've been engrossed in for weeks. The piece is a casual, opinion-driven feature rather than hard news, but it highlights an indie title praised for its depth, humour and originality, which may interest readers looking for a new game to try.
The author describes a game where players breed and manage squads of scrappy cat fighters to battle rats, mice and other foes, underpinned by a surprisingly detailed genetics system in which kittens inherit traits and mutations from their parents. Combat takes place on a ten-by-ten tactical grid with ten unlockable classes, complemented by a distinctive jazz-lounge soundtrack, a home-management system, permadeath, and random events; the author also notes it runs well on Valve's Steam Deck-style Portal handheld. They mention possibly also playing Valheim over the weekend, which they've found to be fully enjoyable solo.
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In short
- Push Square's weekly feature asks readers what they're playing this weekend
- Author highlights an unnamed cat-breeding tactical roguelike RPG
- Game features genetics, tactical combat, jazzy soundtrack and Portal compatibility
How this story developed
- 2 months ago Push Square's weekly "Talking Point" column returns with the writer still absorbed in an unnamed cat-themed roguelike, now going into further detail on its combat, tone and progression systems after weeks of play.
- 2 months ago This Push Square Talking Point piece invites readers to share what they're playing this weekend, with the author focusing on an unnamed cat-themed roguelike role-playing game they've been engrossed in for weeks.
- 2 months ago Push Square's weekly "Talking Point" feature invites readers to share what they're playing over the weekend, with the writer highlighting an unnamed cat-themed roguelike role-playing game they've been engrossed in for weeks.
Full account
Nintendo Life's regular weekend feature invites readers and staff to share what they intend to play over the coming days, and this instalment arrives hot on the heels of a particularly busy week of Nintendo announcements. Two Directs landed back to back, prompting the site's writers to run through both their excitement for what's coming and their existing backlogs.
The first Direct centred on The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for Switch 2, with a confirmed launch date of 5th November 2026. A second broadcast followed the next day and, despite a mixed reaction from parts of the fanbase, was said to be packed with reveals: Metroid Ravenous, Kirby and the World Beyond, a Switch 2 edition of Pikmin 4 bundled with Dandori Academy, remasters of Resident Evil 2, 3 and 4, Star Fox Adventures joining Nintendo Switch Online, a release window for the next Professor Layton title, and fresh trailers for Switch Sports Resort and Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave. Against that backdrop, staff described their weekend plans as a mix of nostalgia and anticipation. One writer is close to finishing Dragon Hopper on Virtual Boy while still returning to Tears of the Kingdom and Cruis'n Blast, and mentioned catching up on the latest Mario Kart World update. Another is midway through a fresh Baldur's Gate 3 run and plans to try the free demo for Cairn, alongside a possible annual replay of the original Pikmin now that a Switch 2 version has been announced, or a nostalgic return to Ocarina of Time on original hardware ahead of the remake. A third contributor is working through Fire Emblem: Awakening and playing Orbitals with a partner, while another is fully immersed in revisiting Star Fox Adventures, admitting a soft spot for the GameCube original that may be colouring their view of its shortcomings, and is holding off on more Pikmin 4 until the enhanced edition arrives.
Separately, one contributor to the discussion set aside the Nintendo news entirely to describe an unnamed feline-themed tactical roguelike they've been absorbed in for weeks, still uncovering new systems while nominally in the game's starting area. They characterised it as a role-playing roguelike in which players assemble a squad of armed and armoured cats to battle rats, mice and other foes, with new fighters produced through a breeding mechanic tied to a surprisingly deep genetics system: offspring inherit randomised traits and stats from their parents, strays wander in to join the roster, and unlockable collars let cats specialise into classes such as healers, spellcasters, damage-dealers and tanks. They praised the game's distinctive lounge-and-jazz-inflected soundtrack, its ten-by-ten grid-based tactical combat, random encounters, boss fights, and a permadeath system that rarely leaves the player short of cats thanks to constant breeding and new strays. The same commenter noted they'd tested it successfully on a handheld PC device and found it well suited to that format, and mentioned they might also spend time with Valheim, having enjoyed both games on PC.
Taken together, the two accounts illustrate how differently people are approaching their gaming weekend: one is shaped almost entirely by the ripple effects of Nintendo's back-to-back Directs and a return to familiar franchise favourites, while the other is a deep dive into a niche, genre-blending indie title with no connection to the week's news. The piece closes, as usual, by putting the question to its wider readership via a poll asking what they'll be loading onto their Switch or Switch 2.
Where outlets differ
From the full account, which is AI-written from the sources:
Source 2 is a structured, multi-contributor Nintendo Life staff feature tied directly to that week's two Nintendo Direct broadcasts, listing specific games, dates and staff reactions to the announcements; Source 1 is a single reader/commenter response that makes no mention of the Nintendo Directs at all and instead focuses entirely on an unnamed indie roguelike being played on PC and a handheld device.
Source 2 emphasises anticipation for upcoming Nintendo releases (Ocarina of Time remake, Pikmin 4 Switch 2 Edition, etc.) and nostalgia-driven replays on Nintendo hardware, whereas Source 1 emphasises mechanical depth (breeding/genetics, tactical grid combat, class system) and tone (humour, described as mildly risqué) in a non-Nintendo-exclusive title.
Source 1 does not name the game it describes, so its identity cannot be confirmed from the excerpt provided.
Source 2 includes a call-to-action poll for readers, which is not present in Source 1's excerpt.
Explained simply
Cat and dog roguelike games have become a small but steady niche on PC and handheld consoles, blending permadeath combat runs with breeding mechanics borrowed from simulation games. Push Square's "Talking Point" is a recurring weekly feature in which the site's writers share what they've personally been playing, rather than a formal review or news report.
This particular column has followed one such cat-themed roguelike over several weeks, with the writer returning to explain more of how its systems work, including grid-based combat, character classes and a genetics system for breeding new cats. It sits alongside mentions of other established titles, such as the survival game Valheim, as part of an informal, reader-facing conversation about weekend gaming choices rather than a story about a single major release or event.
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