Gato Roboto: In the distant future a cat actually does what you ask it to Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Gato Roboto: In the distant future a cat actually does what you ask it to Miaowtroidvania. Feature by Christian Donlan Features Editor Published on 15 May 2019 11 comments Gato Roboto is science fiction but it's also fantasy. It's science fiction because if focuses on a spaceman who crashlands on a strange planet. Stuck in his spaceship, he asks his cat to explore the landscape and find the means to rescue him. It's fantasy because the cat does what it's asked. This game is deliriously cute. Having played around with a preview build for the best part of a morning, I can attest to the fact that the simple fictional twist of playing as a cat adds a lot to the existing formula. The existing formula here is 2D Metroidvanias. Gato Roboto draws its world in black and white, using chunky pixels to bring things like alien wasp nests and ancient supercomputers to life. It feels a bit like playing a lost 2000AD game, in a way, the black and white art and the collision of space-truckers hardware and goop. But instead of Judge Dredd you're controlling a cat in a mech suit. The mech suit is a delight. I'm still early on in the game but I've already upgraded the standard laser blaster so that I have a rocket launcher too. Laser blasts whittle down enemies and open doors. Rockets reach further and can blow up certain kinds of rock. When it comes to the old morphball trick, Gato Roboto's solution is ingeniously simple: the cat gets out of the suit. The cat can slip through gaps the mech can't fit through, and can swim - sounds crazy but Chuck Jones' cat could too. When the mech encounters water it takes damage. That's the Metroidvania way, isn't it: find out what each piece of the arsenal can and can't do, and expand your abilities in order to open up the world. I love Gato Roboto's compact maps, each one filled with paths that lead in interesting directions, rooms you can't get to yet. I love its silly sense of humour: the first boss fight here is against a mouse in its own mech suit. Metroidvanias have been so thoroughly explored over the last few years, I sometimes wonder what kind of innovation is going to bring them back to life. Turns out all I needed was a cat. And a mech suit for the cat, obv. Gato Roboto is out later this year. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More Features Digital Foundry Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090: a new level in graphics performance The Digital Foundry video review - and how the new GPU champion delivers for 4K 120fps gaming. 14 Feature Evercore Heroes wants to wind people up the right way "There's less rage at them, because they didn't end your fun." Feature What games get wrong about horses And what they could do about it. 34 Feature Shout out to all the Overwatch supports - where would we be without you? Merci. 55 Latest Articles Digital Foundry Sennheiser's legendary HD 599 open-back headphones are just £70 at Amazon in the Prime Early Access Sale Comfortable with neutral sound and a wide sound stage. Preview Football Manager's new Console edition is the best you'll get without a PC Getting Touch-right. 1 Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 61 Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store